No meme is stupider than “the troops died to protect our freedoms” – since the U.S. hasn’t fought a war that involved defending the U.S. since the 19th century, it would be more accurate to say that the troops died in order to crush other people’s freedoms – and that meme hits its zenith on Memorial Day, when the nation’s idea-challenged editorial cartoonists seize an opportunity to file a cartoon days in advance so they can kick off to the Bar-B-Q pit. Here are but a few of this year’s chestnuts of nastily nationalistic, sentimental pabulum:
First of all, the yellow ribbon is for live troops. You’re supposed to put it on your tree until they come home. I don’t think you’d put that in a cemetery – not unless you want them to come home and commit suicide. Which does happen a lot these days. (Also, on a side note: how did the original “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” song, which was about a convict hoping his lover would be there for him when he got out of the joint, get appropriated by the military industrial entertainment complex?)
The bigger point, of course, is that these dead men and women did not protect the U.S. since the U.S. has not been attacked by an invading army since, well, 1812. It merely reminds us of all the war and mayhem U.S. forces have caused all over the world – you know, places that are not lands of peace and freedom.
Not that the U.S. – where the FBI freely admits searching journalists’ files – is exactly a land of freedom. Or peace (see Newtown).
Sometimes a shitty cartoon can prompt a lot of thought.
A genuinely confusing cartoon. Knowing Beeler’s politics, I assume this is pro-war, but the tone is as sinister as WW2 propaganda art. Where are we, exactly?
Grateful for what? Dead soldiers? How does this “grateful nation” show its thanks – with a free flag?This kind of thing is soooo right-wing – and yet it draws no notice – that it gives me chills.
Aside from the mawkish sentiment, it’s pretty inaccurate. Military cemeteries, and military graves in civilian burial grounds, tend to be well-maintained.
McKee had to know – these guys all had to know – that other cartoonists would do this exact same cartoon. So why do it? The excuse used to be that their readers – in their paper – deserved their unique cut-and-paste take on a generic idea. But now with the Internet…why?
Zero.
Takeaway message: It is Memorial Day. Which I knew from looking at my calendar. Advice for Gorrell: Google Image Search high-res files when you’re looking for flags. I’m awed by this cartoon; it took him less time to make it than for me to read it.
Idiotic. But detailed. Them rocks look good for rock-climbing on a beautiful Memorial Day.
Apparently this sentiment does not apply to Afghans, Iraqis, Yemenis, Pakistanis, Somalis, etc.
When I first saw this, I thought it meant Electronic Benefit Transfer. Now that I understand it, I wanna know: do we owe these dead troops to China? Would they take them back? Having trouble with the analogy.
What, no rapists?
Check out this fascist art. See, Randy, one of the reasons I never enlisted is so that I don’t have to salute anyone. That is what freedom is really about.
Well, probably more conservatives. But you know, there are and were dead socialist soldiers. And communists. And Klansmen. And, for that matter, what about the non-Americans who were promised citizenship but died before they got it?
