Spitting Image
Tags: satire

Plot synopsis:
At the time he wrote The Spitting Image, Lembcke had not found a single substantiated media report to support the now common claims of spitting. He theorizes that the reported "spitting on soldiers" scenario was a mythical projection by those who felt "spat upon" by an American society tired of the war; an image which was then used to discredit future antiwar activism and serve political interests. He suggests that the manufactured images of pro-war antipathy against antiwar protesters also helped contribute to the myth. Lembcke asserts that memories of being verbally and physically assaulted by antiwar protesters were largely conjured, noting that not even one case could be reliably documented. He further suggests the "baby-killer" and "murderer" components of the myth may have been reinforced, in part, by the common chants by protesters aimed at President Lyndon Baines Johnson, like "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?"
The Spitting Image asserts that the image of abuse of soldiers by antiwar demonstrators only really became ingrained in the American consciousness years after the war had come to a close. Lembcke attributes part of the legend's growth to films relating to Vietnam, notably Rambo, in which a "spat-upon veteran" image is popularized. He writes that the myth of the spat-upon veteran was later revived by President George H. W. Bush as a way to help suppress dissent when selling the Gulf War to the American people. Lembcke believes that resurrection of the myth was useful in promoting the yellow ribbon Support our Troops campaign, as it implies that for one to support the troops, one must also support the war. It conflates the ideas of antiwar sentiment and anti-troop sentiment, despite a common antiwar chant being "Support the Troops: Bring them Home!"
The "spat-upon veteran" meme became so pervasive that some found it hard not to believe. In 1989, Bob Greene's book Homecoming reprinted letters he had solicited, asking to hear from veterans if they had been spat upon. Greene's book includes 63 alleged accounts involving spitting, and 69 accounts from veterans who do not believe anyone was spat upon after returning from Vietnam, among other stories. Greene admits he couldn't validate the authenticity of the accounts in the letters he received, but he did believe spitting must have occurred, stating, "There were simply too many letters, going into too fine a detail, to deny the fact." Greene concluded, "I think you will agree, after reading the letters, that even if several should prove to be not what they appear to be, that does not detract from the overall story that is being told." "Greene was too willing to suspend disbelief", says Lembcke, who cited Greene's book as an example of how prolific the stories had become and also for the patterns that appeared in them. Lembke said, "These stories have to be taken very seriously, but as historical evidence they are problematic. In the first place, stories of this type didn't surface until about ten years after the end of the war. If the incidents occurred when the story tellers say they did, in the closing years of the war, why is there no evidence for that? Moreover, many of the stories have elements of such exaggeration that one has to question the veracity of the entire account."
Lembcke points out that there were several newspaper accounts of pro-war demonstrators spitting on antiwar demonstrators and suggests that these oral accounts could easily have been reinterpreted and inverted and made into stories about activists spitting on veterans. He highlights the contradictions between the collective memory of today and contemporaneous historical records, like the results from a 1971 poll showing over 94% of returning Vietnam soldiers received a "friendly" welcome. Lembcke also notes how it was older vets from previous wars who most often scorned the returning Vietnam Vets; in 1978 the Vietnam Veterans of America vowed in its founding principle: Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.
In The Spitting Image Lembcke acknowledges that he cannot prove the negative—that no Vietnam veteran was ever spat on—saying it is hard to imagine there not being expressions of hostility between veterans and activists. "I cannot, of course, prove to anyone's satisfaction that spitting incidents like these did not happen. Indeed, it seems likely to me that it probably did happen to some veteran, some time, some place. But while I cannot prove the negative, I can prove the positive: I can show what did happen during those years and that that historical record makes it highly unlikely that the alleged acts of spitting occurred in the number and manner that is now widely believed."

Review: Ignore the dreadful 1994/1996 era and you have the best satire series ever made..
What on earth went wrong?
From its start in 1984 through to 1993 this was the best satire series on TV, but when Giles Pilbrow took over as producer in 1994 things went from bad to worse.
The witty humor turned into spiteful name-calling and the whole thing adopted a very down-market, tacky feel to it.
Though the first 1994 series shows promise to begin with, before long it descends into childish, playground-style sniping at people.
Satire is much more effective if it's subtle, but 'subtle' is a word which is obviously missing from Pilbrow's dictionary.
By the 1996 (final) series, things were at an all-time low.
The comical, imaginative voices were replaced by the same smug, self-satisfied tones which cropped up time and time again, the series seemed to center more on pop groups rather than politicians and public figures and most of the songs had become dire.
Though the 1996 series had a few good ideas, rather than humorous sketches there was an insufferably smug voice relating political facts and lists of statistics.
More of a documentary than a satire show.
This approach also displays a very lazy, interest-lacking attitude.The older Spitting Image series are unmissable - hilarious, well-made, well-thought-out.
But Pilbrow ought to be ashamed for running this great series into the ground.
The only good he ever did the show was stopping it in 1996 rather than dragging it to even more ignoble depths..
This isn't your parents' puppet show.
So how did a Yank who has never visited England get addicted to this show?
One evening in the 1986, my parents were howling at something with puppets called "The Ronnie and Nancy Show", which was being broadcast on an American network (I forget which) and was never shown again.
Although I didn't get all of the jokes (I was eight at the time), I remember laughing at President Reagan putting Slick 50 motor oil in his hair, and falling out of his bedroom window at the show's conclusion.
The routine has always stuck with me, but I could never figure out where it came from!
Then a few months ago, desperate to see if anyone else had heard about it, I did a keyword search and found out about a British television show called "Spitting Image".
Of course; the British have ALWAYS been superior to Americans when it comes to satire on TV, and this show is no different.
I purchased some videos of it on Ebay, had them converted to NTSC format, and laughed my head off.
Although I could only get about half of the jokes that dealt with British politicians (I guess I need to brush up on history!), this is still one of the best comedy sketch shows I have ever seen, and the puppet format makes it that much better!
If you love seeing politicians and celebrities getting attacked with as sharp a sword as possible, then check this show out!
A warning though: Some of the routines contain material that is not appropriate for children, as BBC standards are different than American Networks..
See the funny side..
All satire bites.
Of course this series was vituperative.
Most, if not all humour is at the expense of somebody else.
So what better targets can there be for humour than the rich, famous and powerful?
The other reviewer who expressed his disgust at a programme that could mock a certain baby should take this into consideration: any child born into the family of Windsor will be one of the most privileged and pampered people in the world from the very first day of its life.
"Spitting Image" was not evil.
It didn't stigmatize the large numbers unemployed, force the poll tax on people, starve public services of cash.
It didn't widen the gulf between the rich and the poor.
It simply provided satire.
If one doesn't like "Spitting Image" then one won't like any good satire at all.
The series also launched the careers of many of this country's most popular comic actors.
The puppets, mannerisms and voices were spot on.
The 80s and early 90s were a very difficult time for a lot of people in the UK.
"Spitting Image" was a fine example of how we were able to laugh at ourselves and this crazy world we live in..
Best Satire In History.
This was a hugely welcomed relief for the pressure of almost two decades of Conservative government worldwide (the Tories in the UK, and the Republicans in the US).
Remember that this series started only 5 years before the Berlin Wall fell.
I can only hope and pray that in these times when "news" is just another corporate commodity, someone will revive this series.
I keep imagining John Kerry donning a bandana, smearing on the greasepaint and taking an M60 to the Republican team - Dick Cheney trying to scuttle away in vain, Dubya having his satisfied smirk wiped of his face by a 7.62mm round and John Kerry screaming his head off and curling his lip like Johnny Rambo.
Or is that a terroristic threat nowadays?
I think an American Spitting Image should be a lot more violent than this British version.
But let there be no mistake - the venom in this series was incredibly potent.
Margaret Thatcher was a favorite target.
Thatcher sits in a restaurant with the rest of her cabinet (Howe, Tebbit, etc.).
The waiter comes over and asks: "Would you like to order meat, ma'am?" Thatcher: "Yes. Rare." Waiter: "Vegetables?" Thatcher, making a broad arm movement to the boys: "Oh, they'll have the same".Tebbit in jackboots and leather who always salutes Thatcher with "Yes, Leader".
Thatcher peeing standing up in the men's room.Anyway, even if you don't know every detail of the British political scene 20 years ago (neither do I), still get a hold of this gem and see how real political satire is made.
There was a Russian version of Spitting Image that was very popular too..
"Don't Miss TV" of the 80s.
In the 80s no celebrity was off limits to the Spitting Image team which lampooned contemporary celebrities using latex puppets with exaggerated features.
Regulars included the street smart Pope with his shades and cellphone, or Ronald Reagan in the infamous "the President's brain is missing" (with two dangerously arranged "nurse" and "nuke" bedside buttons).
Other common appearances included the British royal family, Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet.Every Sunday night at 10pm Brits would be sure to watch the latest satirical sketches penned by now famous celebrities such as David Baddiel.
Voices were also from comedians who went onto greater things including Steve Coogan (Around the World in 80 Days), Rory Bremner (has his own impressionist show on British TV), Harry Enfield and Adrian Edmonson.Over time it deteriorated.
The great news is that there is talk the show will return in 2005..
Spitting Image was hilarious.
Spitting Image was an extremely funny show.
It stopped at nothing & ridiculed everyone, from politicians to royal rivalry.
It is a pity it ended & didn't get the chance to parody Blair, Prescott & Buyers, i am sure they would have had a great time coming up with sketches as good as the thatcher era.
as for de_niro_2001 from Scotland, i guess he can't appreciate humor or lacks one, or maybe because the show made fun of Scotland one time, when they showed a list of some things that Scotland brought the world: Dr Finlay, Lulu, English tourists, wee wee on the floors of trains,that really horrible Dundee cake, a monster that doesn't exist & lots of silly dancing.
Scotland, not far from London.....not far enough!
that was a classic!.
a breath of fresh air.
I watched most of these shows when they came out on ITV/Channel 4.
I was relieved to find someone shining the light on current events.
It was funnier than anything else on TV and years ahead of it's time.
Britain and the world was suffering a new wave of greed and corruption by the USA and the corporations (many of whom the British Royals were only too happy to do business with) of the world who were accelerating the growth of today's problems.
Unfortunately most people don't see the truth nowadays.
It's necessary to be crude and vituperative (gosh, I had to look that one up - I'll be using that one at the next Conservative get-together!!!).
I look forward to it being released on DVD..
Ultimate Satire..
Before 'Spitting Image' there was Mike Yarwood.'Nuff said.
He was great as impersonators go.
But in the clearer light of the 1980's, nowhere near cynical or cruel enough.
By then; we were beginning to see just what creepy, crooked liars our politicians really were, and what shallow, vain-glorious humbugs our celebrities.
Cheerful lampooning was not enough.And latex was the answer.
Puppets could accomplish something that human impersonators could not.
Oddly, it was something that our ancestors knew all along, and was practiced in the old Punch & Judy shows.
Unlike impersonators, puppets have no intrinsic personality.
Instead they are original mockeries, and can get away with the kind of ruthless abuse that would undermine the career of any human impersonator.Margaret Thatcher's term in office was an ideal time.
Politicians had become outrageously arrogant.
Two of her tribe (Archer & Aitken) were ultimately sent to prison, whilst celebs thought they could do as they pleased.
'Spitting Image' changed all that.
The puppets and script-writers took no prisoners.
From the spittle-fountain of Hattersley and the semi-senile Reagan, to the neo-fascist Tebbit and the pocket-pet of David Owen; if you were visible on the spitting-radar prepare to squirm.Some actually liked their puppet - or at least, claimed to.
But then there was nothing else they could do except lump it, if they didn't.
Others genuinely hated theirs, and it is a matter of record that careers were affected by this uncompromising satire.
There is no better proof here that a good puppet is better than human impersonators, cartoons or even CGI.
Tony Blair's entire crooked regime escaped the well-deserved lambasting that the 'Spitting Image' team could have provided.
No regime was more image conscious that his, nor indeed ultimately more arrogant.
In this regard he far exceeded even Margaret Thatcher.
And because his gang were composed mostly of lawyers, they knew how to be crooked and yet circumvent accountability.
Who knows; if 'Spitting Image' had been around in the late 1990's, to worthy effect, we might have been spared 2 disastrous, costly and illegal wars.A class act, sadly missed by the public, and gratefully avoided by the over-weening creeps of this world..
"Hold a chicken in the air...".
When, many moons ago, I first heard of 'Spitting Image', I thought it would be at best a one-season wonder.
The novelty of having puppets doing satire would in my view wear off quickly, leaving the show nowhere to go.
As we now know, 'Image' ran for over a decade.It was originally produced by John Lloyd, one of the driving forces behind 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' so predictably it inherited that earlier show's healthy disrespect for authority and public figures.
The voices of Chris Barrie ( magnificent as Ronald Reagan ), Harry Enfield, Jessica Martin, Kate Robbins and Steve Nallon ( more like Thatcher like she ever was ) were superbly matched to clever puppetry courtesy of Fluck & Law. Amongst the writers were Doug Naylor and Rob Grant ( later to create 'Red Dwarf' ), John O'Farrell and Mark Burton.The first few episodes were at best patchy, marred by canned laughter and some iffy material, but by the end of the first season the bugs had been ironed out.
A regular item was 'The President's Brain Is Missing!' starring President Ronald Reagan.
No-one then knew that Reagan had the first symptoms of Alzheimer's.
The Reagan of 'Spitting Image' was gaffe-prone, frequently seen in bed with wife Nancy, read comics and loved Warner Brothers cartoons.
In one episode, he authorised the use of Phantom jet fighters to assist Wile E.Coyote in the destruction of the Roadrunner.
In another, he conducted a secret nuclear test up his own arse.British politicians also came in for a bashing; Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dressed like Al Capone, smoked cigars, and was seen taking political advice from a 90-year old Hitler.
The show ridiculed Labour leader Neil Kinnock's attempts to make his party electable ( it had been in opposition only five years when the show started ).
In one sketch, he said to the Shadow Cabinet; "We must get rid of all the people who will be a liability at the next General Election.".
At which point, the entire Shadow Cabinet left the room.
Liberal leader David Steel later blamed 'Image' for his failure to become P.M., it caricatured him as a squeaky-voiced muppet living in the top pocket of David Owen.No review of the show can be complete without mentioning their treatment of The Royal Family.
Though pro-monarchists wailed that it was insulting and unfair, I disagree.
I thought the show gave them an unexpectedly human face, portraying them as ordinary people with normal fallacies.
The Queen Mother, in particular, came across as a lovable Beryl Reid type fond of a flutter on the horses.
When the Royals sang a parody of Queen's 'We Are The Champions' ( entitled 'We Are The Windsors' ), it sounded like a new National Anthem.'Image' was lucky enough to be around when Thatcher was dumped by the Tories and replaced by the ultra-grey John Major.
The writers and performers succeeded in making the man more interesting than he really was.The show got into trouble on more than one occasion.
For instance, a joke at the expense of gun collectors soon after the Hungerford massacre in 1987 provoked predictable self-righteous fury from the tabloids.'Image' also spoofed '80's and '90's pop culture, such as 'Rambo', 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' ( or Turds as they became ), pop groups like 'Wham!', 'Culture Club', and 'The Pet Shop Boys' ( their hit 'Go West' was guyed as 'How The Hell Do We Keep Getting Away With It?' ).
No respect was shown for anyone or anything.It overstayed its welcome, unfortunately, ending the year before Labour's 1997 landslide victory.
Despite many imitations, it remains unequalled.Perhaps the show's unsung heroes were the people inside the puppets, such as Louise Gold and the late Alistair Fullerton.
Another underrated aspect was the songs.
'The Chicken Song' sent-up 'Agadoo' by Black Lace' and became a hit in its own right.
'We've Screwed Up The World' was a bleak parody of Louis Armstrong's 'Wonderful World' with Satchmo bemoaning our increasingly polluted planet.
'Every Job You Take', performed by Sting, rounded off the first series.'Image' provided I.T.V. with one of its last great comedy shows, and helped make the nightmare of the Thatcher/Reagan years partially bearable.