"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated November 03, 1912:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JUNE 12, 2021):
This strip reintroduces the racist stereotype of simianization back into #LittleNemo. - 1/15
Though Impie isn't *directly* referred to as a monkey, he is closely connected to the monkeys of this strip as the only one who "can talk monkey language". - 2/15
A pseudo-simianization and definite continuation of Impie's othering through the savage caricature, the assumption is that as the character most like these animals, Impie could pass on Flip's message. - 3/15
Simianization as a tactic to dehumanize black Americans has a long and dark history in popular culture, one that we've discussed before: - 4/15
Now, there is an argument to be made that Flip actually acknowledges Impie's humanity in this strip. In panel 9, he says, "tell them that some day maybe if their good they will be human like us". - 5/15
That "us" is quite open ended though… is Flip including Impie in that grouping? Or is he just referring to Flip and Nemo? Again, the ambiguity coupled with the history of racism in the #LittleNemo strips doesn't really lean in McCay's favour. - 6/15
Even though Impie has the illusion of agency in this strip, and speaks for the first time in forever (panel 6), it really isn't *his*agency… he's just translating the speech provided to him by Flip; he is a proxy between the two at the very best. - 7/15
Speaking of Flip's speech, it is interesting that it is so heavily influenced by Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species". - 8/15
Hund & Mills (2016) have previously discussed how simianization and scientific racism were upheld by Darwinian theory: "Global white domination was being taken as proof of the evolutionary superiority of the white race." - 9/15
Furthermore: "If it now had to be conceded that we were all related to the apes, it could nonetheless be insisted that blacks’ consanguinity was much closer – perhaps a straightforward identity." - 10/15
Altogether, the strip reflects the Social Darwinism and new racial orthodoxy perpetuated by it through it's narrative and visual representation. Another example of #LittlNemo's position as socio-historic artefact. - 11/15
Finally, the question of why the monkey's throw the rocks is important and the answer will likely vary from reader to reader. - 12/15
Do the monkeys simply dislike what Flip is saying to them through Impie? Do they hate the idea of being human so much as to stone the trio? Does Impie fail to translate Flip's rhetoric leading to a misunderstanding? - 13/15
Both are possible, and I'm sure that there are other possibilities too; the strip is completely open-ended in that regard. What do you think? - 14/15
This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #362. What's yours? - 15/15
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