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The Argument Found Within "Captain America Commie Smasher"...and Why it Wasn't Unique

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The major argument made in the Captain America text is that Captain America, as a comic book character geared specifically toward American boys, should represent the idealistic patriotism and masculine fearlessness that existed, though sometimes infrequently, throughout the Cold War. Physically speaking, Captain America’s image was that of a man who barbarically attacked America’s arch nemesis the Communists, all while emblematically donning the star-spangled banner and wielding an indestructible shield with an unmistakable American star on the front. The argument made here was that American boys, at the ripe, young age somewhere between peak imagination and adolescent stubbornness, could be easily influenced by this symbolic, distinctly American, role model. Chances are, many children did not fully grasp the profound threat, both physically and ideologically, that America faced at the time. Yet, it is also probably safe to say that they frequently heard their parents anxiously discussing, listening to the radio, or watching television broadcasts regarding the ongoing conflict, especially considering the fact that tens of millions of US households owned television sets at the time.
1960s-tv.jpgAtlas, the company that created Captain America, understood this and argued that these boys would appreciate somehow feeling involved in standing up for and defending American society. The exact same argument was made by the same company in 1945, then known as Timely Comics, except in that case it was Captain America against the Nazis. Atlas essentially employed the same argument, or formula, during the Cold War except with a different variable, Communism.
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      The fact was, Atlas was right. This was not a unique case. A phenomenon existed where patriotism typically grew at the onset of a war and American boys, who in reality did not truly understand these complex international events, still, in a sense, felt left out of the country’s spirit. Atlas, knowing the rich support that anti-Communist rhetoric held in much of American society, may have believed that creating a single character, who on the one hand was a ruthless Communist killer and on the other, an all-American role model, was, in fact, a really good thing. The problem was once the patriotic tide that drove the creation of this version of Captain America began to reside, so did the sales of this set of comics and, for better or worse, the Captain America Commie Smasher series only lasted nine months.

 Written by Jacob Cohen

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 4, 2017 at 3:18 PM

    I think your analysis of the main argument is very insightful! In addition to appealing to young boy's patriotism at an early age, it also highlights the gender stereotypes from that generation. They created an unrealistic vision of a man who was able to save the world time and time again. Although boys looked up to Captain America, he gave them the false idea that they needed to be strong in order to protect their country or they wouldn't be considered heroes.

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  2. Cina MakresOctober 4, 2017 at 8:15 PM

    This is a great analysis! I was not aware of most of this information, but you explained it well. It is very interesting that this Captain America comic was created to make younger children feel more involved and interactive with the issues going on around them. They created him to represent a mascot for the country, in a way, and it is certainly something that would gain attention from younger boys. Most younger boys likely were still unaware of the surrounding war, but they may have felt unstoppable and powerful due to this character.

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  3. UnknownOctober 4, 2017 at 8:20 PM

    Your commentary on the audience of this text significantly changed my initial response. Though the appeal seems to be so evident after reading your analysis, it is difficult to distinguish because of the genre. A seemingly innocent and impartial source, comic books succeeded in spreading propaganda to a malleable and impressionable audience.

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  4. UnknownOctober 6, 2017 at 8:15 AM

    I really enjoyed reading this! Your syntax was really easy to follow. One thing I found interesting that you mentioned is the fact that even though the children may have been nonchalant about the war, America still felt the need to create for the children a comic character that represents the war. I believe they do this because at such a young age, kids listen and practice whatever they are told. With that, if you include an interesting way of teaching them those beliefs (such as comical characters), they will believe it even more. Therefore, ingraining this ideology that a certain group of people are "dangerous" to the kids, they will grow up holding true to that idea. So, maybe creating Captain America was a way to raise up a generation that will be more patriotic than the previous one. Very nice post !

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