Capitalist Propaganda: “Elbow Room”
Proving that the decade wasn’t a total disaster, a little something that older Gen X’ers & younger Boomers might remember from Saturday mornings in the 70′s – an episode of the Schoolhouse Rock series from 1976 called “Elbow Room”:
Yeah, you won’t be getting THIS song out of your head anytime soon.
Anyway, I can’t decide if this clip actually approves of the American expansion across the continent, or if it just SEEMS like it because it’s been so long since I’ve heard the process discussed without the use of the phrase “smallpox infected blankets”.
Bonus points to the Schoolhouse Rock folks for not sneering contemptuously after using the phrase “Manifest Destiny”. I can’t imagine that happening today.
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(12 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
“Elbow Room” yea “Elbow Room” yea “Elbow Room” …. oh crap! why did I listen? MAKE IT STOP … I cant get it out of my head… yea “Elbow Room”
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Only way to make it stop is to start singing “Lollie, Lollie, Lollie get your adverbs here!”
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:10 pm
“smallpox infected blankets”
First I thought “Well, it was the British soldiers who started that at Fort Pitt”, but then I remembered that the British soldiers were white, so it still applies!
Gah.
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:04 pm
In 8th grade history, we had to memorize the Preamble of the Constitution. I already knew it, thanks to Schoolhouse Rock. Still remember it today almost 30 years later. Can’t praise that series enough.
PS Marko – pretty soon all the “British” will be Pakistanis. Dunno how the race-baiters will resolve that one.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Conjunction Junction .. Whats your function? …. Hookin up words and phrases and clauses….
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:43 pm
This shows a Bible and the song says “In God We Trust,” so you know the ACLU won’t let this in schools anymore….
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:44 am
I have the DVD collection that has all of the School House Rock stuff on it. I was watching it with my kids and realized that just about none of those would be allowed on TV today. Just like the first seasons of Sesame Street on DVD are rated PG because they are not politically correct enough for today’s youths.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:51 am
Who knew that “My Hero Zero” would be about the 44th President?
Oh, they’re trying!
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Three is STILL a magic number… and Bob Dorough, Tom Yohe, Lynn Ahrens, Jack Sheldon, Blossom Dearie. etc etc are all geniuses.
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:43 am
Funny. I had my kids watching Schoolhouse Rock this past weekend. The classics remain just that: classic. So far, their favorite one is:
“Interjections! Show excitement! Show emotion!
Usually set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point,
or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong.
So when you’re happy, (Hurray!)
or sad, (Aww!)
or frightened, (Eek!)
or mad, (Rats!)
or excited, (Wow!)
or glad, (Hey!)
an interjection starts a sentence right!”
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I also don’t believe the following would appear if this cartoon was produced today:
- A Tall Tom Jefferson towering over a miniscule Napoleon.
- Sacajawea in the canoe without her Black husband.
- What px115 said above: The Bible and “In God we trust”.
And I love the suggestion at the end that we’ll someday colonize the Moon (presumably before it’s nuked).
June 8th, 2009 at 1:02 am
I like this one better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofYmhlclqr4
June 8th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
#12 – Room 237,
The bit where King George gets a bucket stuck on his head seemed apt.