Reds fanfic
- Thread starter E. Burke
- Start date
Geroyyeev, Or Geroysk sound better .... but I need to think more.
Special Thanks to @The_Red_Star_Rising for the idea for this. There isn't much here, so this will be short
"Generalissimo Douglas MacArthur is Still Dead" is a popular comedic phrase originating from David Frost in That Was The Week That Was in 1964, and later used as a recurring phrase in Frost's follow-up The Frost Programme, and used in an early episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
The Franco-British media extensively covered Cuban leader Douglas MacArthur's failing health during late 1963 and early 1964. Most of the time, the coverage would emphasize that MacArthur was still alive. The BBC had kept updates of MacArthur's health in its regular broadcasts, and continually covered it, especially during slow news days. Some newspapers even had a column showing MacArthur's status at that point. When MacArthur finally died on April 9th, 1964, the BBC and other news outlets covered not only the funeral, but ran retrospectives on him, showed various reactions to his death, and followed possible successors.
During the April 11th broadcast of TW3, David Frost reported the following:
FROST: Cuban President-For-Life Generalissimo Douglas MacArthur died Thursday at age 84. Having ruled as dictator of the American government-in-exile on the small island nation since evacuating the American mainland in 1933, MacArthur's death has heralded reactions across the world. While some hold him as a tyrant and oppressor, other eulogize him. Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill says
"General MacArthur was a defender of freedom and democracy, and a friend of the British Empire. He was a beacon of hope in a region long lost to communism. "
Current Prime Minister Reggie Maudling says
"MacArthur was defined by his duty as a soldier, which transformed Cuba into a prosperous nation. His firm guiding hand will continue to inspire generations to come, and in this time of need, his presence will be missed."
[SHOWS IMAGES OF POLICE BEATING CUBAN PROTESTERS, THE 1934 REBELLIONS BEING REPRESSED, MACARTHUR SHAKING HANDS WITH BENITO MUSSOLINI AND HENRY FORD, THE SANTA CLARA MASSACRE OF 1963[1], CUBAN PRISONERS IN HARD LABOUR]
The next week, Frost ended a broadcasted like this:
FROST: And live from Havana, Generalissimo Douglas MacArthur is still dead. Doctors say his health can't get any worse than this.
The gag became an occasional one for a few weeks before the show was taken off the air due to its content. On its successor program, The Frost Report, it became a recurring joke, with some variations at the end to keep it fresh, like "... but his health is improving apparently", or "... Nobody is certain how long he will stay dead, but doctors say it might be a very long" or "It has been several weeks, but Douglas MacArthur continues the struggle to remain dead."
John Cleese, an alumni of the The Frost Report, later uttered the phrase as an homage during a fake news segment in the 5th episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus in 1969. While used only once on the program, the phrase would be popularized by the show, particularly reruns in the UASR.
Frost said that reception was mixed in Cuba when he visited to interview former President Robert Kennedy in 1975, with some hating him for joking of MacArthur's death, others enjoying it. During the ending of the brief revival of TW3 in 1987, Frost once again added the phrase to the very end of the broadcast. The Daily Worker used the phrase for the title "Douglas MacArthur is Still Dead... Or is he" for an article on the controversy of statues of and streets named for MacArthur in Cuba.
[1] From @Bookmark1995 's update
"Generalissimo Douglas MacArthur is Still Dead" is a popular comedic phrase originating from David Frost in That Was The Week That Was in 1964, and later used as a recurring phrase in Frost's follow-up The Frost Programme, and used in an early episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
The Franco-British media extensively covered Cuban leader Douglas MacArthur's failing health during late 1963 and early 1964. Most of the time, the coverage would emphasize that MacArthur was still alive. The BBC had kept updates of MacArthur's health in its regular broadcasts, and continually covered it, especially during slow news days. Some newspapers even had a column showing MacArthur's status at that point. When MacArthur finally died on April 9th, 1964, the BBC and other news outlets covered not only the funeral, but ran retrospectives on him, showed various reactions to his death, and followed possible successors.
During the April 11th broadcast of TW3, David Frost reported the following:
FROST: Cuban President-For-Life Generalissimo Douglas MacArthur died Thursday at age 84. Having ruled as dictator of the American government-in-exile on the small island nation since evacuating the American mainland in 1933, MacArthur's death has heralded reactions across the world. While some hold him as a tyrant and oppressor, other eulogize him. Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill says
"General MacArthur was a defender of freedom and democracy, and a friend of the British Empire. He was a beacon of hope in a region long lost to communism. "
Current Prime Minister Reggie Maudling says
"MacArthur was defined by his duty as a soldier, which transformed Cuba into a prosperous nation. His firm guiding hand will continue to inspire generations to come, and in this time of need, his presence will be missed."
[SHOWS IMAGES OF POLICE BEATING CUBAN PROTESTERS, THE 1934 REBELLIONS BEING REPRESSED, MACARTHUR SHAKING HANDS WITH BENITO MUSSOLINI AND HENRY FORD, THE SANTA CLARA MASSACRE OF 1963[1], CUBAN PRISONERS IN HARD LABOUR]
The next week, Frost ended a broadcasted like this:
FROST: And live from Havana, Generalissimo Douglas MacArthur is still dead. Doctors say his health can't get any worse than this.
The gag became an occasional one for a few weeks before the show was taken off the air due to its content. On its successor program, The Frost Report, it became a recurring joke, with some variations at the end to keep it fresh, like "... but his health is improving apparently", or "... Nobody is certain how long he will stay dead, but doctors say it might be a very long" or "It has been several weeks, but Douglas MacArthur continues the struggle to remain dead."
John Cleese, an alumni of the The Frost Report, later uttered the phrase as an homage during a fake news segment in the 5th episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus in 1969. While used only once on the program, the phrase would be popularized by the show, particularly reruns in the UASR.
Frost said that reception was mixed in Cuba when he visited to interview former President Robert Kennedy in 1975, with some hating him for joking of MacArthur's death, others enjoying it. During the ending of the brief revival of TW3 in 1987, Frost once again added the phrase to the very end of the broadcast. The Daily Worker used the phrase for the title "Douglas MacArthur is Still Dead... Or is he" for an article on the controversy of statues of and streets named for MacArthur in Cuba.
[1] From @Bookmark1995 's update
The Sudeten agreement goes ahead as planned but the German occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia is by violent invasion after Section 9 and the GUGB help organize a revolt in Czechoslovakia by anti-German elements in the army. It's a valiant but ultimately utterly doomed fight as Hungary and Germany devour the place.
They have a somewhat short time window to do so and of course, in an open shooting war (albeit one that only part of the Czechoslovak army even partakes in) more might become casualties.
Bookmark1995
Banned
I figured the Reich would be doing everything possible to get Czechoslovak Jews to leave, since Red America was willing to take them in.
Sidenote, I'm guessing that because of this, Czechs and Slovaks, stung by the betrayal of Britain and France, will become genuinely loyal to Comintern.
Redshank Galloglass
Banned
Very good Bookmark. TBH, Red American living sounds like absolute bollocks. Seriously, I'm not sure I could take Communal living.
I could barely stand living with my own family. I don't think I could handle living with other people.
Redshank Galloglass
Banned
I think I could handle living with a few friends, but living with complete strangers? I don't know if I could warm to an idea like that.
Join the club.
Actually, are you allowed to be a hermit in the UASR? Or is that just viewed as a unusual sign?
Bookmark1995
Banned
While I do see the obvious disadvantages of communal living, there are clear advantages too. I was a lonely kid, largely because I lived in a car-dependent town with the kids who could be friends miles away. Being in a communal housing gives me more opportunity to be friends.
Living with complete strangers seems odd, but when you live with people of different racial and religious classes, it can also reduce prejudice considerably (or at least that's my read).
I think the UASR, a society built around collective unity, believes that people ought to be part of a group and participate socially. Being a hermit would probably be frowned upon, and lead to social stigma.
Redshank Galloglass
Banned
Sounds like a win-win to me, if only because people in the UASR sound like pretentious windbags.
Then again, that's coming from an OTL point of view.
More "neighbourly" apartments are rather close to communal living. The apartments where everyone knows each other and often celebrate holidays together in particular. That's the TTL ideal instead of a lonely house surrounded by picket fences keeping away neighbours like a castle.
Americans TTL are highly politically involved because the system encourages it with mandatory votes, a culture that sees town hall meetings as crucial to good society, voting always being a day off, and a culture that enshrines the necessity of political activity. Contrast to today where the dominant culture is "it doesn't matter and it's incredibly inconvenient anyway."
Americans TTL are highly politically involved because the system encourages it with mandatory votes, a culture that sees town hall meetings as crucial to good society, voting always being a day off, and a culture that enshrines the necessity of political activity. Contrast to today where the dominant culture is "it doesn't matter and it's incredibly inconvenient anyway."