[ SECRET POST #6807 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #6807 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 24 secrets from Secret Submission Post #972.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[iff_and_xor]

I’ve never seen this. I guess I haven’t hung out in MASH-specific fandom spaces much, but I have discussed the show with plenty of people over the years and read people’s thoughts.

The range I’ve seen is from “Hawkeye is a harmless joker” to “Hawkeye is a pain in the ass to people around him and a jerk to women”. I’m happy to land somewhere in the middle on those: “well-meaning but flawed” seems pretty apt.

I have never met anyone who enjoys the show and is seriously pro-military. I’d actually be interested in hearing what that’s like.

[(Anonymous)]

I shudder to even have to type this but lbr the pro-military types probably consider Frank the best character and think he was right about everything.

I don't actually like MASH, ever since I was a kid and those opening trumpets and helicopter noises were the signal at 10:30 to change the channel, but my housemate has been watching it so I can definitely say "well-meaning but flawed" is the only right way to take Hawkeye. I'm with you there.

[iff_and_xor]

I actually saw someone on reddit describing Frank Burns as someone who has flaws, but takes his job seriously. I couldn’t quite fathom that. I guess if you consider his job to be maintaining the most trivial aspects of military regulations? (And only as far as other people are concerned, given his frequent hypocrisy.)

[(Anonymous)]

I thought the show did a decent job of making old Ferret Face just sympathetic enough to make the audience feel sorry for him once in a while without actually making him someone you wanted to root for or redeeming him in any meaningful way.

[(Anonymous)]

My Silent Generation grandfather was the standard amount of pro-military for a working class man born in the 30s and MASH was one of his favorite shows before Fox News ate his brain when he was in his early 80s. He thought the jokes were funny and liked watching Frank Burns get his comeuppance because he was a jerk. He didn't think the sets looked much like how he remembered Korea. He liked Trapper better than BJ.

[iff_and_xor]

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

After that first comment, I did start to think about how “pro-military” actually means different things to different people. There’s probably a sizeable population who consider the military to be overall noble, have a lot of respect for service members, but would also happily join in with the type of jokes on MASH that are often aimed at obstructive bureaucracy, egotistical generals, and war profiteering.