Live data from Hacker News

The subversive messages hidden in The Wizard of Oz

bbc.com

1–10 of 113 posts

Re: The subversive messages hidden in The Wizard of Oz

#2
I can't remember the book now, but it was about a 1984-like state. There was a passing reference to their revision of "The Wizard of Oz" in which the Wizard gave Dorothy, Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow tools (weapons) they needed to defeat the wicked witch.

Until then, I'd taken the Wizard of Oz at face value.

Re: The subversive messages hidden in The Wizard of Oz

#6
From "Debt, The First 5000 years":

L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which appeared in 1900, is widely recognized to be a parable for the Populist campaign of William Jennings Bryan, who twice ran for president on the Free Silver platform – vowing to replace the gold standard with a bimetallic system that would allow the free creation of silver money alongside gold. … [O]ne of the main constituencies for the movement was debtors: particularly, Midwestern farm families such as Dorothy’s, who had been facing a massive wave of foreclosures during the severe recession of the 1890s. According to the Populist reading, the Wicked Witches of the East and West represent the East and West Coast bankers (promoters of and benefactors from the tight money supply), the Scarecrow represented the farmers (who didn’t have the brains to avoid the debt trap), the Tin Woodsman [sic] was the industrial proletariat (who didn’t have the heart to act in solidarity with the farmers), the Cowardly Lion represented the political class (who didn’t have the courage to intervene). The yellow brick road, silver slippers, emerald city, and hapless Wizard presumably speak for themselves. “Oz” is of course the standard abbreviation for “ounce.”

Re: The subversive messages hidden in The Wizard of Oz

#9
post #6

From "Debt, The First 5000 years": L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which appeared in 1900, is widely recognized to be a parable for the Populist campaign of William Jennings Bryan, who twice ran for president on the Free Silver platform – vowing to replace the gold standard with a bimetallic system that would allow the free creation of silver money alongside gold. … [O]ne of the main constituencies f…

I always thought Oz was a reference to Australia. How did Aus come to be called Oz, the land down under?

Re: The subversive messages hidden in The Wizard of Oz

#10
post #6

From "Debt, The First 5000 years": L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which appeared in 1900, is widely recognized to be a parable for the Populist campaign of William Jennings Bryan, who twice ran for president on the Free Silver platform – vowing to replace the gold standard with a bimetallic system that would allow the free creation of silver money alongside gold. … [O]ne of the main constituencies f…

[deleted]
Post reply on HN