Posted on 08/21/2004 10:31:10 PM PDT by Repairman Jack
Thanks to TVLand and TiVo, I've become a Bonanza junkie. And it got me thinking about the symbolism of the show in conservative thought.
I once read the I Ching of manhood could be found in The Godfather. I think it may be better found on the Ponderosa.
Anyone who watches the show knows the principals - patriarch Ben, and sons Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe.
I posit that each character represents a critical component of the wide generalities we conservatives - diverse as we are - hold as central.
Now, the show alone in its most simple analysis upholds conservative values - family above all. God. Justice. The good kind of tolerance. Charity given freely, not coerced. Thrift. Hard work. Rugged individualism. Cooperation, not coercion. The right of self-defense. Respect for gun rights. Respect for your fellow man unless and until he wrongs you. (Not in that order, but you get the idea.)
But the archetypes of the four main characters, I posit, are archetypes we wish for.
Ben - wise, strong, sure, fair, just. He is the president and commander-in-chief we all believe this nation deserves. He is what few who have held that office hope to be - he is the Ronald Reagan of the Old West. Hopeful, optimistic. Representing the best in all of us. He is the conservative president.
Adam - the eldest, trying to be as wise as Ben, but more world-weary, slightly more cynical, younger and therefore quicker on the draw when he must. He is always on guard. Maybe not as wise and wide of perspective as Ben, but nonetheless smart. He is the Pentagon.
Hoss - amiable, friendly, incredibly dangerous when provoked. A gentle giant who won't fight unless he must ie when ordered. He is indestructable - an awesome power reluctant to unleash his fury, and ever respectful of the power he wields. Always obedient to Ben and respectful of Adam. He is the United States armed forces.
Little Joe. Good-hearted, friendly, possibly sometimes gullible in his earnest desire to do good. Fierce when provoked, but easy-going and forgiving. Hot-headed, though, and in need of guidance on some occasions. Once in a while he teaches the elder heads, but often driven more by his heart than his head. But he is mindful of the wisdom of his elders ie those who came before him, and he is always learning from them. He is the conservative caucus of the electorate. (The other caucuses - liberal, moderate, socialist, criminal - repesented by the various villians of the week, of course.)
That's my thought on my increasingly favorite show, burned in the crucible of politics.
What do you think? Am I reasing too much into it, or is this a fair dinkum?
Lorne Green was a big time Bolshevik. He was as red as they come. Good actor though.
I wasn't aware of that and I'm disappointed, but that doesn't reflect on the character of Ben Cartwright.
:)
Jack, seriously, no offence, but your post reminds me of those guys at the Star Trek Conventions who try to glean Life Lessons from Star Trek.
With all due respect, drop the TV Remote (after hitting the OFF Button), put on a good pair of walking shoes, and go outside for some nice, fresh air...
:p Phllllbbtt!
This is the only TV show I've been watching. Just had an epiphany on it after a few episodes and many beers. :)
hehehehehehe I figured...
Import, or Domestic?
:)
Rolling Rock. Not my favorite, but the store was out of Modelo Especial.
Am I reasing too much into it, or is this a fair dinkum?
You may be reasing a little too much, but OTOH the dinkum looks fair to well done.
I was thinking I could get life's big lessons from Three's Company....
But seriously, if anybody wants five shows to life lessons: The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, Kung Fu, The Waltons, and Rockford.
:)
What, no XX Dark?
It's an interesting tourist attraction for fans of the show.
reading, reasing, what's the fidderance between friends? ;)
No, but I'd love to. Any links?
Hurts my head in the morning. :(
What about Hop Sing?
"The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, Kung Fu, The Waltons, and Rockford."
I love these late-night beer fueled vanity threads!
ROCKFISH, ROCKFISH, ROCKFISH!
And I guess you mean the old Kung Fu, which I never watched, but the new one will always be a great memory for me, watching it with my kid. She liked the son, and I liked the dad, by default. I'll never forget those saturday afternoons.
As for Bonanza, hubby's been watching the re-runs on "Westerns" channel, he won't admit that he is really into westerns, but he really is. They are great. And I am just now coming to understand how we really did battle the Indians, and defeat them, for control of this land.
My fave TV show of all time, not that you asked...Perry Mason, with the Dick Van Dyke show a veryclose second.
The bar's name I think was "The Bloody Bucket."
The fought the Injuns, but they also respected them in a way the modern pop culture won't acknowledge.
I'm watching a rerun from 1963 from about two weeks ago on TV Land about the Shoshanni, and they recognize both sides' grievances.
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