“The Chickadee Scenario”

 Hi there, whaddaya know?  I used to be on a podcast!  Two, essentially, with extra to return.  It be Impress Severino’s Barks Remarks, and furthermore his move-off Rosa Remarks, and while it is advisable to wish to know why it took goodbye for me to enact this…successfully, it used to be essentially merely a matter of missed communications.  However higher late than never; the expertise used to be extraordinarily appetizing, so I am hoping you want them, ‘put off you have not heard the last of me!  Grrr!

We talked about some Junior Woodchucks tales, so I thought this will seemingly be an correct opportunity for me to write about “Chickadee Scenario”–individual who we had been contemplating discussing however then did now not.  All issues thought to be, I mediate that used to be the merely dedication, however it is aloof value touching on.


Neatly, let’s salvage merely into it.  The topic is: girls!  Quelle horreur!  Donald, at any fee, has chilled out reasonably for the reason that likes of “Ten-Famous individual Generals,” his present attitude being extra one amongst bemusement, which looks just like the proper response, essentially.

“Rugged he-men.”  “Ship them support to their dolls and teacups!”  Inspect, let’s now not beat round the bush: I receive this story very perplexed and greatly unsuitable.  Per chance, in actuality, an out-and-out failure, though you would possibly well also think.  HDL’s childish sexism isn’t at all times essentially very fun to mediate about at, however from this introduction, you will salvage the very trusty influence that they are being arrange for a drop.  I mean, how would maybe perhaps well you now not?  That is OBVIOUSLY what the story is setting up.  After which…it merely drops the entire thought and never resolves it whatsoever.  I mean, as you would possibly well maybe watch.  Momentarily.  If any person needs to protect this story, please enact, however I hang my doubts about it.

Oh successfully.  I revel in Donald’s extra or much less composed attitude, anyway.  No getting woodcraft blended up alongside with his tips of parenthood right here, as we saw in “Generals.”  Guffey’s Grove.  That is fun.  Has any person reused that name?

Also, converse that in the early days of Barks, the provide an explanation for Junior Woodchucks acronyms did now not spell out words.  However in this day and age, it’d be very unlikely for any person to hang them now not.

Introducing…her.  There are positively sure tips about gender right here.  Demonstrate furthermore: that flag.  Is that the first employ of the Junior Woodchucks brand?  I have not been monitoring this stuff or something else, however it is miles going to be!

Certain, this story introduces the Chickadees as a distaff version of the Woodchucks.  Are they merely known as that thanks to association with “chicks” as slang for females, which used to be successfully-established when this story used to be written?  However the article is, in this story, they are extraordinarily non-sure.  After the chauvinist-nephews introduction, exiguous or nothing in regards to the story will seemingly be a complete lot of if they had been boys.  Disney comics hang historically been, it need to be admitted, a extremely masculine fabricate, and I’m now not sure Barks right here used to be essentially up to the job of setting up a lady scouts identical, as mighty as it is an correct thought.  Inspect at how the girls in that top-left panel are bathed in purple and rendered kind of anonymous and vague.  That is an correct metaphor for his or her total depiction in the story, wherein now not one amongst the girls fabricate any influence.  The supreme proper featured antagonist is the troop chief. She’s extra the form of cartoonish grotesque that Barks used to be entirely overjoyed with, and while you bid it is unfair and presumably misogynistic of me to list her as “grotesque,” maybe you ought to aloof wait to behold how the story proceeds.  

Correct, so right here’s the article: the Chickadee chief right here is meant to be being conniving.  You would possibly well maybe well now not necessarily know that from merely this image, however it becomes obtrusive right now satisfactory that right here’s what Barks is going for.  However why?  What’s unfriendly with this bridge?  Is that this crypto-sexism: mediate about at those girls with their “straightforward” bridge, as in opposition to the manly woodchucks with their “proper” bridge-building skillz.  Neatly, that is also an overstatement.  However I’m making it because this story is perplexed, dammit.  No matter message it has is now not clearly communicated.

This furthermore ideas some Donald bumbling, though it is reasonably low-key in that regard.  It be furthermore reasonably onerous to suss out his motivations entirely: does he section about a of his nephews’ sexism, or is he merely making an strive to sustain the peace?

Regardless, if nothing else, you’ve gotta give the story credit rating for this mighty: “merely imagine these posts are hundreds of feet lengthy!” is gorgeous.  You would possibly well maybe well’t argue with that good judgment.  Neatly, you would possibly well also maybe point out that a hundreds-of-feet-lengthy pole presumably would now not be very trusty, however to that, I will most productive answer, NEEEEEERRD!

Conception?  Conception?  The Chickadee chief is meant to be sneaky and underhanded.  Heh! Heh! Heh!  Hee! Hee! Hee!  You would possibly well maybe well argue about whether right here’s sexist, I bid, however I need to sustain that whatever it is miles, it would now not tackle the conflict that the beginning devices up.

I MEAN GOOD GOD.  Here is one amongst essentially the most indecent caricatures Barks ever drew.  It ain’t colossal!

Anyway, the last consequence?  It be a tie.  Is that this asserting something about gender equality?  If it is miles, you’d ask of the story to, I create now not know, ticket at that whatsoever.

Here’s essentially the most productive proper interplay between the boys and the girls in your entire story.  If there had been extra, this complete thing will seemingly be extra engrossing.  Probably.  I AM amused by the Woodchucks muckety-muck merely performing like that.  The peace-bringer.  An proper Christ figure.

Also, I mediate this story pioneered the postulate of merely awarding medals in bulk, which in all equity silly.

And yet, in the pinnacle, what message will we rob from this story?  What merely?  No one used to be cheered and nothing used to be talked about.  Whilst you occur to are in a region to lift extra perception to this than I’m, please enact, however I’m now not overjoyed that this is now not at all times essentially one amongst Barks’ most notable failures.  Composed, despite how successfully he worn them, introducing the Chickadees used to be an correct expansion of the universe.