8/11/2003: W naval action figure

[Undertoad]

Offered up at this KB Toys page

I gotta tell ya, the really great thing about being an non-partisan independent is how I can enjoy looking at things like the above without either smiling with pride or recoiling in horror. To me, it's just an interesting artifact of our culture, as polarized as it is right now.

I think the President does get to make symbolic gestures like this, even if it is to his political benefit. And if you have patriotic feelings about it, even though it's also political, oh hell that's cool too. And it may be simplistic as hell, but if "our leader can beat up your leader", there are morons in the world who will take their cues from that.

But I'm not sure the same thing applies after your doll has come out. Oh sure, we're told these are action figures, but those of us who grew up before that phrase was invented, we know.

And I don't think I would buy this for a kid even if I was a huge W backer. Oh sure, it would be awesome to have your Commander in Chief ordering around your G.I. Joes, maybe even calling up your Justin Timberlake action figure into active duty where he could see some enemy fire. Or you could have 12" W barking out orders to your 1" plastic army men, fighting an army where a bin Laden action figure is attaching firecrackers to planes to try to blow up your Lego city.

That would be kinda cool, but I'm guessing most of these figures aren't going to see any action; they'll be put up in the attic, where they can sit untouched and be eBayed in 30 years.