After this week's reading assignment from The Communist Manifesto, I had a desire
to address the concept of communism in my latest blog post. However, I did not
want to examine the historical and political implications of Soviet Russia or
communist Cuba because that would be far too much work. I needed a manifestation of Communism
from somewhere else, a more socially relevant example than the despotic
practices of Stalin or Castro; I needed Papa Smurf.
While in a high school economics class, it was brought to my
attention that the television series "The Smurfs" was a plausible representation
of Communism. Could the innocent Smurfs actually be living in a socialist
society? Quite possibly. Was this a subversive attempt by the Soviet Union to
brainwash the collective American youth by amiable little gremlins of Communism?
Probably not. Yet there are a number of aspects of the show that warrant
scrutiny, aspects that do happen to form a formidable case to support the idea
that the Smurfs adhere to Marxist socio-political customs.
Some of my fellow Smurf conspiracy theorists believe that
the title of the shows itself is the most telling indication, arguing that
"Smurfs" actually stands for: Socialist Men Under a Red Father. This
notion is fundamentally incorrect in its assumption, as the American version of
was adapted from a Belgian comic in which Smurfs were called "Schtroumpfs";
though you have to appreciate the creativity.
A common American association with the concept of Communism
is the color red, most likely
attributable to the red flags of Russia and China. In the Smurfs, only one
character wears the color red: Papa Smurf. Papa Smurf is adorned in a red hat
and pants contrasting the all-white outfits of the other Smurfs; he also has a
big bushy beard just like...wait for it...Karl Marx! Though his clothing and
facial hair can be considered symbols of his socialist ideals, his actions are
more indicative of a totalitarian Communist ruler.
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| You got to see it to believe it! http://www.theweekinblue.com/communism/communism.html |
The rest of the Smurfs fit well into Marx's classless
society: though each of them is labeled (Handy, Dreamy, Vanity, and more) they are
all equal in their abilities to contribute to society. One Smurf is not more
socially or politically important than any other Smurf (excluding Papa). The
Smurfs share the benefits of their collective labors; there is no monetary
system, only what is produced by Smurf labor.
We are not told if the Smurfs achieved their proletariat
freedom by revolting against the oppressive yoke of the bourgeoisie landowners
(possibility for a prequel?); however the Smurfs do all share a common enemy in
Gargamel. The ever-present threat to the welfare of Smurf society is this guy:
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| Grand Theft Smurf http://alicesacco.deviantart.com/art/Gargamel-158070128 |
Greedy and gold-oriented, Gargamel 's sole
intent in life is to capture Smurfs and turn them into gold. At this point it is important to note that
the one real threat to Smurf socialistic living is a capitalist: a guy who is
hell-bent on turning Smurfs (capital) into gold (profit). Gargamel is a
prime representation of Marx's typical bourgeois capitalist, one who profits of
the labors of others. However, Gargamel's wealth is not as predicated on land, as is characteristic of Marx's ideal bourgeoisie.
The Smurfs are an interesting example of Communism in American pop culture; the show provides a unique metaphor of socialist society in Cold War America. In the grand irony of it all though, the producers of the show profited immensely from advertising during episodes and merchandising efforts. Just last year, a Hollywood production of a 3D Smurfs movie came to fruition. Though the Smurfs live a life of devoid of money or class struggle, their perfect world does not reflect the true nature of Communism that the citizens of China, Cuba, or Soviet Russia experience(d).
John,
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be very interesting and an enjoyable read. Its been a while since I've watched the smurfs, but I had never noticed the communist aspects of the smurfs' society which you have highlighted. I found your points about the smurfs' uniform clothing and their equal roles in smurf society to be particularly interesting.
However, as I think you also hint at, I don't believe that the smurfs were a tool intended to inject communism into the minds of American children. Rather, I think smurf society is organized as it is, without currency, simply because of its primitiveness (and also because it is a children's show).
Additionally, I think that Gargamel is more similar to a thief or slave-owner than a capitalist. Gargamel isn't merely exploiting the smurfs to produce capital; he is taking them against their will. Therefore I don't think it is fair to compare him to an honest capitalist.
Regardless, I think you have pointed out some great connections between the smurfs and Communism. I just don't think the conspiracy is there.
Great post.
ReplyDeleteThis was the first post I've read throughout the year and actually laughed at, and I applaud you for that. You were able to incorporate enough fact into your post to make it understandable while also keeping me entertained, a difficult task.
I haven't watched the Smurfs in years, but I definitely can see a few communist aspects portrayed in the show. It's amazing how as a child, you don't notice the undertones that various shows have, but when watched today, it seems as if you aren't even watching the same show.
Your points about each smurf being a collective earner (excluding papa) were spot on and made me think. I also found the connection with Gargamel very interesting. I seem to have a certain disagreement with calling him a capitalist, simply because he is not profiting from the labor of others, he is converting them as a whole into something else. Besides that small issue, the post in its entirety was creative and I definitely enjoyed it.
John,
ReplyDeleteUnlike the previous two comments, I agree with your interpretation of Gargamel as a Capitalist. Marx explains that two main atrocities of capitalism is overproduction and exploitation. In the Smurfs, Gargamel is doing both of those things. I don't believe he necessarily "needs" the smurfs to survive, he only wants them so he can use them to turn things into gold. That is where the other aspect comes in: Exploitation. Gargamel needs the smurfs as an ingredient for a potion to turn things into gold. The same way the bourgeoisie take advantage of the proletariat, Gargamel takes advantage of the Smurfs by using them to turn things into gold, even at the expense of their lives. Same goes for capitalism. Capitalists are only in it to benefit themselves or advance technologies. By doing this, they overproduce things, which is the greatest problem with society. This is how Gargamel is represented by a capitalist: the taking advantage of the smurfs to overproduce gold.
Beyond this, you address how it is a classless society, but don't go into the "stateless society". The primary goal of Communism is to eliminate government entirely. This is where China, the Soviet Union and Cuba all fail, including the smurfs. If it is indeed an example of true Marxist Communism, Papa Smurf shouldn't exist, unless they are in the transition from government owned to community owned, which would make sense.
Overall, great post. Way to be original and talk about something actually important: Smurfs!
John,
ReplyDeleteI found your post incredibly entertaining. When I was younger, my cousin wrote his college essay about the Smurfs. My 9 year old self was shocked that you could write about something as cool as cartoons in college, but here I am again, a little less shocked, but still happy to see the connections.
While I agree with what you and Mack say that this is probably a communist scheme to teach communist ways to our youngest citizens, it is interesting to see the connections.
Although I don't remember as much as I would like to about the Smurfs (I'm going mostly off of the information you provided) I agree with many of your connections. Perhaps the most interesting, (besides the striking resemblance between Karl Marx and Papa Smurf) is the character of Gargamel. The Smurf society is portrayed as a utopian communist society, no classes, no money, just cooperation and happiness. The only thing to mess it up is Gargamel. To add to the comment discussion above, you and Ryan have convinced me that Gargamel is representative of capitalism, the threat to the Smurfs and the threat to capitalism.
Whether the Smurfs was an intentional depiction of communism or not, it is still in interesting connection to make.
Great connections and great post!
Maddy