[flashtronaut8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diablogunner

Good guys vs Bad guys...Nuff Said!

Where the good guys stay good, the bad guys stay bad, and Scarlett has something going on w/Destro (at least in my deranged head-canon).

[l0neW0lf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by books

Personally, I think of G.I. Joe as a purpose-defined special mission unit (SMU) of JSOC, neither Delta nor Six, but created uniquely for a special task in the early 80s to counter and then defeat Cobra, at least as its primary mission...

... while also having a secondary mission of being available for whatever other special operations missions the national command authority might assign it, such as the early Larry Hama examples of neutralizing Wingfield's apocalyptic survivalist cult, or the recovery of the downed Soviet reconnaissance vehicle in Afghanistan that introduced the Oktober Guard.

Clearly, being part of JSOC (or a sheep-dipped unit forwarded therefrom) makes the unit an American unit, albeit one with the honor and privilege of hosting many world class operators from allied nations at a variety of times and places.

I would also say, though, somewhat but maybe not greatly contrary to my friend (I hope) and fellow o-ring lover Fartbutt, that while Cobra is most definitely an international threat comprised in considerable part by a truly international group of terrorists, I actually think that Cobra is of American origin and mainly staffed by Americans, be they from Springfield or Broca Beach or one of the CGies that seem to be everywhere the money is.

AND, THEREFORE, WHILE THE JOE TEAM IS AN OVERALL COMPLIMENTARY DEPICTION OF AMERICA, COBRA IS TO AN EQUAL EXTENT AN INDICTMENT OF AMERICAN PROBLEMS, as well as a warning from the 80s & early 90s about one possible dystopian future where Cobra-esque people could take over!

While Cobra's schemes likely address a number of... internal issues, I was thinking the exact opposite, ie that there is originally a strong dichotomy between USA = good vs rest of the world = evil.

Destro, Baroness, Tomax and Xamot and probably Zartan too are originally European; Bludd is Australian. All the masterminds are NOT American except Commander who is often portrayed in very comic terms.

The Joes have different backgrounds because American is not an ethnicity but an idea that had been pushed globally since the '80s. This doesn't make the idea international though.

AS for me, I like the franchise to be american, not international.

[Sy-Rein]

GI Joe has always been international to me. My Joes and vehicles all came with Canadian flags and bi-lingual file cards. Y’all can say whatever you want but GI Joe has, is and always will be an international group of heroes fighting Cobra all over the world.

[280-CUSTOMS]

I went with American in voting but if you look @ it not only was Gijoe made up of so many foreign characters especially later but they battled in every country btwn the comics and the cartoon .. so they are international to me but I was introduced to them as an American special forces team .. and even in the intro they say they battle cobra who is determined to rule the world . The worlds not just America

You should have had a third option both even though you only wanted 2 opinions answered

[AWOL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 280-CUSTOMS

You should have had a third option both even though you only wanted 2 opinions answered

It either is or it isn't.

It can be American-based, but operate internationally, as many have pointed out, with the point being it's American-based.

Or it can be a NATO-type organization.

[Blackice]

I take a slightly different approach. I say Real American Hero, but the America pertains to the continent of North America, so Mexico, US and Canada. As a kid this made sense to me because there were Canadian and US flags on the toys and some members had Canadian birth places. In my mind there were bases in the far frozen north, the jungles down south and the main base in the US. Why no Mexican flags though? Well I just surmised that Mexico was too poor, hey, I was ten.

[THEDARKONE508]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackice

I take a slightly different approach. I say Real American Hero, but the America pertains to the continent of North America, so Mexico, US and Canada. As a kid this made sense to me because there were Canadian and US flags on the toys and some members had Canadian birth places. In my mind there were bases in the far frozen north, the jungles down south and the main base in the US. Why no Mexican flags though? Well I just surmised that Mexico was too poor, hey, I was ten.

This is the kind of clever insight from a child that makes me accept gijoe as an American hero rather than an international one.

[AWOL]

The poll closes tomorrow.