Thank You Mask Man

I’ll attempt to untangle Lenny Bruce, and hopefully I’m not too far off track in my analysis of “Thank You Mask Man.” After watching the video, I had the impression that Bruce uses the “Mask Man” to make a commentary on heroism and traditional values in American society. His references to the classic American icon, the Lone Ranger, and the Western scene point to a singularly American representation of the values of entrepreneurship, patriotism, exploration and heroism. Bruce uses this Western background to comment on the way American values are used and portrayed by the public, pop culture, and literature.

The Mask Man begins the clip as the classic hero, and the townspeople are full of respect and thankfulness for his appearance. However, as time moves on, the Mask Man learns that he is no longer needed to save the day since “the Messiah” has come. This is a particularly interesting scene, since two men claim that the Mask Man was only able to exist because he fed on segregation and violence. This seems to be an indictment of traditional American values of patriotism and heroism, which, according to Bruce, are only existent due to emotions and physical reactions to hate.

The irony begins here, as Mask Man feels he must make trouble because he is no longer needed since segregation and violence have been eliminated. In order to make trouble, he requests “Tonto” in order to perform “unnatural acts.” This request stirs up more anger and hatred in the townspeople, who end up pushing the Mask Man and Tonto out of town. Contrary to the claim that “the Messiah” has eliminated violence, the Mask Man becomes a victim of the problem. In the video, Bruce indicates that the Mask Man, a personification of American cultural values, is both a victim and an actor in the many discrepancies between American social reality and rhetoric. Despite the claims of freedom for all, the many prejudices and constraints on different members of the population create the need for the belief in heroism and patriotism. Unfortunately, like the “Mask Man,” these beliefs often serve to magnify problems of violence, segregation and prejudice.