The Ultimate Cult-ural Send-Up?

Rating: 8/10 (24 November 2013)

From the Lyman Frank Baum Wikipedia page:
"Originally a Methodist, Baum joined the Episcopal Church in Aberdeen to participate in community theatricals. Later, he and his wife, encouraged by Matilda Joslyn Gage, became members of the Theosophical Society in 1892.[44] Baum's beliefs are often reflected in his writing. The only mention of a church in his Oz books is the porcelain one which the Cowardly Lion breaks in the Dainty China Country in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Baums believed in God, but felt that religious decisions should be made by mature minds and not religious authorities. As a result, they sent their older sons to "Ethical Culture Sunday School" in Chicago, which taught morality, not religion.[45][46]"
From the Theosophical Society Wikipedia page:
"...the Society's objectives evolved to be: 1) To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or colour. 2) To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science. 3) To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man."
Watch the film carefully with a little background in collegiate sociology -- as well as Baum and the TS -- and it becomes evident that The Wiz was a send-up of the "brainless" common culture (listen to the cowardly lion sing "If I Were King" for one example of many) of unquestioned belief in and submission to omniscient and omnipotent, mystical, religious and political authorities.
"Somebody pulled my tail."
"You did it yourself."
Indeed.
The lesson for Dorothy and all the rest was to give up their "good ideas" and just look to see how it all really works. Just observe. Just notice. Which is exactly what the anointed "world teacher" of the TS came to preach from 1929 to 1985.