[J m HofMarN]

Many thanks to Comradde Rhubarb for bringing this to my attention! When my godless communism reigns over the world she will have higher rations than everyone else, and I will not shoot her!

That said, this is insane. This is an actual piece of Amerikan propaganda from the cold war era. It literally tries to teach about the USSR using lines like "I, Josef Stalin, will triumph!" Or "You, Leon Trotsky, must reshape the Red Army. If you fail, I will shoot you."

Here's a link. Seeing this I'm amazed that my father and mother werent completely insane after living in a world where this was acceptable.

The communist comic book

[J m HofMarN]

Edit: I misposted Glamis into this thread. Alcohol was not involed this time, I just did it because I was a godless communist.

This post has been edited by J m HofMarN: 29 April 2005 - 01:17 AM

[Kirby]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I just can't stop smiling.

"They will 'Free' the women from the homes and put them out in the world, the bastards!'
or
Marks: "Hmmm, He does not beleive in free will, good."

Remember kids, one day and the greatest military power in the world will be overtaken by russians overnight and do bad things if you don't stay alert.

*Suddenly realizes that people actualy beleived this and is struck with a deep feeling of sadness*

[Slade]

This is the single most hilarious thing I've read all week, and I've had to contend with Glamis and satirical news and other things as well.

[Rhubarb]

It's fantastic. Hats off to the Commies for creating a Communist State out of the US in like... two days. The 'reinterpretation' of Marxist teachings are awesome, as is the way he's always depicted as living in squalor (well, I guess he was a student).

I particularly love the American office workers discussing the inner workings of Russian politics around the water cooler each day. And how Leon Trotsky looks like Satan. Or the way his ice-pick assassin is wearing a poncho and sombrero... he's Mexican, you see!

I love this comic.

[Slade]

The sad thing is that people actually believed this, while Russia was too busy buying outdated weaponry to supply to countrys opposed to capitalists, and its people we waiting for 20 hours a day in bread lines. It was such productive fear mongering, it's no wonder that when the Cold War ended we attacked Canada.

My mom said that when she was very young, she would go to bed frightened that World War III would break out due to the propaganda she was fed. Thankfully, she turned into a hippy and everything worked out for the best.

[jariten]

"We should have done all our thinking and praying before this happened, Bill. But it's never too late. Let's go to church and ask God's help"

edit- lets not forget this!

BUT A SURPRISE AWAITS THEM AT THE CHURCH DOOR.

"Its says the church property has been taken over by the government! They're going to make a communist museum out of it!"

This post has been edited by jariten: 29 April 2005 - 05:27 AM

[Laughlyn]

Heh, Even signed by Nixon himself, god the cold war was full of trash, there was even a cold war pen and paper RPG 'save your TV.

Hang on, they're still at it:

US army plans comic for the middle east.

I was going to post a topic on this a while back, but forgot.

[MacGyver's Mullet]

the way [Marx is] always depicted as living in squalor (well, I guess he was a student)

...

Or the way his ice-pick assassin is wearing a poncho and sombrero... he's Mexican, you see!

More Pedantry alert!

1) Marx generally did live in squalor, right up til his death.

2) Ramon Mercader, Trotsky's assassin, was in fact Spanish - not Mexican. So its even an incorrect horrible stereotype!

But yes, this is a fantastic comic (coughcough which I think I orginally showed to Rhubarb coughcough)!

Also, you should check out the totally awesome Stalin Versus Hitler. The image of Lenin as a Kung Fu Master Guru will stay with me forever.

[Rhubarb]

Mexican, Spanish, same fuckin' thing.

But yes, this is a fantastic comic (coughcough which I think I orginally showed to Rhubarb coughcough)!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well I was going to credit you, but I don't think it actually was you. I'm pretty sure someone linked us both to it at the same time. Interesting how we both just assumed you'd linked me though.

[MacGyver's Mullet]

Well it was either Joqqles or Jimbo that linked me (prolly Joq).

Anyway, everyone should also check out this great comic!

Phoenix Program PSYOP Comic

This comic book, prepared and disseminated by U.S. forces in South Vietnam, presents the fictional story of "Mr. Ba," who informs the government where Viet Cong cadre are hiding in his village. The comic was part of a broad "psychological operations" offensive designed to increase the effectiveness of the Phoenix Program, a CIA-designed operation that resulted in the executions of at least 20,000 suspects.

[Kirby]

Awsomeness

[Laughlyn]

It kinda stands in a bizarre contrast to the commie bashing one's mention of the child who informed on his parents. But of course! Mr ba's a hero because he's helping the spread of American democracy.

[J m HofMarN]

I thought the contrast was adequately shown in the first comic, which encouraged American children to inform on communists, so that communists couldnt come and ask them to inform on Americans... or something.

and EHEHEEHEHEHE That link is great! English is such a beautiful language when its translated into Vietnames and back. For instance:

"Honey, what do they say in those leaflets?"

"They are the same as those wall posters, as well as the announcements on the radio yesterday. The two Communists Ba Luong and Hai Gon are presently hiding our village in order to collect taxes. I am determined to report to the Phoenix Operation Committee because I know their hiding place."

"Why are so many soldiers entering our village?"

"Perhaps they are conducting a military operation against the Communists in hiding."

"The two Communists are very dangerous. We can only have peace and security when they are captured."

"Ladies, do you know that the two Communists are captured? From now on our village will be secure. There will be no more assassinations or tax collectors. The Phoenix operation is very effective!"

So the two, count em TWO fiendish communists hid the village and held it in terror in order to collect taxes, and mister bo was determined to nark them out simply because he knew where they hid. And the phoenix operation is very effective? Not its not. Its not even a real operation. Its just the government paying people to nark. (and likely doing worse things as well)

Mna, fuck that, I don't know nothin about nothin. Pigs.

[MacGyver's Mullet]

Well Phoenix was bit more than just paying/intimidating people to grass up 'commies'.

I watched a documentary last night called 'Secrets of the CIA' - it was basically four former operatives who left in digust at actions their had to carry out/found out about.

One guy was part of Phoenix, and he basically says that when he went to Nam (recruited out of high school; and lets face it, in 1960's America if you're given the choice of the CIA - which theres a high chance you won't get sent to Nam but somewhere else - or being a frontline grunt in a jungle, what you gonna pick?) he was full of patriotic optimism. But he says that it soon became clear that the reason Phoenix was so 'successful' at rooting out Commies and their sympathisers was because most people in the villages supported the VC and wanted the yanks to go home. So it was more liek a case of 'go into village, round up citizens, chances are most of them are commies, its all good'. He made a report about it (being niave as he claims himself) and the report was ignored. The reason the report was ignored was that the US propaganda machine couldn't let information like actual popular support for the guerrillas out because it would totally undermine the (ostensible) reason they were there - ie to fight an 'unpopular' communist regime. Remind you of anywhere else in the world today?

But yeah, it was only successful in like, killing a load of people and not much else.

At around the same time, 90 miles off the coast of Florida in a certain small Caribbean nation CIA operative were instructed to cause whatever harm possible to the Cuban Revolution - right down to preventing milk from reaching school students in the countryside. This was of course after Kennedy had 'promised' Krushchev that he wouldn't try to topple Castro after the Missile Crisis.

Anyway you can, if you are so inclined, watch the documentary here (to stream copy url into Windows Media Player, to download [21mb] right click and 'save target as').

So the two, count em TWO fiendish communists hid the village and held it in terror in order to collect taxes

Dude, I'm totally seeing an oppurtunity for two enterprising leftists here!

*infiltrates village and reprises his 1987 church-play role as Zacchaeus*