When I was a kid, Mad Magazine was our comedy gold standard. I had piles of them stacked up under my bed, mixed together with Marvel comics and (I'm embarrassed to admit) an occasional Richie Rich. At 12 years old, we were not really aware of Mad's liberal politics but it was definitely infused in everything and it almost certainly affected my world view — I got the message that liberalism is somehow linked with being smart and funny and silly and tolerant and in the know.
Still I was surprised to see this page from 1969 floating around the internet. (Some sites have it tagged as 1968 but that is incorrect.) Surprised because the political statement was so overt. And while it's amazing how much has changed since the '60s, it's incredible how little has changed. This could have been printed last week.
See the Super Patriot.
Hear him preach how he loves his country.
Hear him preach how he hates "Liberals"
And "Moderates" …and "Intellectuals"
And "Activists" …and "Pacifists"
And "Minority Groups"… and "Aliens"
And "Unions"… and "Teenagers"
And the "Very Rich"… and the "Very Poor" And "People With Foreign-Sounding Names Now you know what a Super Patriot is.
He's someone who loves his country While hating 93% of the people who live in it.
Today we call them MAGA, but they have gone by many names all the way back to 1776. They've always been here and I'm resigned to the fact that they most likely always will. The only difference I can see is that the modern version has acquired a sick gun fetish that wasn't as prevalent in 1969.
Here's a link to the whole issue with some analysis of what holds up and what seems dated.
Previously: The FBI targeted MAD magazine in 1957
