What is Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock! was a series of animated educational musical shorts which aired on American television, off and on, from 1973 to 2000 with multiple reboots. It is one of the most classic and iconic examples of American propaganda films aimed at brainwashing children into believing false versions of history, distorted ideas of how the world works, and knowing how to multiple numbers by 9.
What is Propaganda Rock!
On this blog, we are going to watch and review all 64 Schoolhouse Rock! musical shorts, in chronological order. That means, for the most part, we'll start with Multiplication Rock, then Grammar Rock, America Rock, Science Rock, Computer Rock, Money Rock, and finally 2009's direct-to-DVD Earth Rock. There will be a few exceptions, such as I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College which is a part of America Rock but aired in 2002 and won't be discussed until between Money Rock and Earth Rock.
In addition to reviewing and politically analyzing each song on how it functions as propaganda for the American empire, we'll occasionally discuss fun and interesting background, trivia, context, and insights into stuff surrounding each song.
Who is Propaganda Rock!
We are @shel and @JuniperTheory. We both grew up on Schoolhouse Rock! and—in fact—were given excess dosages of Schoolhouse Rock! as a disproportionate percentage of the education we received due to non-traditional schooling (or lack thereof). We have many opinions on the ways Schoolhouse Rock! shapes the worldview of children and we will certainly be expressing them. When Shel was 6-years-old she starred in a community theater production of Schoolhouse Rock! Live! Junior! playing the kid who interviews the Bill in I'm Just A Bill in addition to being in the ensemble. June knows all sorts of incredible history, context, and trivia about Schoolhouse Rock! and will share insights from her scientific study on which adult Schoolhouse Rock! characters are the most smashable.
How does Propaganda Rock! evaluate Schoolhouse Rock!
Each short will be reviewed based on five criteria:
- Music 🎵
- Animation 📺
- Pedagogy 🎓
- Accuracy 🎯
- Yikes Factor 😬
Music is how much the song slaps. If it's a bop, it gets five 🎵. Animation is how good the animated visual component is. If it's fun to watch, it gets five 📺. Pedagogy is how well it actually teaches you the core concept the song is about. If you effectively learn your times tables, it gets five 🎓. Accuracy is whether what it's teaching you is actually true. Many of these songs are outdated, and many were wrong to begin with. If you're actually learning something true, it gets five 🎯. Yikes Factor is how fucked up, cruel, and evil it is. If it's racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, and/or celebrates real life genocides, it gets five 😬. (Getting five 😬 is a bad thing.)
What is A Noun!
🎵A noun is a person place or thing.🎵
