In the 1980’s, prior to the cable revolution, I watched ordinary cartoons, many of which had dominated the TV landscape since the early 1940’s. My favorites included Popeye the Sailor Man, Tom and Jerry, Fred and Wilma, Boris and Natasha, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Scooby Doo, and a litany of others. I was tuned into ‘toons as often as possible.
Occasionally, an obscure random Loony Toon cartoon would play on Saturday mornings, be it Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk, Hector the Bulldog, or Slyvester the Cat helping to moderate a cartoon landscape dominated by the likes of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Yosemite Sam.
Occasionally, an obscure random Loony Toon cartoon would play on Saturday mornings, be it Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk, Hector the Bulldog, or Slyvester the Cat helping to moderate a cartoon landscape dominated by the likes of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Yosemite Sam.
Another of my favorites was Sam the Sheepdog and Ralph the Wolf. For those of you unfamiliar with the aforementioned dynamic duo, a quick peak at this video will jog your memory.
For what it’s worth, old cartoons are wrought with this type of on again off again friendship. Remember Tom and Jerry? In some episodes Tom and Jerry were allies in cahoots against “The Man” and in others, Tom couldn’t wait for a little Jerry flavored soup. Suffice it to say, I never forgot Sam the Sheepdog and here is why:
If you watched the embedded video, you encountered a simple example of U.S. politics in the modern realm. Sure Sam and Ralph are at odds over “the issues,” i.e. one protecting the flock, the other planning a mutton dinner, but only “on the clock” do they differ. When the work whistle blows, they stroll, step for step, one in the moment, friends after hours, devoted to the end much like the politicians of our time.
Perhaps I am oversimplifying the relationship between the parties but the parallel between Sam and Ralph and our American political machine is frightening. Regardless of who you ascribe your party to be (most I imagine are choosing Sam as their representative) there is an obvious “after hours” camaraderie between democrats and republicans following a day shift of finger pointing and name calling which most Americans seem to ignore.
Let me ask a simple rhetorical question: would you want to be my friend if I continually called you a loser, a liar, an idiot, a betrayer, or a(n)[insert insult here]? Would you spend valuable time in my presence if you thought I was the scum of the earth? Would you put your values aside if I routinely mocked your ability to do your job? I didn't think so. That leads me to one final question: Are we sheep or are we people? That, I am afraid, is the question our politicians pose to each other after a long hard day of back-biting, name-calling, and finger-pointing. I can only imagine how they answer. Just a thought!
For what it’s worth, old cartoons are wrought with this type of on again off again friendship. Remember Tom and Jerry? In some episodes Tom and Jerry were allies in cahoots against “The Man” and in others, Tom couldn’t wait for a little Jerry flavored soup. Suffice it to say, I never forgot Sam the Sheepdog and here is why:
If you watched the embedded video, you encountered a simple example of U.S. politics in the modern realm. Sure Sam and Ralph are at odds over “the issues,” i.e. one protecting the flock, the other planning a mutton dinner, but only “on the clock” do they differ. When the work whistle blows, they stroll, step for step, one in the moment, friends after hours, devoted to the end much like the politicians of our time.
Perhaps I am oversimplifying the relationship between the parties but the parallel between Sam and Ralph and our American political machine is frightening. Regardless of who you ascribe your party to be (most I imagine are choosing Sam as their representative) there is an obvious “after hours” camaraderie between democrats and republicans following a day shift of finger pointing and name calling which most Americans seem to ignore.
Let me ask a simple rhetorical question: would you want to be my friend if I continually called you a loser, a liar, an idiot, a betrayer, or a(n)[insert insult here]? Would you spend valuable time in my presence if you thought I was the scum of the earth? Would you put your values aside if I routinely mocked your ability to do your job? I didn't think so. That leads me to one final question: Are we sheep or are we people? That, I am afraid, is the question our politicians pose to each other after a long hard day of back-biting, name-calling, and finger-pointing. I can only imagine how they answer. Just a thought!
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