How to Read Donald Duck

[Fluks, H.W.]

Eero-Pekka:

> Have anyone read the book "How to read Donald Duck: 
> Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic"

Yep. I read the English and Dutch translations lots of times. Most
interesting for me was the publication information given with the stories
that were discussed. In the 70s, when the book was issued, we didn't have
indexes about Disney comics...

Lots of things in the book make good sense to me, especially the implicit
insult of 3rd-world-peoples in Disney comics.
Lots of other things were overreactions to USA imperialism, combined with
lack of humour.

In fact, there are some Barks gags that I only understood after the
explanation in this book! Example (quoting from memory):

- "Do you have phones here (in this new African developing country)"?
- "Yes, in all kinds and colors! But there's only one with a line - it's a
direct connection to the World Loan Bank!"

I only got the joke when they explained about the World Loan Bank...

> The reading is supposed to be fun. I can't imagine Donald 
> commenting the president election of the U.S etc.

A writer *can* sneak in some of his own opinions or views on the world. And
it's still happening. Yesterday I read a pocket book story about the Ducks
going to a different world, where the women ruled in stead of the men. What
could have been a very politically correct story, came out as an insult to
womenhood...

--Harry.