Craig Yoe from the Arf Lovers blog kindly scanned this interesting 25-cent booklet called You Don’t See These Sights on the Regular Tours.
It was produced when there was a lot of criticism of “Ugly Americans” that traveled to foreign lands and made nuiances–or worse–of themselves (unlike today ;o) ). It is amazing because of two reasons. (1) The A-list cartoonists that contributed to it, Charles Schulz, Walt Kelly, Al Capp, Hank Ketcham, Milton Caniff, Ernie Bushmiller, Rube Goldberg, etc. and (2) It’s not exactly clear who the audience is. Is it trying to educate insensitive Americans? Or is it an arrogant defense to ungrateful foreigners who should be damn happy for the American dollars being spent in their lands?
Reader comment: Tony says:
In your BB post “Ugly American comic book from 1958”, [Craig Yoe asks] “It’s not exactly clear who the audience is. Is it trying to educate insensitive Americans? Or is it an arrogant defense to ungrateful foreigners who should be damn happy for the American dollars being spent in their lands?”
A glance at the introduction clears that up: it is “… a gentle hint to you [Americans] not to be what our enemies say we are.” The use of the word “enemies” is informative. Printed during the Cold War (1958), it was clearly a countermeasure against Anti-American propaganda, whether real or imagined, put about by evil commie plotters.