We Only Take "NO" for an Answer!

The Chief of the Blue Meanies says this to Max, right before he sends Glove after Old Fred. I'm talking, of course, about Yellow Submarine, the 1968 animated Beatles movie. The real Beatles are featured briefly, the movie is interwoven with their music.  Voice actors portray Beatle characters. I have always loved this movie.

But last night, I was watching Keith Olbermann talk about Teabaggers who want to get rid of minimum wage, public education, non-discrimination laws, birthright citizenship, and on, and on, and on. And I was suddenly reminded of that first scene in Yellow Submarine, when the Blue Meanies take over Pepperland. So the Blue Meanie Chief tells Max that "We Meanies only take "no" for an answer." Max then answers "No," to everything else he says. And then they start bombing Pepperland with lightning bolts, turning the people to stone, and draining the color from their world. The Chief sends Glove (a flying blue glove with a sinister laugh) to smash things and chase down Old Fred, who is fleeing to look for help. Glove flies across the psychedelic landscape smashing things. He smashes the word "YES." He smashes the "K" and the "W" in the word "KNOW." laughs, and flies after Fred.

This was the moment I realized that Glove was a Republican. Or, given that we're all speaking British, maybe just generic conservatives. But either way, and intended or not, it's a damned good metaphor for American politics today. And for the first time, I really thought that scene was sad.