Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Response

Mikkos

The film portrays an ideal America as a patriotic one. A land where any man, with enough effort can make a significant change and fight the good fight. The film shows a very corrupt government, one that is controlled by lobbyists and large corporations looking to make money. However, the film shows that the evils of corruption can be beaten simply if one tries hard enough. As most everyone knows, a single person or a very small group is not sufficient to combat corruption and big business. It takes a significantly large group of people with a lot of support to accomplish what Mr. Smith accomplished almost on his own. In the modern day, we know that there are massive lobbying firms that contribute vast sums of money to influence the decisions of our government along with corporations. Mr. Smith thought of his father’s close friend Mr. Pain as a virtuous man but politicians are not incorruptible and do not always have the best interests of American citizens in mind.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 25, 2023 at 10:28 PM

    Great cartoon. It's not only funny, but it captures the idea that Congress might only represent a small slice of the American public at times, and the part that it seems to represent in many cases are narrow, well-funded interests. Consider also the counterargument. Why is it a problem for people to be organized and lobbying for policies -- just as the Constitution envisions and protects? And to what extent is it possible that a seemingly "narrow" interest provides a public good?

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