As long as there are humans, there will be those perceived to be enemies. Certainly the Taliban and ISIS perceive those in the west to be enemies. You don’t have to make them. You just decide that they are enemies, and they are…
Here in Vespucciland, we have always needed a specific bogeyman. The Taliban and ISIS just don’t make the grade, because we need a face that we can hate. Saddam? Face. Bin Ladin? Face. Hitler? Face. We just don’t get that worked up over a faceless enemy.
There seems to be a consensus among commenters here that real danger does not exist. I imagine you agree on other pleasant fictions, too. You are bonkers.
We spend $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to scare us for entertainment. The military/industrial complex taps into that market for their own $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. We will reap what we sow.
Many ways of looking at their dilemma. Maybe that they are the problem; or their ability to create new illusions. For the institutional paranoid, most hallucinations are expensive.
Only need “bogeymen” when you run out of real enemies. Need to have some perceived danger to justify massive weaponry build up. Not a problem since WWII.A bigger problem today seems to be figuring out who your friends are. In the Iraq-Syria-Afghanistan-Turkey-Iran debacle the “friend” we arm today inevitably becomes tomorrow’s enemy. This is likely to go on ad infinitum so we won’t need bogeymen for a while.
Remember when 30 Cubans on Grenada had to be conquered before they could invade America, how about Manuel Noriega? Sometimes the bogey’s take real imagination to fear.
Which, about press coverage: On CBS morning show, film clips of news, like in 1959 when they accidentally dropped an atomic bomb on South Carolina, that didn’t detonate, it rated about 26 seconds of news coverage, and the question was how many weeks, or longer, would the media blow this up today?? (Saw them nearly lose a B-52 with a bomb nearly out of the bay at March AFB- it never made any news at all.)
Yes, the media’s job today is to keep the children frightened.
It seems like Wiley has fallen into the same trap as most political cartoonists. They can’t distinguish between the war mongers (politicians) and the war fighters (soldiers).
Politicians start wars and expect soldiers to finish them.
dflak: The stars on the shoulders and all the medals prove these are NOT the guys who do the actual war fighting. Which we now have several times the number of flag officers we had in WW II, and mostly they just run projects with contractors to benefit the MIC.
We always had “thems”. Sad but true. Moreover, to someone out there, we are the “them”. I liked it better when the REAL enemy was Martians. Uh-oh, I just spotted the XXVth Roman Legion over the hill. Duck and Cover !!
The problem is that the General Public is beginning to suffer from Bogeyman Burnout..They tune in Faux Nooze and think to themselves:“I’ve seen worse than That on my Playstation.”.Which, these days, is sadly True.
Wallythe2 about 9 years ago
‘… We are running out of bogeymen…’ “…Any volunteers?”
Darsan54 Premium Member about 9 years ago
Call Roger Ailes STAT !!!
Argythree about 9 years ago
As long as there are humans, there will be those perceived to be enemies. Certainly the Taliban and ISIS perceive those in the west to be enemies. You don’t have to make them. You just decide that they are enemies, and they are…
Dtroutma about 9 years ago
It should be remembered that Bogeymen are not real, only endless false fears to control the children.
Bilan about 9 years ago
We have bogeymen alright (Taliban and ISIS), but we also have congressmen that don’t want to send troops right before an election.
keenanthelibrarian about 9 years ago
Bogeymen – is that the same as the “Bad Guys”?
Varnes about 9 years ago
Hey, we can always invade Iraq again.
Brass Orchid Premium Member about 9 years ago
If only.
phylum about 9 years ago
what is the difference between a make believe ogre and lying..??
Prestondinjax about 9 years ago
Yeah, only in cartoon world…
Plumbob Wilson about 9 years ago
Here in Vespucciland, we have always needed a specific bogeyman. The Taliban and ISIS just don’t make the grade, because we need a face that we can hate. Saddam? Face. Bin Ladin? Face. Hitler? Face. We just don’t get that worked up over a faceless enemy.
tripwire45 about 9 years ago
Politicians make perfectly acceptable “bogeymen”.
gammaguy about 9 years ago
“Make”, as in “create”?.Acceptable to whom?
whiteheron about 9 years ago
He’s the Universal SoldierSing Along
normanconquest about 9 years ago
There seems to be a consensus among commenters here that real danger does not exist. I imagine you agree on other pleasant fictions, too. You are bonkers.
1953Baby about 9 years ago
Read enough history and you find out just how true this statement is. . .(Hitler/Nazies notwithstanding).
Oxnate about 9 years ago
Just reuse the old ones.
Dour Scotsman about 9 years ago
GOP is working on war with Iran, that and the required 20 year occupation should keep the arms manufacturers in reliable profits……
Arty8846 about 9 years ago
We spend $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to scare us for entertainment. The military/industrial complex taps into that market for their own $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. We will reap what we sow.
e.groves about 9 years ago
Read Orwell’s “1984”.
mourdac Premium Member about 9 years ago
Never run out of bogeymen, unfortunately.
dabugger about 9 years ago
Many ways of looking at their dilemma. Maybe that they are the problem; or their ability to create new illusions. For the institutional paranoid, most hallucinations are expensive.
Rarely528 about 9 years ago
Only need “bogeymen” when you run out of real enemies. Need to have some perceived danger to justify massive weaponry build up. Not a problem since WWII.A bigger problem today seems to be figuring out who your friends are. In the Iraq-Syria-Afghanistan-Turkey-Iran debacle the “friend” we arm today inevitably becomes tomorrow’s enemy. This is likely to go on ad infinitum so we won’t need bogeymen for a while.
magicwalnut Premium Member about 9 years ago
There will always be a “them”. No worries.
yimhere about 9 years ago
All right, men….. with so little to do – it’s time to line up and pass out some more medals
goweeder about 9 years ago
“Your post is incredibly profound….”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I wish I could find dtroutma’s post so I could know what the hill you’re talking about.
Nick Danger about 9 years ago
Russia, who everyone wanted to trust and embrace, may not be the old USSR, but it’s putting on most of the costume and gear to take over the role.
Dtroutma about 9 years ago
Remember when 30 Cubans on Grenada had to be conquered before they could invade America, how about Manuel Noriega? Sometimes the bogey’s take real imagination to fear.
Which, about press coverage: On CBS morning show, film clips of news, like in 1959 when they accidentally dropped an atomic bomb on South Carolina, that didn’t detonate, it rated about 26 seconds of news coverage, and the question was how many weeks, or longer, would the media blow this up today?? (Saw them nearly lose a B-52 with a bomb nearly out of the bay at March AFB- it never made any news at all.)
Yes, the media’s job today is to keep the children frightened.
KEA about 9 years ago
follow the money
dflak about 9 years ago
It seems like Wiley has fallen into the same trap as most political cartoonists. They can’t distinguish between the war mongers (politicians) and the war fighters (soldiers).
Politicians start wars and expect soldiers to finish them.
Robert Stroud about 9 years ago
Would that this were true…
Dtroutma about 9 years ago
dflak: The stars on the shoulders and all the medals prove these are NOT the guys who do the actual war fighting. Which we now have several times the number of flag officers we had in WW II, and mostly they just run projects with contractors to benefit the MIC.
Rarely528 about 9 years ago
The decorations Nazi is at it again: “No more ribbons for you!!!”
braindead Premium Member about 9 years ago
We have always been at war with Oceania.
pouncingtiger about 9 years ago
Roger Ailes at a Fox News Conference
Varnes about 9 years ago
I’m afraid of the Boogerman……
Tue Elung-Jensen about 9 years ago
But they have all those nice medals for sending other people into war …
spaced man spliff about 9 years ago
We always had “thems”. Sad but true. Moreover, to someone out there, we are the “them”. I liked it better when the REAL enemy was Martians. Uh-oh, I just spotted the XXVth Roman Legion over the hill. Duck and Cover !!
Rarely528 about 9 years ago
Now that they’ve run out of boogiemen they may have to go after real enemies.
rocketranger2 about 9 years ago
ooh, ooh, pick me!
Tarredandfeathered about 9 years ago
The problem is that the General Public is beginning to suffer from Bogeyman Burnout..They tune in Faux Nooze and think to themselves:“I’ve seen worse than That on my Playstation.”.Which, these days, is sadly True.