racial jokes

Actually Positive Cold War Race Propaganda: Don't Be a Sucker DVD (1947)
$7.99
Don't Be a Sucker is a bizarre film from the Cold War era which attempts to resist racism in America. The War Department film warns Americans against the trap of racial prejudice and religious persecution that the Germans fell into during the reign of the Nazis. Their history is given a brief recap, and the film says that Germans were suckers for waging a war against a religious minority. The film follows an average American named Mike listening to a man up on a soapbox ranting against Catholics, Blacks, and "alien foreigners." Mike doesnt mind this hateful rhetoric until the speaker adds Freemasons to the list. Since Mike is a Freemason himself, he is confused. Soon, an old Hungarian man comes over and explains to Mike that everyones liberties must be protected or all people could lose their freedoms. He warns against selfishness, and tells Mike to "forget about 'we' and 'they,' lets think about 'us!'" Equality and diversity were not commonly discussed in Cold War era films, which were more about jingoistic propaganda. This film that encourages equality in America is a rare example of a more progressive way of thinking in Cold War history.