Arts and Ideas

Sara Fishko (C Butler)

"You want to send a message? Call Western Union," said Sam Goldwyn.

Right now, as "loyalty" and "treason" are being redefined by world events, so are cultural expressions of patriotism and dissent. From "message" pictures in the old Hollywood, to morale-building songs, to satirists' comic visions, politics and mass culture have been inexorably linked.

Click to enlarge. Boondocks strip courtesy of www.ucomics.com

Through stories from people like comedian Mort Sahl, entertainer Tom Smothers, The Daily Show's Mo Rocca, critic Molly Haskell, writer/producer Larry Gelbart, The New York Times' Frank Rich and many others, this program examines the connections between culture and country, and how the establishment has responded to the pushes against it. We'll hear history, as Frank Sinatra, preaches "tolerance" on radio at the end of World War II, and current events, as Aaron McGruder's comic strip risks being pulled from tomorrow's newspaper.

What Can I Say explores how the messages have been sent, and how they have been received by a nation often hungry for reassurance.