Donald Duck versus Two-Face, and the Philosophy of Flipism!
Imagine how I felt when I learned that there existed an actual pseudo-philosophy known as Flipism, based around making all life decisions on the flip of a coin! And imagine my surprise when I learned that this idea is credited not to Harvey Dent, but rather to Donald Duck. No, seriously!
The short story is called "Flip Decision," and you can read the whole thing right here. Big thanks to psychopathicus for finding that link! I'll be discussing the story in a bit, so you can read it before or after, but first I need to rant a bit about this story's legacy.
Thing is, I'm already well aware of how Carl Barks and Don Rosa's brilliant Duck comics were incredibly innovative and influential far beyond the realm of comics, "inspiring" at least two very famous movies and inventing/discovering several things, including areas of science and even--arguably--manga itself. As such, I wouldn't have been surprised if Barks originated the idea of flipping a coin to make decisions, and Kane just ripped him off because, well, Bob Kane.
Except that "Flip Decision" was released in 1953, eleven years after Two-Face's first appearance, and just one year before his eighth and final story of the Golden Age was released. While Kane and Finger did ride on influences such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the original Scarface, the actual use of the coin as an arbiter for all life decisions seems to be all Harvey's. He did it first. And yet, going by the Wikipedia entry for Flipism, Harvey warrants a teeny footnote in the philosophy! Hell, even the footnotes for similar stories such as The Dice Man and Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men warrant longer mentions! Bad enough that too many fans and writers see Harvey's use of the coin as a shallow gimmick, but that he gets such minimal lip service in the philosophy he pioneered in pop culture is maddening and inexcusable... isn't it?
Well, perhaps not. After all, outside the US and especially in Europe, Barks' Duck comics were (and still are) incredibly popular, probably more so than Batman comics. What's more, there are important differences between Two-Face and Flipism, each with their own thematic, literary, and satirical worth. Let's take a look at the comic itself, and I'll explain what I mean.
"Flip Decision" opens with Donald running afoul a flimflam man prosthelytizing the virtues of Flipism. "At every crossroad of life," he declares to the befuddled Duck, "let Flipism chart your course!"
Thoroughly swindled, Donald read the book and is quickly intrigued by Flipism's tenets such as "Life is but a gamble! Let Flipism chart your ramble!" When Donald and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie find themselves at odds between going to see a movie (as they want) or taking a pleasant drive (as he wants), he decides to practice his newfound philosophy: "Heads, it's movies! Tails, it's ride! 'Let Flipism decide!' Unquote!"
As you can imagine, this quickly turns into a farce with Donald getting himself and the boys trapped in mud, running into another driver who won't play along with Donald's use of Flipism ("Sorry! I ain't a gamblin' man!"), and getting even more lost. For a second, Donald starts to sweat, realizing that he has absolutely no idea how to get back home. But like any fresh convert, he quickly returns to his new fanaticism.
Of course, this leads to them nearly getting killed even MORE lost, and once Donald decides to try flipping the coin while driving, he nearly gets everyone killed. Next thing we know, Donald is in court, but rather than facing down charges of reckless child endangerment, the Judge just demands to know why Donald drove the wrong way down a one-way street. Nervously, Donald explains that he's a Flippist, and that he tossed a dime to see where to go.
The "letting a dime do your thinking for you" is the key quote here which applies to Donald and Harvey alike, so keep that in mind for later.
While I've always vastly preferred the classic Looney Tunes shorts to the Disney ones, I've always loved Donald for being such an incredibly flawed everyman who won't shy for going out and trying to clobber somebody who cons him. Bugs Bunny would devise an elaborate series of humiliations, mockery, explosions, and mayhem whenever "this means war." Donald is just going to straight up beat the shit out of the con man. It's great.
Realizing that the con man (named Prof. Batty! Seriously! The coincidences here are so nutty) has packed up and covered his tracks, a furious Donald with no leads decides that there would be no greater justice than to find Batty by using Flipism. As the nephews are all "here we go again," Donald's path leads him straight to a very Harvey-like destination:
As if the split pair of buildings AND two options inside a duplex weren't enough, Daisy reams Donald a new one for being a "two-timer." Turns out she was visiting her sister who lives at that apartment because Donald forgot that he and Daisy had a movie date. Way to go, Donald. Thoroughly humbled, Donald agrees to take them out to a movie, which of course is the movie the nephews wanted to see all along.
In the end, Flipism worked out for everyone except the only guy who believed in it in the first place! As if that irony weren't bitter enough, it turns out that--naturally--Prof. Batty WAS behind the other door at the duplex all along, having only narrowly escaped the wrath of Donald who was led there by Flipism! But for one single coin toss, Donald's entire new philosophy could have been reinforced, and instead, it was destroyed while favoring everyone else! That... is awesome!
Funny how Flipism actually DID eventually yield (purely coincidental) results, which I suppose is inevitable after a certain point. By all rights it should have kept on resulting in randomness, chaos, and more of Donald getting lost and going nowhere, but that would have made for a more boring, anticlimactic ending without Donald getting his just desserts. After all, this is a comedic farce, so a certain sense of unreality in favor of the plot is allowed, just as we have to allow that a coin flip in a Two-Face story will invariably lead to the more dramatic option. There's no such thing as true randomness in fiction, since it's all guided by the god-like hand of an author.
As such, neither Harvey nor Donald's use of their coins can really be about embracing random, impartial chance, since it's presented so artificially. No, when it comes to how these characters use coin-flipping to make decisions, the question is really about WHY they chose to give up choice. Here's where the big differences between Harvey and Donald come in, aside from species.
Just like the Dice Man, Donald's Flipism is based around the idea of abdicating responsibility while adding spice to one's life. His motives behind this are purely selfish, believing that Flipism could possibly lead him to "adventures, riches, or even fame" (funny how it's that last one which seems to have Donald's greatest priority), all of which he clearly isn't getting by using his own free will like a chump. This concept is rich with satirical value to which anyone can relate and understand. It plays with so many classic philosophical questions such as existentialism, fatalism, and a whole bunch of other isms that I'm not gonna pretend I know anything about.
Harvey, on the other hand, doesn't flip the coin to decide everyday matters like you or I. From the very beginning, his stakes were no greater than GOOD and EVIL themselves, while there's been much variation and psychological nuance given to his coin usage over the years, that's still the foundation for Two-Face as a concept. What's more, unlike Donald and the Dice Man who willingly give up their wills, Harvey is mentally ill and utterly dependent on the coin's rulings. Harvey may have his own philosophy about luck and chance, but his coin use is entirely tied up in his own dependency, whereas the Dice Man and Donald's Flipism are more self-satisfied fanatics in their own faiths.
Ultimately, I cannot argue with Flipism--as a concept--being centered around Donald rather than Harvey, since it's Donald's use which is the one better suited for philosophical and satirical discussion. Harvey himself is rife with philosophical and thematic goodness, but his use of the coin is more specifically relevant to him only. On the other hand, Harvey's coin use is more tragic and sympathetic, whereas Donald's just makes him an idiot who wants to let a hunk of metal do all the thinking for him. So it's a trade-off either way. Of course, both are selfish in their own ways, and while they may affect or even drag others into their games of chance, they're ultimately still flipping those coins for themselves.
This is what really unites Harvey, Donald, and the Dice Man, and what also separates them from No Country for Old Men's Anton Chigurh. That book, its film adaptation, and that character all warrant their own analysis at some point. Much as I hate to say it, I don't think there's ever been a time when Harvey's flipped the coin that's ever been as chilling as the scene of Chigurh in the gas station, and rest assured, we'll explore the reasons for that in due time.
Man, where else can a Two-Face fanblog go on a lengthy discussion about Donald Duck and end up with a shout-out to Cormac McCarthy? I've got something for everybody!
The short story is called "Flip Decision," and you can read the whole thing right here. Big thanks to psychopathicus for finding that link! I'll be discussing the story in a bit, so you can read it before or after, but first I need to rant a bit about this story's legacy.
Thing is, I'm already well aware of how Carl Barks and Don Rosa's brilliant Duck comics were incredibly innovative and influential far beyond the realm of comics, "inspiring" at least two very famous movies and inventing/discovering several things, including areas of science and even--arguably--manga itself. As such, I wouldn't have been surprised if Barks originated the idea of flipping a coin to make decisions, and Kane just ripped him off because, well, Bob Kane.
Except that "Flip Decision" was released in 1953, eleven years after Two-Face's first appearance, and just one year before his eighth and final story of the Golden Age was released. While Kane and Finger did ride on influences such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the original Scarface, the actual use of the coin as an arbiter for all life decisions seems to be all Harvey's. He did it first. And yet, going by the Wikipedia entry for Flipism, Harvey warrants a teeny footnote in the philosophy! Hell, even the footnotes for similar stories such as The Dice Man and Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men warrant longer mentions! Bad enough that too many fans and writers see Harvey's use of the coin as a shallow gimmick, but that he gets such minimal lip service in the philosophy he pioneered in pop culture is maddening and inexcusable... isn't it?
Well, perhaps not. After all, outside the US and especially in Europe, Barks' Duck comics were (and still are) incredibly popular, probably more so than Batman comics. What's more, there are important differences between Two-Face and Flipism, each with their own thematic, literary, and satirical worth. Let's take a look at the comic itself, and I'll explain what I mean.
"Flip Decision" opens with Donald running afoul a flimflam man prosthelytizing the virtues of Flipism. "At every crossroad of life," he declares to the befuddled Duck, "let Flipism chart your course!"
Thoroughly swindled, Donald read the book and is quickly intrigued by Flipism's tenets such as "Life is but a gamble! Let Flipism chart your ramble!" When Donald and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie find themselves at odds between going to see a movie (as they want) or taking a pleasant drive (as he wants), he decides to practice his newfound philosophy: "Heads, it's movies! Tails, it's ride! 'Let Flipism decide!' Unquote!"
As you can imagine, this quickly turns into a farce with Donald getting himself and the boys trapped in mud, running into another driver who won't play along with Donald's use of Flipism ("Sorry! I ain't a gamblin' man!"), and getting even more lost. For a second, Donald starts to sweat, realizing that he has absolutely no idea how to get back home. But like any fresh convert, he quickly returns to his new fanaticism.
Of course, this leads to them nearly getting killed even MORE lost, and once Donald decides to try flipping the coin while driving, he nearly gets everyone killed. Next thing we know, Donald is in court, but rather than facing down charges of reckless child endangerment, the Judge just demands to know why Donald drove the wrong way down a one-way street. Nervously, Donald explains that he's a Flippist, and that he tossed a dime to see where to go.
The "letting a dime do your thinking for you" is the key quote here which applies to Donald and Harvey alike, so keep that in mind for later.
While I've always vastly preferred the classic Looney Tunes shorts to the Disney ones, I've always loved Donald for being such an incredibly flawed everyman who won't shy for going out and trying to clobber somebody who cons him. Bugs Bunny would devise an elaborate series of humiliations, mockery, explosions, and mayhem whenever "this means war." Donald is just going to straight up beat the shit out of the con man. It's great.
Realizing that the con man (named Prof. Batty! Seriously! The coincidences here are so nutty) has packed up and covered his tracks, a furious Donald with no leads decides that there would be no greater justice than to find Batty by using Flipism. As the nephews are all "here we go again," Donald's path leads him straight to a very Harvey-like destination:
As if the split pair of buildings AND two options inside a duplex weren't enough, Daisy reams Donald a new one for being a "two-timer." Turns out she was visiting her sister who lives at that apartment because Donald forgot that he and Daisy had a movie date. Way to go, Donald. Thoroughly humbled, Donald agrees to take them out to a movie, which of course is the movie the nephews wanted to see all along.
In the end, Flipism worked out for everyone except the only guy who believed in it in the first place! As if that irony weren't bitter enough, it turns out that--naturally--Prof. Batty WAS behind the other door at the duplex all along, having only narrowly escaped the wrath of Donald who was led there by Flipism! But for one single coin toss, Donald's entire new philosophy could have been reinforced, and instead, it was destroyed while favoring everyone else! That... is awesome!
Funny how Flipism actually DID eventually yield (purely coincidental) results, which I suppose is inevitable after a certain point. By all rights it should have kept on resulting in randomness, chaos, and more of Donald getting lost and going nowhere, but that would have made for a more boring, anticlimactic ending without Donald getting his just desserts. After all, this is a comedic farce, so a certain sense of unreality in favor of the plot is allowed, just as we have to allow that a coin flip in a Two-Face story will invariably lead to the more dramatic option. There's no such thing as true randomness in fiction, since it's all guided by the god-like hand of an author.
As such, neither Harvey nor Donald's use of their coins can really be about embracing random, impartial chance, since it's presented so artificially. No, when it comes to how these characters use coin-flipping to make decisions, the question is really about WHY they chose to give up choice. Here's where the big differences between Harvey and Donald come in, aside from species.
Just like the Dice Man, Donald's Flipism is based around the idea of abdicating responsibility while adding spice to one's life. His motives behind this are purely selfish, believing that Flipism could possibly lead him to "adventures, riches, or even fame" (funny how it's that last one which seems to have Donald's greatest priority), all of which he clearly isn't getting by using his own free will like a chump. This concept is rich with satirical value to which anyone can relate and understand. It plays with so many classic philosophical questions such as existentialism, fatalism, and a whole bunch of other isms that I'm not gonna pretend I know anything about.
Harvey, on the other hand, doesn't flip the coin to decide everyday matters like you or I. From the very beginning, his stakes were no greater than GOOD and EVIL themselves, while there's been much variation and psychological nuance given to his coin usage over the years, that's still the foundation for Two-Face as a concept. What's more, unlike Donald and the Dice Man who willingly give up their wills, Harvey is mentally ill and utterly dependent on the coin's rulings. Harvey may have his own philosophy about luck and chance, but his coin use is entirely tied up in his own dependency, whereas the Dice Man and Donald's Flipism are more self-satisfied fanatics in their own faiths.
Ultimately, I cannot argue with Flipism--as a concept--being centered around Donald rather than Harvey, since it's Donald's use which is the one better suited for philosophical and satirical discussion. Harvey himself is rife with philosophical and thematic goodness, but his use of the coin is more specifically relevant to him only. On the other hand, Harvey's coin use is more tragic and sympathetic, whereas Donald's just makes him an idiot who wants to let a hunk of metal do all the thinking for him. So it's a trade-off either way. Of course, both are selfish in their own ways, and while they may affect or even drag others into their games of chance, they're ultimately still flipping those coins for themselves.
This is what really unites Harvey, Donald, and the Dice Man, and what also separates them from No Country for Old Men's Anton Chigurh. That book, its film adaptation, and that character all warrant their own analysis at some point. Much as I hate to say it, I don't think there's ever been a time when Harvey's flipped the coin that's ever been as chilling as the scene of Chigurh in the gas station, and rest assured, we'll explore the reasons for that in due time.
Man, where else can a Two-Face fanblog go on a lengthy discussion about Donald Duck and end up with a shout-out to Cormac McCarthy? I've got something for everybody!