Capitalist Propaganda: “Yankee Dood It”

From 1956, a Looney Tunes piece that ends up slipping in a plug for capitalism, “Yankee Dood It“:


[YouTube direct link]

After a good five minutes of goofy cartoon antics, the Shoemaker eventually pops the question:

“But I want to stay in business. How can I do it?” Whereupon the helpful elf gives him an earful of free-market know-how.

Were this cartoon made today, I fear the answer would be “give a few hundred thousand dollars to Barack Obama in the form of ‘campaign donations’ that don’t trigger the reporting requirement, don’t give your executives bonuses that are ‘too big’, and for heaven’s sake, DON’T GO TO VEGAS!”

15 Comments

  1. cjtony97 – before they were eaten alive by arbitrary government standards and government-backed unions, car companies WERE the pinnacle of capitalism.

    If these cartoons were made today, they would feature consumer electronics.

    Thank God the government doesn’t set standards for computer chips, and what a coincidence how rapidly the technology keeps improving 😉

  2. Harvey – Exactly, they screw up EVERYTHING they get their hands on. The wife and I spent a weekend recently in Philadelphia. We were told during the walking tour that the Federal banking system was established during George Washington’s tenure. I was shocked to find that the constitution didn’t make it unscathed out of our first president’s term in office. Truly disheartening.

  3. “But I want to stay in business. How can I do it?” “Well Mr. Nike, you would cut costs considerably if you built factories in Communist China, Communist Viet Nam, Islamic Indonesia, where the labor force has been brutalized for so long that when you pay them $3.00 per day,bunk them in company dorms, and have them shop at the company store, it will be an upgrade in their living standards. Just sign right here Mr. Nike.”

  4. “But I want to stay in business. How can I do it?” “Well Mr. Thneed, if you hire our marketing firm, our international conglomerate of witchdoctors, mind control innovators and evil jedis will so inundate the ignorant masses with your product message that they’ll be clamoring for it. Think of it! You Need A Thneed! See, catchy slogans are all you need in today’s world. I bet we could even elect the Junior Senator from the state of Illinois, hell make him black, maybe Muslim, questionable birth situation, it doesn’t matter! Just a catchy slogan, like “Hope and Change!”, Have him flash his pearly whites and read from the Teleprompter, and we can even get a Socialist elected!

  5. The US shoe industry was centered in Massachusetts, and at the time this was made it was protected from competition by a heavy tariff endorsed by their Senator, young John Kennedy. I think I remember him changing his mind about it later. Anyway, it ain’t in Mass anymore.

  6. Pingback: IMAO » Blog Archive » 12 Things Obama Sometimes Forgets About Besides the Economy

  7. Live Free Or Die, time to up your meds

    In the countries in question, standards are better at US controlled factories than life under the excess of government. Frequently the factories protect their people from government apparatchiks

    The companies in Vietnam faced government restrictions because doctors were leaving hospitals for the better conditions and better pay fo American owned factories

    You might say “Well, why don’t we pay them at rates like in North America?” Well, I might say you really are a simpleton.

    Funny how the most poor countries on Earth are failed Muslim states or heavily interventionist socialist states. Are you learning something from this? Anything? No? Wanna go scream and demand things? Alroght off you go, little boy. We will let adults talk now

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