When I was in my early teens I found and read my mom's copy of "Mrs. Miniver" and it became a favorite, a book I reread often. I owned a VHS copy of the movie for years, watched it from time to time. It's nowhere near as good as the book, but it opened up the memories of that first read so had some sentimental value. I rented the DVD from my library on Saturday - I knew I'd need something soothing and low-key for Sunday night birdie playtime and finding "Mrs. Miniver" was a treat. (The VCR met a tragic end 3 years ago. I finally disposed of the VHS collection a few months ago. :-( This was a little moment for me!)
There was an MGM short in special features called "Mr. Blabbermouth" and it was priceless.
"Mr. Blabbermouth"
I've seen the patriotic shorts from that era and consider this to be a classic, but there's more to it than I'd once thought.
For some reason Glenn Beck came into my head about 5 minutes into the film. Here's a little morality play that features a kind of soft, doughy loser who is so desperate for attention he'll jump on lies and rumors and spread both, while adding his own fears to the mix, and they actually made a little feature film about how dangerous his behavior is, how it undermines the populace during a time of tribulation, how that's unpatriotic and not who we are.
Where's MGM when I need them?
It's a propaganda film, there's no question about that, and I'm not generally a fan. I'm still pissed about "Rosie the Riveter" being patted on the head and sent home to worry about waxy yellow build-up and New, Improved laundry detergents. "They needed you desperately for a few years, Rosie, but now that the boys are back it's time to start acting girlie again. Don't think you have a place here that expands beyond the narrow confines of husband and children."
What threw me off was that the Glenn Becks of that era were the enemy - they undermined the strength of a nation under siege and they were despised. Now they're presented as the patriots, the real Americans.
They want their country back, but it's the country that sent Rosie home without honoring her service. They want their country back, the country that didn't build concentration camps for Jews, it just made sure they didn't have admitting privileges at hospitals. They want the country that sent black men into combat, but made sure it was still safe and acceptable to lynch them if they got uppity. They want the country that doesn't talk about incest or pedophilia and does nothing to prevent it or protect it's victims. They want the country that ensures that a 13 year old will be forced to give birth to her own sister because a fetus has rights. Until she's born female - then all bets are off. They want the country that only existed on soundstages. I don't understand why that matters so much. I can't really understand the mindset that prefers fantasy over reality.
Glenn, sweetie, listen to me. Fame will not take away that stomach-churning fear that you're just a loser. The hard part of being human is this - it's your job to disarm your demons and find your strengths. It's your job to be of use to your fellows, to leave the world a slightly better place. It's your job to think about how to lift all of us.
When FDR spoke about fear being the real enemy he told the ultimate spiritual truth. Trace any hurtful action back, and you'll find fear at the base. Trace any cruelty, any inequality, any "sin" back, the source is always fear. The only solution is love, the opposite of fear.
Thinking about all of this has forced me to admit that I'm mired in fear, and that it doesn't serve me or the people around me. I used to know better, but fear is seductive. It strikes me that this is the time to start living with hope, with joy, with kindness because those are the only things that will stop the march of fear.
It couldn't hurt to try something different.