We are on less than seven, so were making Good Progress today. Were going to get into red scare last listen. Obviously, we talked little bit about the role of comics in kind of building a national and and what that means. Well talk about that in a moment. Today, were going to talk a little bit about red scare and how the comics were contributing to that red scare and also reflecting it. What i want to do today, as you see here, is kind of well start this kind of red menace and what it means, how it is supposedly a threat to definitions of American Freedom and liberty. Were going to have a on think piece. You did today by kind of examining is this tomorrow and getting a sense of whether this threat is internal or external, what was the most dangerous threat . And then were to take a little bit of a dive into some of the espionage comics and see how the cold war is unfolding in the realm of of james bond and the spies. Next lesson, were going to move over to taking look at how children are expected to participate in the cold war. So well have a from kelleys davis. Then youre going to actually look at these moments Trading Cards that came out in 1951, which are just phenomenal. Theyre basically baseball Trading Cards were all about the red scare and targeted to kids. All right. So thats where were heading today. Quick review from lesson. We talked about comic as an influence buster and a reflection of national and how these comics, not just cold war comics, but i think comics more generally are reflective of cultural trends and and receptive to cultural trends. So we see theres kind of a a symbiotic relationship. Culture and comics reflecting culture, but theyre also contributing to what that culture means. And we saw last lesson that obviously when we get into the cold war, theyre pretty serious concerns over National Identity. What does it mean to be an american in the postWorld War Two era . What does it mean be an american as youre now fighting yet another global threat no longer now from nazis, although well see nazis continue to pop up. The red skull is just one example throughout the cold war era. But this threat from seemingly a new totalitarian one with global communism and so we asked as we kind of remember, we looked at the the first introduction or the introduction of the incredible hulk in that first cover with stan lee, and whether these Marvel Comics were reflective of of american confidence coming out of World War Two or American Fears and we had this conversation. We seem to to come to some consensus that it was both right that that Marvel Comics is just one example or reflecting a confidence in and fear of the cold war and americas relationship with the cold war. We talked about some of the the tensions between identity and how its constructed, a Larger National identity and is it a consensus based identity, almost a coercive, forced identity of what you are supposed to be as an american, what you were supposed to do as an american . And then these fracture lines between kind of larger consensus, national in the cold war and identity race are all impacted by these fracture lines of what it means to be an American Fighting the cold war, what it might mean to be an africanamerican and participating in civil rights movement. And as we saw, i remember that one panel we saw where the naacp is helping out an africanamerican family in need. And the comic suggested that because the cp was doing that and because they were ostensibly influenced by communism, that the cp was suspect. And so clearly theres some issues here and tensions between how were thinking about identity. We talked a little bit about this important idea of consensus and what it means during this era. Right. That for me to be an american, i just did this and just tap that for for me to be an american, i have to prove that im not a communist. And so part of identity is also not explaining what i am, but explaining what i not what im not in the comics will help us do that. But the myth of consensus is based another kind of deeper myth that talked about that americans have this Progressive Mission to to civilize that these ideas of of manifest destiny if you will have been with us for four decades and decades are still being reflected in the cold war through comics and does not surprise. Finally, National Identity becomes and the comics help readers as going to see today especially politicize those ideas of what it means to be an american. And then finally, we kind of delved a little bit into the marvel superhero shows with the introduction of characters like the fantastic four and the incredible hulk and peter parker and. Yes, with great power comes. Yeah, sorry. Right. Got it. Got at least once. Right. So if youre talking about war at least once you got to mention clausewitz. If youre talking to comics at least once, you have to mention with great power, its in the contract. And so how these these comic book purism selves are embodying this nationalist. These nationalist aspiration passions and also this triumphalist culture that the fantastic four or aspirational in what they represent. But theres also, as we saw, some concerns here right that that ben grimm as an example is kind of a reluctant hero. Clearly, the incredible hulk is reluctant hero. And yet the culture thats coming out of these cold war comics is triumphalist. They express a moral certainty. Now, were going to see as we get a little further into the into the course that. Crime and horror comics are definitely not doing that. And thats why theyre going to be a target, because theyre offering suggesting a narrative that is not triumphalist and that there may be some decay within this american narrative, within American Culture. And thats why folks like Frederick Wertham are going to attack them, besides the point that theyre supposedly contributing to delinquency. But whats important for us especially with the Marvel Comics and well hit them again as we hit a little bit later on down in the course that theyre actually fighting the cold. And remember we saw that one panel where sue storm, the audience, tory of fantastic four, shes basically ben grimm, a coward and then saying, look, if we dont go to space, communists are going to get there before we do. And so we have to. And then he gets all mad and throws down and says, im going to fly wherever. But there representing values and virtues, and we have this conversation of who is more representing these values, especially in the early cold war. Is it tony stark is iron man or steve rogers, captain america, we have capitalism on one side. The strong independent industrialists and. On the other side, we have this clearly virtuous ideological character with steve rogers. And then the last thing is our review for today. We saw last lesson and had a conversation about core values and who decides those core values, who decides who determines what it means to be an american . And how do the comics contribute to this question . And for the superheroes who were supposed to be demonstrating, exhibiting these aspirations and values, theyre doing so in a way that also transcends the law. And so we had this conversation of how do you represent a societys values . Youre transcending its laws. These are vigilantes, arent they . This is what the civil war comic and then the more recent mcu movie is all about. Right. Who represents society . If youre not operating within its laws and with all of this obviously is a conversation leads us to today about where from where the major threats come and how we define and how much of National Identity is determined by the threats to that society, which leads us to the red scare. Okay. All right. Any questions at all from review from the last class . So were very good. We understand what we did in terms of kind of setting this foundation, having a conversation about National Identity, how comics are contributing to reflecting to that conversation about National Identity . And ultimately this conversation we had last lesson about how threats are part of that conversation. All right. Very good. All right. Were off to the races and very good here. All right. My favorite line from last nights reading right . Peter lee says after 1945, these commies, evil, godless commies are looming large because the nation was swept, drenched in fear. What a great line. Now seems to be that theres proof of this. Right. And lee suggests, if we look at some of the evidence that this is true, 1946, the clifford report, Clark Clifford is an advisor to the truman administration, coauthors a report called americas americas relations with the soviet union. And he declares the ultimate aim of soviet is world dominance. Its a 1946, only one year after we singlehandedly won World War Two. Two years after that 1948 congressional testimony talking about soviet espionage inside the United States, a systematic and substantial on the integrity of our government. Four years later, look at this poster. Had a hopper says itll scare theres women falling out of the skies thats how bad itne york city is going to topple San Francisco flas is boulder dam is destroyed nowhere is isafe in the United States puget sound attacked with a nuclrike mask casualties. This is frightening. And it seems to be that, yes, the cities are under and apparently people falling out of buildings. But so to our fundamental and this is the first question i want to kind of work on today is lee suggests, that fundamental values were at stake. And when you read a comic like this from 1948, the plot to steal the world, weve seen this before, right . Remember, littlstolen octopus. In that case, it was read. But here you can see lenin its hs talking about the revolution in russia, deng all the liberties peoe. Butts not enough. Now we have to kind of create this communist world. And hes nowly, guess the comic book writer and artists were there to to hear the plot to destr wld is going to steal not just the russian state d s people, but world. All right. So how accurate was this we discussed the components a couple of lessons now about and what it meant and what it aspired to be. And we talked after World War Two, the capacity of stalins soviet to actually project power, which may have been fairly given 22 plus million people, russians dead during and in the immediate aftermath of World War Two. So were americas fundamental values really at stake here, given what weve read in mcmann is an overview, given what youve seen here. So far, what you read in in is this do you get a sense that americas fundamental values, who we are, are structures or government were really fundamentally at stake . Yeah, i think yeah, i would agree that their fundamentals were at stake like its evidence like you see stuff like rock and roll popping into the picture and theres this whole different like dynamic going in the world. But i just think thats a progression. But think thats also a good way for like a half of america to try and slow that progression down by finding some sort of like boogeyman to blame. And in this case, it was communism. Okay, so this this is an opportunity and narratives. This is an opportunity for more conservative citizens to say, look, we need to slow all this down. Elvis is taking this in a direction that we dont want to go and and the Companies Want that, right . Yeah. Denise, i was going to say that one of the values would be to vote and like on the think piece, the american they were saying to that the communists would remove the vote, but they really value it. So they said to use the right to vote yes. So theres this is yet another example, right, of something something that is clearly at stake, at least according the comics. Right. That if if a communist take over american government, theyre going to take away your right to vote. So exercise, is that right . And also right . Whats the best way for you to demonstrate that youre not a communist . Go out and vote. Yeah, i think that the threat was real. Yeah, but i think that. This is not like the soviet union was like one single homogenous state, or it was even like like maos china even, you know, especially as the time went on in the seventies, there more radical people within the apparatus of the soviet union who did what we need that need to get the World Revolution right. We cant we cant let we if we if stay within the borders, it will die sterilize. It has to get out there. And we had this conversation right, about the competition between the soviet union, china, over who is going to be the leader of global this global revolution. And should it be anticommunist or antiimperialist. Yeah, yeah. Anybody else, luke and then dianne yeah. I think theres an element into which it might be justified, but i think also in large parts are pretty convenient scapegoat. Like if you look at is this tomorrow a lot of the criticisms were of mostly american institutions unions. Unions were basically up in the comic as like basically communist communist, ready to get ready to act basically on the orders of moscow and without without really any reasons of their own for doing so. Theres a point where people are like, what are they striking over . And theyre like, oh, we dont know, right . Its in the comic. Its just because theyve been ordered to by the communist party. But yeah. And thats what i wonder about. Right, that it i think we can come to some consensus that maybe a cultural value that we all share as americans if we even believe that that is a you know, a viable argument is that i think you can say theres a fairly independent strain in in at least how we talk about what it means to be an american. And yet these union folks, at least in the comics, they all kind of shrug their shoulders and like, yeah, we were told to do this by the communists. Were just going to follow along and that. And thats why i think thats what puts this into question right are americans that easily duped to believe that communism is the absolute right way to go after 100 plus or 50 years of just democrat institutions . And was it going to turn that quickly, especially after World War Two, right . Yeah. Yeah, i think there are looking for someone to direct or to make an other of almost like the germans did just. The World War Two. Right. Theyre looking for a way to unify the people and the american so that theyll give them their support when they go to all these wars and into vietnam and to korea and. Yeah, yeah. Is this also a way then for the government to get support for whatever program you want to to promote, especially National Security . Right. If there is a clear and present danger here not to to steal from tom clavin, nc, but if there is a clear and present danger here, i have to get you all to accept it because then its easy then for you to support truman, to support increases in Defense Budget to to support intervention ism overseas. Right. Grace exactly what i was going to say. So i think its its my right i think that im not sure if the threat was real, but i think to a certain degree, they thought it was right enough for. Those like key intrinsic American Values, like religion and even in is this tomorrow like guns were discussed. Right, right. Like education all those things being at risk for communism. Yeah. This a really important point, right . Is it just as important to believe there is a threat as it as there is an actual threat there . And what i find fascinating with this is were trying to separate here or Young Readers are trying to separate fact from fiction. And how do you do that . This is pretty clear, right . That obviously to read communist the embodiment of the devil. And now youre expecting a young reader to to separate fact from fiction. And its really difficult to do if you think about a nuclear soviet union and the quote unquote loss of china, hungary, berlin in korea how do you do that . Right. And so i think grace is right if you if you believe in the perception a threat, is that just as important . The threat itself, i think so and yeah catching i was sick seem to me that some things that were in the comic also seem to be things that were doing and kind of projecting like on one page. They talked about how of the commies take over. Were going to were going to burn more food so that like only commies get food when we know today a lot of farmers do that they keep the prices of like crops up. Right, right, right. So its like its projecting a bit. Yeah, i think so and. We talked right and well see especially with the, the espionage. Right. That both savaging, we kind of make this argument that these operators, emissaries of the United States across the globe are simply promoting the truman doctrine. But as we suggested last lesson, if you flip that on its head, isnt that what khrushchev is arguing by supporting wars of National Liberation . I think so. So i think there is something to this argument that theres a bit projection and mirror imaging going on here in terms of the threat, which isnt surprising if you think about as we started, mcmahon, this idea that it is a global competition for leadership of the world and what ideology is going to best serve that. Yeah, thats a really interesting and i think thats pretty clear throughout the entire comic with like just america and hypocritical ism where theyre talking about like oh coming us are going to bring concentration camps. But its like we already had internal camps a year prior. So like a little confused about that. Yeah, the theocracy is definitely there. Yeah. And then they also talk about how theyre going to, you know, bring on like anti semitic sentiments. And its like, well, were since the start of america and always been persecuted here you know its not like the communists are the specific reason why this happen