I'm Not Sure Whether to Laugh or Puke

May 9, 2010 at 6:00 PM

By Matt Ciepielowski

Captain America Goes to War Against Drugs! I was reading an issue of Reason Magazine that I have left over from an old YAL activism kit, and I came across this disturbing little gem. The article links to a page on the University of Nebraska's website where they have catalogued government propaganda in the form of comic books. Brian Doherty says in the Reason article,

There are some famous faces here: Spider-Man, Dennis the Menace, and Li’l Abner were all drafted as propaganda agents, turning this joyous art form into a tool of a state that apparently believes its responsibilities are limitless.

The comics on the Fed, inflation, and monetary policy are particularly interesting in their silliness. Here are some choice excerpts (below the jump).

The Fed

Inflation

Monetary Policy/ Inflation

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Umm...can I use these pictures and edit some of the captions/speech bubbles in Photoshop for my own amusement?

For example, the Captain America one, I would like to put "The DEA" at the top, and then "37+ years of FAIL" at the bottom. :-P

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 9, 2010.

I'd have to imagine this is in the public domain, so you should be good (but IP stifles progress anyway so who cares). If you want a bigger version of the picture, just go to the Nebraska page, the Captain America one is first I think. Just click on it, then click the thumbnail of the comic to download the pdf.

Submitted by Matt Ciepielowski on May 9, 2010.

So what exactly is the Fed comic saying? Correct me if Im wrong, but from what I gather it implies that government expenditures can increase while taxes are simultaneously lowered all because the Federal Reserve controls monetary policy? Are they F'n kidding me? Who in their right mind would believe that? Oh wait.... they are called Keynesians!

Submitted by Jeffrey Goodwin (not verified) on May 9, 2010.

I don't think the comic (this page anyway) says that at all. It simply explains that politicians can't be relied on to make spending/taxing decisions to control inflation.

Submitted by BBQ Brains on May 10, 2010.

Comic books have a long history as propaganda tools. They have been used to support various war efforts and even as literacy tools for illiterate soldiers. I have some supergirl comics from the 80's that taught kids the evils of not wearing seat belts.

What disturbs me more than propaganda is the squashing of freedom of speech. Back in the 50's comic books were the video games that spolied kids' minds, and the government formed the CCA (Comics Code Authority) that kept comics extremely kiddy for a long time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority

Submitted by BBQ Brains on May 10, 2010.

Ya that era was crazy. I've always found it interesting because of the pseudo-science they used to back it up. It shows that censorship doesn't always come from a religious or moral perspective. Secular voices can be just as tyrannical and pro-censorship.

Submitted by Matt Ciepielowski on May 10, 2010.

Matt....i would love to repost this on the silver circle blog site! interested in some cross posting?