Thursday, July 14, 2016

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)


Prior to World War II, America was A world power. After World War II, we were THE world power. Unlike Japan and all the various countries of Europe, there was no rebuilding necessary. It was much easier for us to get back to (more or less) business as usual. Suddenly we were top dog. So of course we suddenly became very preoccupied with maintaining this new status. Some might even call it paranoia. But can you really blame us? The Great Depression was still very prominent in our National Rearview. People could remember what it was like to be hungry. Trauma like that sticks with you. You might not be aware of it, but it's there. It's in the back of your mind waiting to be triggered. And so, practically overnight, New Deal Democrats like Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston and a significant portion of America were primed to be activated by the Republican Party's message of blatant self-interest. So what if two Kennedys and a King had to die? They sure as hell were not going to go hungry again.

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