IVIV Bobwire & Jolly Rancher

[John Carvill]

> How is this take on Bigfoot's 'endearingness' in collecting barbwire, that wonderful Pynhconian image with seemingly no redeeming value:
>
> Bigfoot LOVES his job. Bigfoot LOVES being a fascist. Bigfoot is a friendly fascist. Another spoke in the co-optation theme ala Laura's question?

Yeah, maybe. I mean he's meant to be a fascist, or we get the feeling
that's teh space his character is supposed to occupy. BUt he just
doesn't seem to fit. I'm not turning it completely on its head and
claiming Bigfoot as 'one of the good guys', but he certainly comes
across as ambiguous to me.

The comparison has already been made: Doc & Bigfoot = Zoyd & Hector,
and there is a lot in that. BUt in some ways Doc almost seems to feel
more fond of Bigfoot than Zoyd ever was of Hector.

As for 'friendly fascist', the phrase that springs to my mind when I
think of another Vineland villain, Brock Vond, is "genial fascist".
Both share a tendency to seem polite and mannerly on the surface, the
way all those Christer Republicans and Dick Cheneys and Donald
Rumsfelds do. Dunno, drifting offshore now...