Thank You Mask Man

I would be lying if I said I was not a little lost while watching “Thank You Mask Man.” Every time I thought I picked up on what Lenny Bruce was trying to say the cartoon would go off in a different direction and I would once again be unsure. I think Bruce, intentionally or not, packs a lot of different ideas into the piece and presents them in an almost frenetic way, which makes absorbing all of them nearly impossible, and, I think, not what one is supposed to do. However, one can and should try to grasp some of the bigger points “Thank You Mask Man” is trying to make.

I think one element of the piece has to do with the interplay of regular people, heroes, and gods. It questions which category the mask man fits into. Is he just a helpful person, is his status higher than that, or is he on par with the gods. I believe Bruce suggests that others make this decision. Some want to treat him like a god and some want to bring him back down to earth. However, regardless of what opinion the regular people hold, Bruce conveys the trivial nature of deeming someone a hero. To me, Bruce is commenting on the indecision of man. In the cartoon, the same people that admire the mask man because he does not wait around for thanks and gifts soon use that same attribute to criticize him. Overall, among other things, I think the cartoon speaks to the vacillation of opinion and the group think that permeates society.