Vice Presidential Candidate, Mike Pence, Film Critic:
Just spent a memorable Fathers Day, like so many other all American Hoosier dads, with my kids at the new Disney film entitled, “Mulan”. For those who have not yet been victimized by the McDonald’s induced hysteria over this film, Mulan is a fictional account of a delicate girl of the same name who surreptitiously takes her fathers place in the Chinese army in one of their ancient wars against the Huns. Despite her delicate features and voice, Disney expects us to believe that Mulan’s ingenuity and courage were enough to carry her to military success on an equal basis with her cloddish cohorts. Obviously, this is Walt Disney’s attempt to add childhood expectation to the cultural debate over the role of women in the military. I suspect that some mischievous liberal at Disney assumes that Mulan’s story will cause a quiet change in the next generation’s attitude about women in combat and they just might be right. (Just think about how often we think of Bambi every time the subject of deer hunting comes into the mainstream media debate.)
It’s funny, I never think of Bambi when the subject of Mike Pence comes up.
Not only that, Mr. Pence, but Mulan wasn’t actually a princess!
hey, where’s The Mike Report?!
In addition, there is at least one western folk legend captured in song of young woman who joined the military under disguise in order to track down her lover/fiancee: Jack Monroe/Jack a Roe (circa early 1800’s or earlier). Perhaps based on the true story of Christian Davies.
Probably much to the distress of Mr. Pence, there are also tales – documented and in legends – of women, esp young girls, smuggled on board ships under disguise to be kept as lovers. These are interspersed with stories of women who smuggled themselves on for various purposes. All wrapped up in complex ambiguity about the roles of some cabin boys, etc.
Yes indeed, there’s all kinda military cross-crossing stories stretching back into the mists of history…
Like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wartime_cross-dressers, this: http://www.lindacollison.com/women-working-men-aboard-ship/, this: http://www.rejectedprincesses.com/women-in-combat