Seuss! Seuss! Seuss!
I love Doctor Seuss, but I just had one of those my childhood is threatened! moments. I picked up Dr Seuss goes to War, and it was really interesting. It shows the editorial cartoons he did during WWII and the lead up to it. There is something really strange viewing Hitler from a contemporary perspective (especially in Seuss's oh-so-distinctive style). Strange, but after a bit, it somehow made a lot of sense. Of course, my favorite Seuss story is The Butterbattle Book, so maybe that's not surprising I liked Seuss' political comedy.
It gave me a lot to think on - it is very, very weird to read about WWII without the advantage of historical hindsight. Since I'm reading a ton of Avengers fic, I've been caught up in the nostalgia train, but America really wasn't as united as history paints it. In a strange way, nothing has changed. We talk about how polarized the nation has become, but it's always been that way. There's always been an "us" versus "them," but now we have more ways to communicate so the noise is just louder.
I've always found editorial cartoons an interesting look at presumed "joint" logic - read a book about George IV of England and the editorials are a heck of a lot more amusing way to learn about history than just reading or listening to a teacher drone on. Editorials make things "human" in a way that reading from books can't. I remember having a really good history teacher that would use editorials to help with lessons - I'll never forget I've decided I want my seat back as our intro to the Jim Crow era.
It gave me a lot to think on - it is very, very weird to read about WWII without the advantage of historical hindsight. Since I'm reading a ton of Avengers fic, I've been caught up in the nostalgia train, but America really wasn't as united as history paints it. In a strange way, nothing has changed. We talk about how polarized the nation has become, but it's always been that way. There's always been an "us" versus "them," but now we have more ways to communicate so the noise is just louder.
I've always found editorial cartoons an interesting look at presumed "joint" logic - read a book about George IV of England and the editorials are a heck of a lot more amusing way to learn about history than just reading or listening to a teacher drone on. Editorials make things "human" in a way that reading from books can't. I remember having a really good history teacher that would use editorials to help with lessons - I'll never forget I've decided I want my seat back as our intro to the Jim Crow era.