Republican senator says The LEGO Movie is 'insidious' propaganda
First the Oscar snub, now this — The Lego Movie can't catch a break. (Well, save that it grossed nearly $500 million, but other than that.)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a businessman himself, condemned the animated children's movie — in which "Mr. Evil Businessman" plots to destroy the world so he alone may profit — as "insidious" propaganda. "That's done for a reason," Johnson said. Hollywood is cultivating a "cultural attitude" in which people believe "government is good and business is bad."
On Thursday, Johnson responded on his website to a Huffington Post article that reported his comments, saying the writer "can't seem to figure out why I or anyone else would say this about The Lego Movie."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
"[T]he point that The Lego Movie was an especially grievous slam on business was made by others," Johnson wrote. "The strange thing isn't that a kids' movie was anti-business, it is that someone claiming to be a journalist never encountered the idea before."
Making sense of the week's political news, delivered every Wednesday
Stephanie is an editorial assistant at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Modern Luxury Media.