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The Lorax

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jdkdsgn Posted: Thu, Mar 8 2012 10:35 AM

Anyone else see this movie yet? I got the impression that the makers had a collectivist and green agenda. Impressions?

-- The businessmen in the movie (Onceler and O'Hare) are made out to be big bad greedy capitalist pigs who have manipulated the masses into buying their products, and have left behind them a wake of destruction (as if this was not the exception, but the rule for capitalists). It seems like the creators of the movie want to teach kids that selfishness in the Randian sense should be sacrificed for the 'greater good'.

Anyway, I just wanted to hear some other thoughts on the movie. Anyone think it was positive? Anyone have any background info on Seuss himself? 

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Anyone have any background info on Seuss himself?

The man's a pinko sissy.  Purge and blacklist him from your child's library and read them good capitalist children's lit likeThe Fountainhead, and while your at it start drilling Man Economy State into anyone's head who will listen before it's too late.

"As in a kaleidoscope, the constellation of forces operating in the system as a whole is ever changing." - Ludwig Lachmann

"When A Man Dies A World Goes Out of Existence"  - GLS Shackle

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Mtn Dew replied on Fri, Mar 9 2012 11:05 AM

Seuss had a deep hatred of the Japanese during and after WW2. I think he eventually got over it, but not before saying we should pretty much kill them all and work out the details later.

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Bert replied on Fri, Mar 9 2012 1:33 PM

My only problem with it is the usage of movies for greenwashing children.  That there is another "agenda" behind it besides simply planting trees, but I don't know if children will pick up on that (someone like me who's going to analyze it looking for a "hidden agenda" will of course).  As far as the actual Lorax and Dr. Seuss go there's nothing wrong with them, I really don't think there's anything different besides him or Disney movies that when I watch now I'm a bit surprised they were made compared to today's ultra-safe and politically correct (and really hypocritical) televised culture.

In the movie the guy O'Hare sells air, he's against the idea of the trees being planted again because it would hurt his business.  I don't think one needs to bring in "fringe politics" to understand planting trees is good for you.  If you want to put it in perspective picture O'Hare as Monsanto (or to that extent).

The irony of all this for someone like me who works at a movie theater is witnessing how these movies with environmental leanings affect people.  Just like when we had Wall-E they don't actually see the big picture.  If they did they wouldn't buy a bunch of food and make a mess leaving everything on the ground.  It's almost like a meme, "Watch pro-environmental movie for kids, leave $40 worth of food and trash on the ground when you leave theater.  CARBON FOOTPRINT HAS BEEN MADE."

I had always been impressed by the fact that there are a surprising number of individuals who never use their minds if they can avoid it, and an equal number who do use their minds, but in an amazingly stupid way. - Carl Jung, Man and His Symbols
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Wibee replied on Wed, Mar 14 2012 9:29 PM

I seen the original cartoon.  From my impressions, It is pro-market.  Anti-corporatism.  Lack of property rights causing pollution destroying the environment. 

 

 

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vive la insurrection:
Purge and blacklist him from your child's library and read them good capitalist children's lit likeThe Fountainhead, and while your at it start drilling Man Economy State into anyone's head who will listen before it's too late.

An 800 page Randian novel is "children's lit"?  What the hell library do you visit?

For anyone who interacts with children who are actually children, see something like:

Liberty and Economics for children

 

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Bert replied on Thu, Mar 15 2012 1:33 AM

JJ, that's vive's sarcasm for the Rothbardians.

I had always been impressed by the fact that there are a surprising number of individuals who never use their minds if they can avoid it, and an equal number who do use their minds, but in an amazingly stupid way. - Carl Jung, Man and His Symbols
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I would have hoped so, but I didn't see a use for sarcasm there.  We're talking about Dr. Seuss and someone might actually be interested in what to actually have in their home library for their children.

He says to purge "tried and true" classics from the shelves, and then offers nothing but sarcasm in its place?

 

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Jargon replied on Thu, Mar 15 2012 3:00 AM

The use is humor.

Land & Liberty

The Anarch is to the Anarchist what the Monarch is to the Monarchist. -Ernst Jünger

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