Unveiling their hysteria...
including the Smurfs, cartoons and other countercultural media
by Lualhati Madlangawa Guererro
"Parents should be careful this days on the cartoons show that their children are watching,, coz there are subliminal messages as well as ideological message that the show is trying to imply,, no wonder that there are so many youths that are easily catch by these communist-terrorist groups..."
These are the words a "concerned citizen" said, merely in response to to a cartoon show that, in fact advocates a society that is, against the "norms" of the order. For sure most of us knew about it, for it was being shown on Cartoon Network, and the title? The Smurfs.
These blue skinned, very short beings, as tall as 3 crab apples high (according to the Calgary Sun), are criticized much, worse by the hysterical wingnuts-simply because of a society they shown upon: not the houses, not themselves, but the society they belong with, and according to the wingnuts, a "Communist."
Yes, to others may call it a "Communist", simply just because, according to Wikipedia, the society the Smurfs belonged, and enjoyed with, generally takes the form of a cooperative, sharing and kind environment based on the principle that each Smurf has something he or she is good at, and thus contributes it to Smurf society as he or she can. In return, each Smurf appears to be given their necessities of life, from housing and clothes to food without using any money in exchange.
And somehow this kind of interpretation was and is, being exploited much by the wingnuts like those of what being said from above. But remember, long before Marx's lies those kind of societies, communities that were communal. The Diggers, Mediaeval Communes, or even the communities of certain cults, proto-Socialists and even Anarchists so to say, may have inspired Pierre "Peyo" Culliford to create the entire story-that most slanderous critics of that cartoon would interpret it as advocating Communism.
There was once a writer, whose name is Marc Schmidt, even told that the Smurfs are "Socialists", as he even said that the Smurf village as a "Marxist Utopia," only because it is self reliant and the entire collective of all the Smurfs own the entire land. For sure most critics would tell it as an absolute truth, but how about the Kibbutzim? The Diggers? Remember, the society the Smurfs epicted, although Communal, also shows its Agrarian appearance-that is, different from Marxism that was, developed during the Industrial Revolution.
There are some people who are even likely to interpret characters in that cartoon: thinking that of Papa Smurf be equivalent to Karl Marx? Just because he acts as a guide to the colour of his cap and trousers that is, Red?
I even remember a writeup made by a right-wing paranoid, persumably an Accounting student in 1985, making a different account of the story, as well as assailing it as said:
"Our youngsters look up to these radical Marxists, and are gradually turning away from Capitalism and Free Market Systems..."
So? Is there anything wrong in producing a media counter to the norms of what he enjoys with? Of Free Trade and other related sytems that benefits the few? For sure back then he was ignorant of the events in the Third World that was, and is, suffered from poverty due to the systems he defend for; as well he himself being bred much by the media that advocates much of severe individualism and bastardised Democracy, same as other persons, groups who create slanderous accounts and reinterpret anything that is, applicable to their narrow-minded imagination. As media, being a free market of ideas, is in fact, controlled much by vested interests-that makes the people resorted to create a media that can counter the ones being made by the system, and to prove that the media really serves as a free market of ideas.
After all, the ones who slander are the ones praising Gargamel-who tries to get all the Smurfs and making them into gold!
