If the 1930s are really back, it won’t be long now before they remake Confidence, starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as an economist. Sorry, embedding was disabled.
Notes on the cartoon: Oswald was originally drawn, but not owned, by Walt Disney. A few tweaks and a change of species later, Mickey Mouse was born. Take a good look at the mice on drums in the band – it was probably an in-joke. Also, check the credits: Tex Avery (Bugs Bunny) and Walter Lantz (Woody Woodpecker), among others.
Great find. The non-existent intellectual quality is interesting. “Depression” is a ghost that can be dispelled by pure attitude. Perhaps Obama’s sacred hand, outstretched above the suffering Earth, will work a similar magic in reverse.
So, I take it us workers are just dumb animals that only need to be sunshined or bamboozled to give up our eggs for master government? Oh, and be happy while doing it.
I like happy worker Soviet films better. Although happy German troops into Russia in the summer are pretty happy too. More modern happy films are the North Korean. They really have a nice snap about them. Almost makes me want to move there.
I wonder if George Orwell saw this cartoon and got a idea for Animal Farm?
All Hail The Pigs!
Snarky remarks…FDR gave hope. That was needed in time of gloom. We spend with glee with there is hope for better things. Sneering changes nada.
Agreed, Paco, but you must admit that this film uses an informal logical fallacy, that of categorization. Depression is at once shown as an economic problem (bank runs, savings under mattress, etc.) and an emotional one (moping, hopelessness). Lex nailed that weakness in the argument. It was more than snark.
We are about to see that conflation of different meanings acted out in reality. Perhaps an appeal to hope or confidence will overcome our fiscal, monetary, and structural problems; or perhaps not. I believe disciplined thought and right action will also be urgently needed, and are not yet in evidence in any of the clamoring factions in Washington. (Witness the shifting targets for the rescue and stimulation funds.) These will be interesting times.
I agree with you, Mitch. The problem I think is that no one is sure what needs to be done and how much money has to be thrown into the task and how it will be paid for.
And so we are getting many voices, each believing his is on the right track (tghe voices often those of fiscal perspectives)…perhaps we will come up with the proper one. Perhaps not. Then our comicws will wear the mask of tragedy.