Interesting: Dr. Seuss WWII Cartoons Reflect Author's Politics (progressive) And Imagination

[hlthe2b]

Dr. Seuss World War II Cartoons Reflect Author's Politics And Imagination
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/dr-seuss-world-war-2-cartoons-photos_n_1559760.html?ncid=webmail15#s=1041381
--snip--
But while Dr. Seuss may be best known for works like The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, he was also a prolific political cartoonist during World War II. Penning editorial cartoons for the left-leaning New York newspaper PM from 1941 to 1943, Dr. Seuss covered the war from a unique angle that presented progressive opinions ornamented with entertaining flights of fancy.

According to the 1995 biography, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel, Dr. Seuss "was haunted by the war in Europe." While he supported the war effort through his work, he also used his cartoons to convey social messages, fighting against racism and anti-semitism.

Here is one but worth flipping through the slide show:

[CBGLuthier]

1. Here's a little something he did in 1946

[hlthe2b]

2. Interesting.. provocative....

Last edited Fri Jun 1, 2012, 11:07 AM - Edit history (1)

and I suppose somewhat understandable for the time. Like all "good" propaganda, includes just enough valid messaging (e.g., emphasis on being respectful to the German people, while not giving over all trust) to make the more cringe-inducing aspects a tiny bit less jarring. I'm guessing it might have been pretty effective for its intended purpose.

What were your impressions?

[TlalocW]

5. I guess it wasn't funny at the time but...

I keep laughing at the back and forth the narrator does of, "Oh, happy, happy, happy, nice Germans... Oh, yeah, what about THIS, Soldier-Boy? Go ahead, take a nice, long, steamy look, mister!"

I have a CD of New Wave songs including, "Don't Argue," by Cabaret Voltaire (yeah, I had never heard of them before either). Apparently, they sampled this propaganda film and slowed down the speech. This isn't the exact version - mine doesn't have any female singers in it, but you get the idea.

TlalocW

[TlalocW]

3. I recently checked out a book of his cartoons from WWII

He really didn't hold back. Made for a good read too - wasn't just a collection of cartoons, but each chapter had several pages about what was going on in his life and the world at the time.

TlalocW

[Auggie]

4. Remarkable stuff. Huge K & R!

I loved the Seuss style as a kid -- even then I recognized it as different. To see it in editorial is mind blowing. It's extraordinarily powerful.