History Main / WhatDoYouMeanitsNotPolitical

**** That having been said, it cannot be denied that Mozart supported the sort of "Progressivism" that brought about TheFrenchRevolution, as he was associated with the Freemasons who were strongly allied with that movement. ''TheMagicFlute'' has also been seen as embodying political ideas, with the Queen of the Night representing the aged Empress MariaTheresia, Monostatos the Jesuits (he's black, and the Jesuits wore black), Sarastro the Freemasons, Tamino likely the young Joseph II, and Pamina ''possibly'' the Empire or Europe itself.

* ''DeusExHumanRevolution'': The augmentation debate has some parallels to the abortion debate. In the game, you will hear about augmentation clinics being firebombed by zealous anti-augs, protest signs that say "I regret my augmentation" much like "I regret my abortion signs." And much how in real life how people on the fence about abortion will say "I don't mind it in cases of rape, health issues, or incest," one can hear characters day "I don't mind it in the cases of amputees."

** Many fans believe that the religion of [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Ishval/Ishbal]] was based off modern Islam, due to the Ishbalans' dark skin and the ArabianNights-esque setting they lived in. Hiromu Arakawa (the creator of the manga) has [[WordOfGod stated]] that she based it off of the Ainu, an ethnic group that were driven from Honshu and live on Hokkaido, where Arakawa was born. A similar theory is that Ishval was based off of Ishvara, a hindu concept of monotheism.

* ''{{DeusExHumanRevolution}}'': The augmentation debate has some parallels to the abortion debate. In the game, you will hear about augmentation clinics being firebombed by zealous anti-augs, protest signs that say "I regret my augmentation" much like "I regret my abortion signs." And much how in real life how people on the fence about abortion will say "I don't mind it in cases of rape, health issues, or incest," one can hear characters day "I don't mind it in the cases of amputees."

** To quote [[WordOfGod Matt Stone]]: "We hate Conservatives, but we ''really'' fucking hate Liberals." They have a strong Conservative and Libertarian fanbase not because of promoting "family values," which anyone who watches the show knows is obviously false, but because their carpet-bomb approach to offending also skewers a portion of American society that normally gets a free pass from entertainers who only ''claim'' to "mock everything equally."

* When ''DoctorWho'' came back in 2005 with the main writer being out of the closet gay, many people accused the show of trying to push the gay agenda. Especially when Captain Jack Harkness (AnythingThatMoves) arrived.

Compare FauxSymbolism. See also WhatDoYouMeanItsNotDidactic Compare to WriterOnBoard, AuthorTract, AuthorFilibuster and TrueArtSticksItToTheMan, for cases where the author makes no secret about the political intent.

* In the final episode of ''IMyMeStrawberryEggs'', the administration of the school tries to use the fact that their gym teacher was a WholesomeCrossdresser to change their school into a complete LadyLand--ignoring that this would not have prevented the deception in the first place.

*** Christianity gets directly mentioned exactly once in the series, and then in a positive light. The {{Nakama}} travels to a world where the people were culled from MiddleAges England. Daniel posits a theory (which turns out to be wrong) that the Goa'uld who controls this world may be posing as the {{God}} of the Abrahamic faiths. Teal'c dismisses this idea, stating that he's read TheBible and finds it impossible to imagine that any Goa'uld could be as benevolent as the deity from that book.

A subtrope of EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory, when works are interpreted as being allegories for political issues (most often ones of war) at the time of the writing, with no [[WordOfGod prompting from the author]]. Sometimes, this is applied as {{retcon}}, with works written decades before the event being interpreted as allegories for it. (This may be a result of OlderThanTheyThink.) Such interpretations may be instances of HistoryRepeats, {{Funny Aneurysm Moment}}s, HilariousInHindsight, and HarsherInHindsight.

Compare FauxSymbolism. See also [=~What Do You Mean, It's Not Didactic?~=]. Compare to WriterOnBoard, AuthorTract, AuthorFilibuster and TrueArtSticksItToTheMan, for cases where the author makes no secret about the political intent.

* In order to counter the misconception that rock music and conservatism are wholly incompatible, the magazine ''NationalReview'' offered a list of "Greatest Conservative Rock Songs." Problem is, close examination will reveal that only about 40 percent of the songs are truly conservative; the rest are either libertarian or are just "old-fashioned" in a way that really isn't political at all. (For example, one song is considered "conservative" because it contains a Latin prayer.) Plenty of songs were included because they were at least partially anti-communist, as if conservatives have ever had a monopoly on anti-communism (and anyway, one of these songs is only anti-communist because it depicts the color red negatively!).

[[quoteright:350:[[AttackOfTheClones http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bush_gulfwars2.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It involves a leader, a Senate and deserts. Clearly a modern allegory.]]

->''"In ''{{Attack of the Clones}}'', the president of the Republic uses the threat of a powerful foreign enemy, which he was secretly in league with, to start a war. He then uses that war to expand his own powers and create a massive military machine that will eventually oppress the galaxy as a fascist regime. I mean, do I have to spell it out for you dummies? Think!"''

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* In the final episode of ''IMyMeStrawberryEggs'', the administration of the school tries to use the fact that their gym teacher was a WholesomeCrossdresser to change their school into a complete LadyLand--ignoring that this would not have prevented the deception in the first place.

* ''DeathNote'' has shades of this in the second half. [[spoiler: President David Hoope]] kills himself pre-emptively when he believes that [[spoiler: Mello will manipulate him into launching a nuclear weapon]]. What he didn't know was that the rules of the Death Note would have made this impossible anyway, making his noble self-sacrifice a pointless waste. Just to rub salt in the wound, [[spoiler: his replacement is a sniveling coward who surrenders the United States to Kira.]]

* ''GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' outright gives the VillainBall to the United States of America in the 2nd season... or more specifically, the ''[[TheEmpire American Empire]]'', one of [[DividedStatesOfAmerica the 3 divided American countries]] who places a high priority on military industrialism and right-wing conservatism. The anime doesn't clearly state that the United States of America is a different country from the American Empire, which may lead viewers into thinking that the United States in general is the villain. The truth is that ShirowMasamune divided the United States into 3 different countries (The United States of America, The Ameri-Soviet Union, and Imperial Americana) as part of the continuity that ''{{Appleseed}}'' and ''GhostInTheShell'' both take place in back when he wrote both series in the mid-80's and early 90's. There were no intentional implications, but it still makes the whole thing HarsherInHindsight when compared to some of George W. Bush's foreign policies during his administration.

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* It's been suggested that StanLee intended the two mutant leaders to represent the competing tactics of civil rights leaders MartinLutherKing (ProfessorX) and MalcolmX (Magneto), and the analogy is very frequently mentioned in discussions of the books. More broadly, they represent alternative paths that oppressed people can follow: appeal to the consciences of the oppressors by taking the moral high ground, or defend your rights by force.
* This could be a genuine case of SmallReferencePools but many Brits find it deeply irritating that Americans, having only seen the film of VForVendetta tend to assume that both it and the comic were about the Bush administration. The comic was written over twenty years before and was, according to WordOfGod, about the ''Thatcher'' administration while the movie simply made Norsefire more "generically" fascist (and stripped out most of the ambiguity). The irritation usually turns into loud arguments when said Americans then assume Guy Fawkes was a hero (he was actually a religious terrorist and hated in the UK to this day, to the point where there's a holiday devoted to burning him in effigy).

* ''[[TheSmurfs Smurf versus Smurf]]'', where the Smurf village is divided in a mutually hostile Northern and Southern part because of language differences, gets a whole new perspective when you remember that it is originally a ''Belgian'' comic book.

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' is a famous example. Produced at the height of the 1950's anti-Communist paranoia, the movie has often been taken for an allegory for that, although nobody's clear about whether pod people represent Communists, or whether they represent [=McCarthyists=] who attack those who are different. The lead actor has stated on the DVD that the movie wasn't intended to be any kind of political commentary. (Since Senator [=McCarthy=] and his followers had already been discredited in the eyes of most Americans by the time filming began, it's unlikely that the allegory was anything but subconscious.)

* Some interpret the sonar cell phone subplot in ''[[TheDarkKnightSaga The Dark Knight]]'' as an allegory for modern day safety measures by the former Bush administration.

*** While not as overt as TDK's themes of eavesdropping and extraordinary rendition, the speech in BatmanBegins about how Gotham is beyond saving seems to be a metaphor for similar attitudes towards the Middle East. It doesn't exactly help that the character is, at that point, [[spoiler:referred to as "Ra's al Ghul" (an arabic-sounding name) and talking about a city that is presumably located in the western world. Talk about turning the tables.]]
-->"''Gotham's time has come. Like Constantinople or Rome before it the city has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die.''"

* Around the time of the film version of [[LordOfTheRings The Two Towers]] being released, there was an online petition parodying this phenomenon by arguing against it on the basis that it was an insensitive name in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. Astoundingly, it drummed up some serious support from people who DidNotDoTheResearch.

--> '''Remy's father:''' "This is the way things are. You can't change nature."
--> '''Remy:''' "Change ''is'' nature, Dad. The part that we can influence. And it all starts when we decide..."
--> '''Remy's father:''' "Where are you going?"
--> '''Remy:''' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "With luck... forward."]]
* Andrew O'Hehir's [[http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/andrew_ohehir/2010/10/06/secretariat review]] of ''Secretariat'' was based around the premise that a feel-good Disney movie about a legendary racehorse was actually a "Tea Party-flavored, Christian-friendly yarn" which he even likened to [[GodwinsLaw Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda films.]] After massive InternetBackdraft led by the unquestionably liberal RogerEbert, O'Hehir backtracked and [[ParodyRetcon claimed that the review was tongue-in-cheek]] and [[RefugeInAudacity deliberately over-the-top.]]
* Lets take a look at Monsters2010...You have a bunch of aliens from Mexico trying to get into America and suceeding despite a gigantic wall and security to keep them out. These aliens sterotyped as villans in propaganda. These aliens are appartantly not metaphors for Mexican immigration to the U.S but that hasn't stopped people from drawing the comparison.
* Magda Goebbels stalked out of the premiere of ''Die Reise nach Tilsit''. It was about a foreign woman seducing the husband of a virtuous German wife under her eyes -- while Joseph Goebbels carried on with the Czech actress Lida Baarova. (The German wife won in the end, in both cases; Hitler sent the actress back to her native country and told Goebbels there would be no divorce.)
* BattleLosAngeles has a scene that could be seen as commentary on "enhanced interrogation" techniques in the war on terror: The soldiers have captured a wounded alien soldier, and they cut it apart (while still living), trying to find the vital organs so they can know where to aim to kill aliens. There is no dialogue condemning or justifying this act (although the information they find does put them on even footing in the battle).

[[folder: Literature ]]

** There were also accusations of the reverse. The Shire was likened to idealized Germany, and the rampant racism ([[BeautyEqualsGoodness every good race is pretty]], tall and [[HairOfGold blonde]], notwithstanding that most of the characters are not) as "aryan" ethics.

* [[http://www4.ncsu.edu/~tenshi/Killer_000.htm A few people]] (well, [[http://peachfront.diaryland.com/enderhitlte.html at least two]]) have asserted that Ender of ''Ender's Game'' is actually [[AdolfHitler Tiny Naked Hitler]].

** Endor was closer to Curtis [=LeMay=] (one of the commanders of the American strategic bombing of Japan and later commander of the [[PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower Strategic Air Command]]) than Hitler if you wish to press that. Hitler kind of, you know, tried to commit genocide on ''his own subjects'', who had never done anything that a reasonable person might consider an existential threat and conspicuously ''did not'' have guns. The Buggers actually had tried to invade Earth, and were unable to say "oops, our bad" when it turned out that they actually meant no harm.

** Some have claimed that Umbridge is MargaretThatcher. The similarity pretty much boils down to "both are right-wing female politicians I don't like". Some have also compared Umbridge to SarahPalin (who was completely unknown at the time the book was written) based on the same logic. Apparently being female (and conservative) is the all-important qualifier for declaring that a disliked politician "is" Umbridge. (There are no comparisons to Angela Merkel yet, though.)
* {{Discworld}} gets a bit of this from time to time. For example, while ''Discworld/{{Thud}}!'' is clearly about racial and religious hatred a lot of people think specific groups are direct stand ins for other groups. Weirder are the claims that ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' or ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'' are directly about the Iraq war. (Even though ''Jingo'' was written years before it.)

** The background plot about the island is based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinandea Ferdinandea]], but the characters openly discuss the fact that this is only an [[ExcusePlot excuse]] for the various other things that happen, which could map fairly well to several different conflicts and events.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' has been decried as leftist propaganda specifically made to decry the [[GeorgeWBush Bush]] administration. This moves beyond DidNotDoTheResearch into CriticalResearchFailure, since ''B5'' '''ended''' two years before Bush was elected President. Oops.

** JMS has written several episodes where he purposefully did not take a stand in the issue presented, but rather presented both sides and let the viewers draw their own conclusions. This hasn't stopped many people from claiming that such episodes are clearly (for/against) (their views/views opposing their own). One example of an inversion of this trope is the episode ''Confessions and Lamentations'', which is about a fresh outbreak of an alien disease that was believed to be spread through immoral behavior. A lot of people claimed this episode was meant as an allegory for [=AIDS=], missing the fact that it's a closer parallel to the Black Death (which is even discussed in the episode itself). JMS has gone on record as stating that the point of the episode was to say that politicizing a disease is never a good idea.

** As with ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'', this is a case of DidNotDoTheResearch, since, as noted above, it's a remake. Of a miniseries from 1983.

* The children's television show TheTeletubbies was accused of promoting the homosexual agenda to children.

[[folder: Music ]]

[[folder: Opera ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* [[http://www.tnemrot.com/ Domain Tnemrot]]. The entire story is about rich people forcing the poor into slavery, and the main character goes on rants about how the rich should be using their money to help the poor rather than spend it on frivolous entertainment. On the page this rant appears, though, the author insists that this is in no way a political comic and it's all just a part of the setting, while the main character's views are just a product of the environment he's grown up in.

[[folder: Web Original]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Kathleen Richter of ''Ms. Magazine'' [[http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/12/09/my-little-homophobic-racist-smarts-shaming-pony/ caused quite a stir]] when she accused ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' of promoting an anti-feminist, anti-intellectual, homophobic, white-power viewpoint, largely due to a massive dose of DidNotDoTheResearch. The ensuing InternetBacklash quickly prompted ''Ms. Magazine'' to follow her article with [[http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/12/24/my-little-non-homophobic-non-racist-non-smart-shaming-pony-a-rebuttal/ a rebuttal by the show's creator, Lauren Faust.]]

** To be fair, ''ABugsLife'' was a [[MagnificentSevenSamurai remake]] of ''SevenSamurai''. Themes of feudalism and class were prevalent throughout that film.

* BatmanArkhamCity has at least one essay devoted to it being an allegory for the War on Terror: [[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2011/10/social-satire-of-batman-arkham-city.html Social Satire Essay]]

** GeorgeLucas has gone on in interviews to point out that much of the reason that the prequels, first thought up in the 1970s, seem so contemporary is that the contemporary political situation ''itself'' happens to uncannily mirror the 1970s. In both cases, there's an unpopular overseas conflict going on that has America being accused of empire-building by the rest of the world, while the Republican president's being criticized for overstepping his authority and trying consolidate power away from the senate with the rationale that desperate times call for desperate measures. It's not so much that the prequels were written about Bush, it's that they were written during the Nixon and Vietnam days - and then {{the War on Terror}} came along and [[HereWeGoAgain recreated that situation]] just a few years after ''ThePhantomMenace'' was released. Sort of a LifeImitatesArt Imitating [[RippedFromTheHeadlines Earlier Real Life]].

* Russel Morris' MindScrew "The Real Thing" was interpreted by many as a commentary on TheVietnamWar. WordOfGod was that was actually bemused speculation about Coca-Cola's slogan.

* ArkhamCity has at least one essay devoted to it being an allegory for the War on Terror: [[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2011/10/social-satire-of-batman-arkham-city.html Social Satire Essay]]

* {{Rammstein}} is occasionally accused of promoting fascism largely because their lyrics are angry and in German...[[HitlerAteSugar Just like Hitler!]]

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