1. HISTORY IN YOUR EYES AND EARS
Pop Culture Populism
HISTORY IN YOUR EYES AND EARS

2. What is Pop Culture?
Popular culture or pop culture is the entirety of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, images, and other phenomena that are within the mainstream of a given culture.
For our purposes we will think of pop culture as the media that we consume. Such as music, tv, movies, magazines, websites, photos……the list goes on

3. Pop Culture is a Representation of Society
Pop culture items are like any other historical document. They should be regarded as creations of a specific time and place that we can use to illustrate points about:
class,
gender,
cultural values,
politics,
economic life.

4. Pop Culture Populism
Is The Wizard of Oz a musical fantasy or a “parable on Populism”?

5. Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz has been used for years in many political cartoons.
People find various symbolic meanings and they can adapt the story to current events.

6. Bush asks the Wizard of Oz for proof of Iraqi weapons
Artist: Edward Smith Date:

7. Wizard of Oz, Paul Wolfowitz, reveals truth about Saddam's WMD
Artist: Kirk Anderson Date:

8. A little background on the Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum
The Author of The Wizard of Oz
In favor of many Populist movements
Political views may have influenced writing
Helped produce a musical which was the premise for the
1939 MGM musical

10. What is Populism? Populists in late nineteenth century
America wanted to help the common people
They advocated measures that would help
farmers and laborers
They supported the free coinage of silver and government ownership of the railroads

11. The Populist metaphors can be found in…
Settings
Key Objects
Characters

12. KANSAS IN THE LATE 1800s
Farmer discontent and Populist politics were concentrated in Kansas
Suffering from a drought—many farmers going through hard times
Farmers wanted the free coinage of silver to help them out of debt (If there was inflation the farmers income would increase but their debts would remain the same making them easier to pay off!)

13. CYCLONE Cyclones used in many Populist political cartoons
Some pamphlets compared the depression of the 1890s
to a cyclone

14. Dorothy’s house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, and she gets…

15. The Ruby Slippers Originally silver
Changed to ruby because of color technology
Symbolize the power of the silver movement

16. The Yellow Brick Road
Represents balance between silver and gold movements
Journey on road is dangerous-gold standard might not be wise

17. DOROTHY Common people From a Kansas farm
Does not see the power of slippers at first

18. THE SCARECROW Represents farmers
Farmers thought to be ignorant—looking for a brain
Shows common sense throughout the story—has always had a brain
Shows belief that farmers were not as ignorant as wealthy people thought

19. THE TIN MAN Industrial workers Wants a heart—dehumanized
Physically strong, hollow inside
Stuck when they found him—workers felt trapped in an economic rut

20. THE COWARDLY LION Represents William Jennings Bryan—Populist leader
Looking for courage—Bryan thought to be a coward by some
Possessed courage all along

21. WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST
Stands for wealthy people of the East favoring gold currency
Symbolic of big businesses and corporations who also wanted gold standard
Dorothy kills her—defeats people who wanted gold currency

22. WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST
Personification of harsh natural forces of west, such as the drought
Dorothy’s main adversary—present throughout entire story

23. Uses nature to hurt Dorothy and friends
Poppy field
Flying monkeys

24. She is killed by water, just like a drought

25. THE WIZARD
Lives in The Emerald City= Washington, DC the home of the President
Represents leadership during the depression
Could be William McKinley

26. ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE THEORY:
SOME SAY…
Baum was not really a Populist supporter
The metaphors are purely coincidental

27. Is the movie musical still a populist metaphor?
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOOK AND MOVIE
Silver slippers changed to ruby
Glinda changed from Good Witch of the South to the Good Witch of the North
Is the movie musical still a populist metaphor?

28. The Farmer is the Man
Context: This song can be dated to at least the 1890s, and makes the point that ultimately, everyone lives off the farmer, because without him nobody eats. Farmer’s rallied around this song because it gave their work dignity and pointed out what they saw as a flaw in the country.

29. When the farmer comes to town with his wagon broken down The farmer is the man that feeds 'em all If you'll only look an' see, I think you will agree That the farmer is the man that feeds 'em all The farmer is the man The farmer is the man Lives on credit 'til the fall Then they take him by the hand And they lead him from the land And the middle man's the one that gets it all When the lawyer hangs around, and the butcher cuts a pound The farmer is the man that feeds 'em all And the preacher and the cook, they go strollin' by the brook But the farmer is the man that feeds 'em all

30. The farmer is the man The farmer is the man Lives on credit 'til the fall With the interest rates so high It's a wonder he don't die For the mortgage man's the one that gets it all When the banker says he's broke, and the merchant's up in smoke They forgets that it's the farmer feeds 'em all It would put them to the test, if the farmer took a rest Then they'd know that it's the farmer feeds 'em all Well the farmer is the man The farmer is the man Lives on credit 'til the fall And his pants are wearin' thin His condition it's a sin He's forgot that he's the man that feeds 'em all