Fight Club

This was not THE Fight Club cartoon I've been trying to do...

Since before I started Fighting Words, I've had a running theory involving this movie and the novel it's based on, regarding the social movement of this decade that has coincided with George W. Bush's presidency. Fight Club gives us a penetrating image of my particular demographic (disaffected, middle-class, mostly white suburban males who came of age in the 80's and 90's) and offers an unforgettable commentary on our superficial, consumer-driven society. However, the message often gets missed and/or is manipulated to serve a conflicting interest; specifically, it has been perverted to the point where it gets connected with this moronic social movement we see before us. This anti-intellectual, white trash worship, monster truck-driving, NASCAR-watching, designer trucker hat and wifebeater-wearing, propaganda-swallowing subculture that has allowed a goofball rich kid like George W. Bush to be given two terms in office based largely on a populist platform. You've seen the stories: empty-headed teenagers and 20-somethings see the movie and get hyped up to go form underground fight clubs just to beat the shit out of each other.... which is fine, if they know WHY they're doing it. You gotta have the balls to crack a book every now and then to find out why you're angry at the world.

I'm not sure if Fight Club has a causal relationship with this social movement or if it's just a coincidence, but I'm pretty sure there's something there... I just haven't been able to articulate it in cartoon form yet. Someday...