>” The original Lego Movie (2014) has a wonderful, cheerful, catchy, and quite literally and deliberately fascist theme song (Everything is Awesome)”
I’m sorry, what? I know the label “fascist” gets thrown around with reckless abandon these days, but in what way is the everting is awesome song fascistic? To me it’s just a catchy children's song.
I mean, I might be wrong, but—in the literal one? As in it preaches conformity and finding your purpose in following the group whatever the group is doing?
A glance at the lyrics makes me think my memory might have made this stronger than it actually is, but when I watched the movie about five years ago I remember thinking those lyrics were the first sign something was supposed to be off, and indeed I seem to remember that when the protagonist broke away from the prescribed routine he looked on with longing at the others “working in harmony” while the song is playing in the background.
It might have been cheery Soviet plays from the 1930s making me paranoid, but that song was the strongest impression the film left on me.
I don't find the literal interpretation helpful. That pretty much describes any group activity anywhere in the world. Find me one major Western company that does not preach "better together" or "teamwork" or whatever. Then you have the Eastern ideas of "all under Heaven." The Communist "brotherhood and unity." Etc.
> conformity and finding your purpose in following the group
That's good advice for a happy life for a lot of people, of course assuming that "the group" is not actively hostile to nonconformists. But nothing wrong with chosing to get a job, work hard and take care of your family, and live according to your cultural and/or religious customs.
Yeah, the lego people where just building and destroying and weren’t allowed to think outside that norm. Master builders were outlawed and creativity was frowned upon.
Lego movie is a movie from the perspective of the kid who wants to play but his father who is also represented as the CEO / absolute ruler wants to keep his lego world as he once made it (the kragl glue superweapon)
I had the same takeaway from this movie as you did, thought indeed it has been a while since I've seen it as well. Seems quite unlikely that Everything is Awesome was simply meant as a catchy children's song.
I’m sorry, what? I know the label “fascist” gets thrown around with reckless abandon these days, but in what way is the everting is awesome song fascistic? To me it’s just a catchy children's song.