Minions and America Plus Gender and Religion, Too

What is a minion? Is it a little yellow guy that says “bello” and “papoi?” Or is it more than that? What is the sociological significance of Minionism, and how can we see ourselves in minion culture? When will the questions about Gru’s Tic-Tac freaks end? Does anyone know anything about this?

Let’s begin with the Big Three: Kevin, Stuart, and Bob. Kevin represents raw, biblical masculinity, standing tall and leading his group with confidence throughout the Despicable Me franchise; Stuart represents the center of the gender binary, being more fluid in his expression while trying to uphold patriarchal expectations; finally, Bob represents biblical femininity, short in stature and requiring guidance from the more dominant figures in his cultish family. Without the diverse representation we see among our selected minions, we would not understand their dynamic instinctively. Living in a society structured upon Puritan gender roles, we have come to understand even ambiguously gendered creatures, like minions, as representative of our cultural expectations; what makes Bob the “weakest,” for example? Why is his short stature fitting for his feminine interests (stuffed animals, unicorns, et cetera)?

From left to right: Kevin, Stuart, and Bob.

Thinking of the minions as a congregation of sorts, it becomes clearer their symbolic significance to modern American society. Does anyone know about the term “sheeple?” What about “ethnostate?” The minions are a warning against the rise of Christian nationalism we’re actively seeing under the Trump administration’s rule. Do we want to see ourselves collapse into monoethnic Minionism? Will we continue following our orange-faced Gru into his deepening grave? What will happen to our three fostered children? These are the questions we must ask ourselves to progress beyond the hopeless point we’ve apparently reached as a nation.

If you have any thoughts, that’s awesome. Keep thinking, soldier. Ponder. Wonder. Scheme. Confuse yourself. I’m confused. Goodnight y papoi.