American Anti-Americanism

Lileks has some thoughts:

The point is: Donald wakes up in America, in a room bedecked with American symbols, and is unabashedly grateful. It was an appeal to a vague but widely assumed national identity that was clearly superior to the Nazi alternative in every possible way. Oh, sure, some weisenheimer in the back row may have grumbled “It ain’t our fight!” or “no fourth term for Rooosevelt!” No one in the audience went home and hugged a flag. But you could also look at the cartoon in a different light: “That Time a Cartoon was Unapologetically Grateful For America Without Including a Moronic Hyper-patriotic Caricature Named Biff Punchjaw To Let the Animators Off the Hook Lest You Think They Have No Awareness of the Nation’s Dark Side As Well.”

It stuck in my craw, my craw being dipped in extra-strength adhesive these days, because another site I visit looked at another wartime Disney cartoon and took it to task for its gendered attitudes. It is not enough to be correct today; one must also demonstrate awareness of previous incorrectness, and parade around your awareness like a flag in a rally. Annnd this came after a visit to an animation site, where the people in the comments fell over themselves to pick apart “Frozen” and the “Lost” Mickey short that preceded it. His nose! It’s historically inaccurate! Mickey’s nose didn’t look like that until 1931, but that’s the 1926 Pegleg Pete! Hah! From hell’s heart I fling my poo! Shame!

Plus, the usual weekly Captain Video as a bonus.

3 thoughts on “American Anti-Americanism”

  1. “From hell’s heart I fling my poo!”

    I finally pushed myself to read Moby Dick this year. I find 19th century prose so turgid and meandering that I have a tough time maintaining interest. But, it is the Greatest American Novel, so I felt duty bound to have read it before I died.

    It is good. And, there are many “A-ha” moments when you realize where a particular turn of phrase originated. The Star Trek screenwriters must have it memorized from cover to cover.

  2. Speaking of mindless propaganda, HHS announced the grand prize winner for the Obamacare video contest.

    The song says, “Affordable Care Act, don’t worry about the price tag.”

    You just can’t make stuff like that up. ^_^

    They have to convince all the young, healthy, and really stupid people to sign up for unaffordable, worthless policies that they don’t need. I hope Harry Reid’s staffers don’t see the video, or they might foolishly sign up for the coverage that he just exempted them from.

  3. “The song says, ‘Affordable Care Act, don’t worry about the price tag.'”

    Didn’t know Baghdad Jim moonlighted as a lyricist.

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