CRITICAL MASS Review: Minoriteam

Minoriteam Is a Major Hit

Racial and cultural stereotype is an elephant in my psychological living room. My reaction can run the gamut from hyenic laughter to shameful embarrassment. This power to both amuse and discomfit is born of two fundamental truths: One, I fear that when I classify individuals by their ancestry, I diminish myself. Two, I can’t stop doing number one. Am I defective? No, just human. Generalization is a survival mechanism evolved over millions of years; the notion that I can simply banish it with open-mindedness is wishful thinking. After watching Minoriteam, I’ve decided to just enjoy it. Minoriteam doesn’t challenge ethnic stereotypes, it revels in them, choosing to embrace cultural eccentricity rather than ignore it.

Our diverse team of superheroes is led by Asian superintellect Dr. Wang, a man who brings rice to a barbecue and whose alter ego runs a laundry where he monitors world events on a bank of screens cleverly disguised as dryers. His followers include the money-loving Jewcano (possessing all the powers of the Jewish faith… and a Volcano!); Non-Stop, a convenience-store-owning, carpet-riding Indian (not the American kind); El Jefe, a weed-whacker-wielding, burrito-loving Mexican; and Fasto, the fastest man ever; so fast he can satisfy a roomful of evil Thai Hookers on short notice without rearranging his schedule. (Did I mention he’s Black?)

In the episode I saw entitled Illegal Aliens, White Shadow, an evil racist organization, has decided to eliminate Minoriteam once and for all by paying aliens (the space kind) to abduct them and take them to their home world. Once arrived, the aliens inform our heroes that they are there illegally and must endure a series of deadly challenges to be allowed to stay (as slaves, of course). Each of our ethnic champions faces his nemesis. Jewcano is tempted by a killer nickel, while Fasto comes face-to-face with his angry Mama. When El Jefe’s head is turned by a giant pimped-out Cadillac with horns (which he bullfights), Wang comes to the rescue, wrecking the automotive monster with his Asian driving skills. Working together, Minoriteam wins, but they still face the bleak prospect of being second-class citizens on an alien world.

Fortunately, the members of White Shadow have discovered that with Minoriteam gone, they have nothing to do except play Racist Charades, Racist Scrabble, and Racist Monopoly. Apparently, being a racist is no fun without minorities. So just when all appears lost for our super band, guess what… It’s White Shadow to the rescue, scooping up Minoriteam and returning them to Earth before they can be enslaved.

Minoriteam is rude, crude, and politically incorrect, not to mention poorly animated, but at its core lies a message: Ethnic character is cause for celebration, not shame, and a racist is nothing without someone to hate.

Reviewed by -

The Critical Masster

for

cartoonmogul.com