MAGA, Dr. Seuss, and the Dangerous Illusion of Patriotism

In 1941, Dr. Seuss illustrated a chilling political cartoon: a grinning man in a hat labeled “America First” sits in a bathtub marked American Hemisphere. Around him churn the waters of fascism—Nazi-crested sea creatures, swastika-shelled turtles, and creeping totalitarian rot. The man beams, blind to it all, declaring, “The old Family bath tub is plenty safe for me! That man is us. Or more precisely: that man is many MAGA supporters today.

They believe they’re being patriotic. They believe they’re protecting their families, their faith, their freedom. But they’ve been lied to. Sold a story that someone else is always to blame: immigrants, trans kids, people of color, progressives, intellectuals, the media, even democracy itself. They’ve been taught that patriotism means isolation, aggression, and fear.

But the truth?

Everything they fear is already in the tub with them.

Fascism doesn’t wear jackboots anymore—it wears a flag pin and quotes Scripture out of context. Racism doesn’t always scream—it whispers through policy. Xenophobia isn’t just about borders—it’s about walls built in minds and hearts. Control isn’t about safety—it’s about silencing.

This cartoon, drawn over 80 years ago, feels urgent now. Because just like then, we’re watching people sit in a boiling tub, smiling, unaware—or unwilling to admit—that the water’s poisoned. The MAGA movement tells them they’re saving America. But in reality, they’re being used to unravel it.

It’s the same trick every authoritarian regime has pulled: Wrap oppression in patriotism. Dress fear up as faith. Redefine love of country as hatred of everyone else.

And people fall for it. Good people. Misguided people. People who once believed in freedom and community, but now mistake cruelty for strength.

I’ve written before about the way faith has been twisted into a control mechanism—about how fear is peddled as protection. This is that idea in motion. That man in the tub? He thinks he’s clean, righteous, and safe. But he’s soaked in everything he claims to despise.

So what do we do?

We tell the truth—relentlessly and with love.

We show what real patriotism looks like: compassion, courage, and community.

We resist the temptation to hate back.

We break the spell—with facts, with empathy, with unwavering conviction.

Because silence isn’t neutrality.

And pretending not to see what’s in the tub doesn’t make it go away.

Dr. Seuss wasn’t just drawing to entertain—he was warning us. The cartoon isn’t about a moment in history. It’s about a mindset. A mindset that still endangers us all.

Let’s not sit in the tub.

Let’s pull the plug.

*original cartoon/image by Dr. Seuss…not mine…used for post and consideration.