BeckWatch: One Cartoon Defames Another

Frankly, Beck demonstrates a startling ignorance of the G.I. Joe franchise itself, something that a five-minute trip to the Wikipedia would help alleviate.

During the October 30 "The Point" segment of his CNN Headline News show, Glenn Beck denounced the forthcoming Paramount Pictures movie G.I. Joe, claiming that the character G.I. Joe -- based on the popular toy from Hasbro -- "has now been discharged from the American military, and Hollywood now has him answering to some bullcrap international force like the U.N. We all know that the U.N. is a toothless bunch of pansies. They don't deserve somebody like Joe, even the little plastic version." He later asserted: "I believe some are trying to indoctrinate our kids into hating their own country, turning us into some one-world-government nightmare; hating America, turning it into a dirty word."

Cripes. Where to begin? It's a movie. About a cartoon based on an action figure where a fighting force battled evil dudes that worshipped cobras or had snakes for faces or something. The IMDB describes this forthcoming movie thusly: "A European-based military unit known as Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity (G.I.J.O.E.), a hi-tech, international force of special operatives, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer." I'm going to assume that Beck is not in favor of children supporting evil organizations led by arms dealers. I'm going to further allow that it's not unreasonable to be critical of the United Nations--though perhaps I've been "indoctrinated" by books such as We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With our Families and movies like No Man's Land.

Still, the description of this international fighting force sounds more like NATO than the United Nations (if only because I'm presuming that it will be depicted as being an actual, robust fighting force). Where's the evidence of one-world-governments? And what beef does Beck have with multi-national fighting forces? Our own administration goes to great lengths to continually paint the "coalition of the willing" in Iraq as "multinational," despite the fact that this description grows less and less accurate as time goes on.

Frankly, Beck demonstrates a startling ignorance of the G.I. Joe franchise itself, something that a five-minute trip to the Wikipedia would help alleviate. G.I. Joe went "international" when Hasbro rebranded the toys in 1966. At that time, figures from England, France and Germany became part of the line. During the Vietnam War, "Hasbro sought to downplay the war theme that had initially defined 'G.I. Joe,'" recasting the figures as "an adventuring/spy-like organization with the goal of rescue missions and fighting evil." In 1974, Hasbro gave the Joes the "kung-fu" grip. I know! Creeping Orientalism!

Oh, and surely Beck will plotz himself when he finds out that in 1991, "the G.I. Joe Ecowarriors line was produced to raise environmental awareness." Holy chloroflorocarbons, Batman! 1991! Beck's beloved toys were speaking out about an inconvenient truth back when it was still convenient!

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