Jonah,
I am about two thirds of the way through Liberal Fascism (brilliant, by the way, and utterly absorbing), and so I find myself in “spot the Fascist” mode in just about everything I do – especially in regards to popular culture and movies. Your dissection of the fascistic elements in “Dead Poet’s Society”, for example, really raised my eyebrows, as I have always really enjoyed the movie and know it quite well, but was not previously equipped to notice those sort of elements.
I took my kids to see “Wall-E” over the weekend, and although I really did enjoy the movie, I was at various points struck by what I perceived as strongly fascists elements in the story and the aesthetics. Possibly I am REALLY over-reaching, thanks to the fact that I am still tripping out over your book’s eye-opening thesis, but some elements seemed to fall right into the aesthetic and political traits you cite so often in LF:
1) The entire issue of environmental concern and crises mongering, which pervades the movie, although admittedly in a fairly good-natured form that tends to avoid being preachy
2) The portrayal of the corporate consumer world as bad, with its attendant “system” that lulls the populace into a stupor, and which is then countered by the back-to-the-soil, making-it-real rebellion lead by the Captain after his spiritual awakening learning about the tribal roots of human society.
3) The use of the color red to mark those who have experienced liberation from the “system”
4) The mass rally on the Lido deck near the end of the movie, with its ordered ranks of humans staring up in awe at the Captain as he fights the system, and the green banners flying all around them as they do.
5) Eve shaking off her programmed directives and getting in touch with her emotional, passionate inner self when she sets out to save Wall-E.
There were other things that tingled my “fascist sense”, or whatever, although I can’t immediately recall what they were.
I’m only asking out of mild curiosity, and am certainly not suggesting Wall-E is some sort of propaganda, or whatever. It’s a pretty enjoyable movie, and my kids had a ball, and I don’t think anything evil will come from its influence on them. But still, these things struck me immediately, as I was watching the film, and would love to get your feedback on them.
Do I just have a case of LF hangover? Or are these, in fact, fascistic elements that I’m seeing?
Thanks! And keep writing – LF is a fantastic book; I just bought my dad one for his birthday. He’s a Kennedy liberal who fancies himself a compassionate conservative. Can’t wait to get his reaction it!
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