- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
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Why do Americans care about socialization companies such as Toys 'R Us and Funk & Wagnalls?
Why do Americans seem hypnotized by comic book characters signifying urban anarchy and terrorism, such as Black Mask (DC Comics) and Red Skull (Marvel Comics)?
Why is Dick Tracy such a 'deity'?
Is America a factory?
====
Americans were celebrating the film-adaptation of Dick Tracy urban detective comics, a film starring the legendary Hollywood (USA) movie-star Warren Beatty. The year was 1990, and America was now 'evolving' out of its first real consumerism-explosion decade, the "Big '80s." Dick Tracy suddenly reminded American consumers of the value of 'pedestrian propaganda.'
American toy-companies began marketing/advertising toys symbolic of a new age of commercial traffic and industrialization and of course technology. Robotic toys such as Transformers (Hasbro) microscope-robots symbolized this new era of 'commerce idealism.' Everyone was fascinated by the 'intelligence' of capitalism 'sectors' (e.g., military-tech, toy-brands, survival-goods, supermarkets/grocers, electronics-batteries, etc.). Consumerism was supposed to feel...safe.
Americans valued compendia of knowledge/information and access to info-resources such as Funk & Wagnalls, Wikipedia, Farmer's Almanac, and Consumer Reports. America was after all a land of great pluralism and variety, so consumers naturally wanted 'totems' of great confluence/traffic-concentration and nowhere was that more present than in the 'dominion' of information/knowledge, especially as the Computer Age came. Suddenly, 'cataloguing intelligence' was considered an 'arm' of civics and hence a dominion of the law. The NSA (National Security Agency) established a special cyber-security division to oversee all Internet transmissions on the American homeland. Threatening the sanctity of 'traffic libraries' was considered terrorism.
American companies wanted to reach out to all age groups and genders for the marketing of goods and services and toys. Lady Foot Locker, Elle, Home & Garden, Harper's Bazaar, Highlights for Children (magazine), and GNC (vitamin-shops) were considered 'totems' of new age capitalism. Consumerism had made capitalism a 'pedestrian exercise.' What would new age American priests/scholars say about the 'virtue' of capitalism itself? Who would be capitalism's defenders? These sorts of questions loomed as audiences flocked to theatres to see the great Warren Beatty portray the iconic American urban detective and crime-fighter Dick Tracy, a paragon of 'American aesthetics.'
As with any hero, there comes a villain. Dick Tracy was not alone out there. Dick Tracy had to contend with the forces of pure darkness and therefore anarchy. Dick Tracy had to consider the impact of powerful/ominous urban gang-lords and crime-syndicate bosses and masked madmen veiled as 'radicals' (e.g., Big Boy Caprice, Al Capone, the Manson Family, Black Mask, the Bloods and the Crips, Neo-Nazis, etc., etc.). Black Mask stood out as an urban menace signifying a new age paranoia regarding general traffic subversion. Black Mask was a crime-syndicate Devil creating anarchy where there was negotiation greatly desired. Was this the sign of the Apocalypse --- a 'traffic tribulation'?
American churches dealt with the controversies regarding pluralism and how commerce and hence immigration impacted race-relations on U.S. soil. Catholic priests rallied about the ethnicity of Jesus and the inclusion of minorities in the Church, while Hollywood (USA) made provocative new religion-inquiry films such as The Exorcist, The Omen, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and Angels & Demons. It was a time of 'great social curiosity.' Could Dick Tracy offer the necessary idealism?
American comic books were adapted into countless Hollywood (USA) films, so iconic comic book superheroes such as Wonder Woman, Superman, and Spider-Man were featured contending with very symbolic anti-democratic super-villains such as Poison Ivy, Nuclear Man, and Doctor Doom. Art was finally reflecting social values but in a democratic fashion. The greatest threat to all this 'social expressionism' was therefore censorship, so journalism (e.g., CNN) became a 'throne' for American campfires.
TRUMP: Times were simpler during the days of Jefferson and Reagan!
CARTER: Yes, Americans are more concerned now about WikiLeaks and terrorism.
TRUMP: Perhaps we all wish Dick Tracy was real...
CARTER: Let's hope Nuclear Man, Black Mask, and Red Skull are definitely not real!
TRUMP: Americans are still haunted by 9/11, Carter.
CARTER: The devastation of the World Trade Center signalled the omens of terrorism.
TRUMP: Perhaps terrorism is a purely modern 'phenomenon.'
CARTER: I suppose in older times, a terrorist would simply be considered a 'pirate.'
TRUMP: Or even a profiteer...
CARTER: Today, terrorism is considered a 'hallmark' of civilization malady.
TRUMP: Who are the doctors?
CARTER: Dick Tracy!
TRUMP: Perhaps...
CARTER: I worry about Wall Street and the European Union.
TRUMP: Computers and networking have revolutionized commerce and politics.
CARTER: Everyone loves batteries (Energizer, Duracell, Rayovac).
TRUMP: Yes, Americans make superior consumer-electronics batteries...and toys!
CARTER: True; Hasbro, Mattel, and Fisher-Price are revered toy-companies (US-based).
TRUMP: We need more Dick Tracy action-figures for our youngsters.
CARTER: Nah, these days American kids prefer G.I. Joe and Neo.
TRUMP: I worry some sociopathic gang claiming to be 'prophets' will copycat Black Mask.
CARTER: Let's go watch Cobra on Netflix!
====
Why do Americans seem hypnotized by comic book characters signifying urban anarchy and terrorism, such as Black Mask (DC Comics) and Red Skull (Marvel Comics)?
Why is Dick Tracy such a 'deity'?
Is America a factory?
====
Americans were celebrating the film-adaptation of Dick Tracy urban detective comics, a film starring the legendary Hollywood (USA) movie-star Warren Beatty. The year was 1990, and America was now 'evolving' out of its first real consumerism-explosion decade, the "Big '80s." Dick Tracy suddenly reminded American consumers of the value of 'pedestrian propaganda.'
American toy-companies began marketing/advertising toys symbolic of a new age of commercial traffic and industrialization and of course technology. Robotic toys such as Transformers (Hasbro) microscope-robots symbolized this new era of 'commerce idealism.' Everyone was fascinated by the 'intelligence' of capitalism 'sectors' (e.g., military-tech, toy-brands, survival-goods, supermarkets/grocers, electronics-batteries, etc.). Consumerism was supposed to feel...safe.
Americans valued compendia of knowledge/information and access to info-resources such as Funk & Wagnalls, Wikipedia, Farmer's Almanac, and Consumer Reports. America was after all a land of great pluralism and variety, so consumers naturally wanted 'totems' of great confluence/traffic-concentration and nowhere was that more present than in the 'dominion' of information/knowledge, especially as the Computer Age came. Suddenly, 'cataloguing intelligence' was considered an 'arm' of civics and hence a dominion of the law. The NSA (National Security Agency) established a special cyber-security division to oversee all Internet transmissions on the American homeland. Threatening the sanctity of 'traffic libraries' was considered terrorism.
American companies wanted to reach out to all age groups and genders for the marketing of goods and services and toys. Lady Foot Locker, Elle, Home & Garden, Harper's Bazaar, Highlights for Children (magazine), and GNC (vitamin-shops) were considered 'totems' of new age capitalism. Consumerism had made capitalism a 'pedestrian exercise.' What would new age American priests/scholars say about the 'virtue' of capitalism itself? Who would be capitalism's defenders? These sorts of questions loomed as audiences flocked to theatres to see the great Warren Beatty portray the iconic American urban detective and crime-fighter Dick Tracy, a paragon of 'American aesthetics.'
As with any hero, there comes a villain. Dick Tracy was not alone out there. Dick Tracy had to contend with the forces of pure darkness and therefore anarchy. Dick Tracy had to consider the impact of powerful/ominous urban gang-lords and crime-syndicate bosses and masked madmen veiled as 'radicals' (e.g., Big Boy Caprice, Al Capone, the Manson Family, Black Mask, the Bloods and the Crips, Neo-Nazis, etc., etc.). Black Mask stood out as an urban menace signifying a new age paranoia regarding general traffic subversion. Black Mask was a crime-syndicate Devil creating anarchy where there was negotiation greatly desired. Was this the sign of the Apocalypse --- a 'traffic tribulation'?
American churches dealt with the controversies regarding pluralism and how commerce and hence immigration impacted race-relations on U.S. soil. Catholic priests rallied about the ethnicity of Jesus and the inclusion of minorities in the Church, while Hollywood (USA) made provocative new religion-inquiry films such as The Exorcist, The Omen, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and Angels & Demons. It was a time of 'great social curiosity.' Could Dick Tracy offer the necessary idealism?
American comic books were adapted into countless Hollywood (USA) films, so iconic comic book superheroes such as Wonder Woman, Superman, and Spider-Man were featured contending with very symbolic anti-democratic super-villains such as Poison Ivy, Nuclear Man, and Doctor Doom. Art was finally reflecting social values but in a democratic fashion. The greatest threat to all this 'social expressionism' was therefore censorship, so journalism (e.g., CNN) became a 'throne' for American campfires.
TRUMP: Times were simpler during the days of Jefferson and Reagan!
CARTER: Yes, Americans are more concerned now about WikiLeaks and terrorism.
TRUMP: Perhaps we all wish Dick Tracy was real...
CARTER: Let's hope Nuclear Man, Black Mask, and Red Skull are definitely not real!
TRUMP: Americans are still haunted by 9/11, Carter.
CARTER: The devastation of the World Trade Center signalled the omens of terrorism.
TRUMP: Perhaps terrorism is a purely modern 'phenomenon.'
CARTER: I suppose in older times, a terrorist would simply be considered a 'pirate.'
TRUMP: Or even a profiteer...
CARTER: Today, terrorism is considered a 'hallmark' of civilization malady.
TRUMP: Who are the doctors?
CARTER: Dick Tracy!
TRUMP: Perhaps...
CARTER: I worry about Wall Street and the European Union.
TRUMP: Computers and networking have revolutionized commerce and politics.
CARTER: Everyone loves batteries (Energizer, Duracell, Rayovac).
TRUMP: Yes, Americans make superior consumer-electronics batteries...and toys!
CARTER: True; Hasbro, Mattel, and Fisher-Price are revered toy-companies (US-based).
TRUMP: We need more Dick Tracy action-figures for our youngsters.
CARTER: Nah, these days American kids prefer G.I. Joe and Neo.
TRUMP: I worry some sociopathic gang claiming to be 'prophets' will copycat Black Mask.
CARTER: Let's go watch Cobra on Netflix!
====
