Comrade_ Savage15 You are now being monitored by the United States Government. Every website you visit, every text, phone call, voicemail, every sound within a 30 foot radius of your phone's microphone, and everything within the lens of your phone's camera is being recorded at all times.
ZeranZeran The United States can't monitor foreign enemy territories, they try and Russia will DDOS half of Servers in United States Government facilities
Comrade_ Savage15 You're a cute kid. If I were you, I would start destroying any hard drives, sd cards, phones, RAM, anything that holds memory. You have a few weeks max.
I like how this manages to both educate about the actual historical event while also still being written from the perspective of someone who doesn't get why it was wrong.
@@gallectee6032I will point out that it was only like two people, North and Regan, that disobeyed Congress, consisting of over 500 people. It is always nations that put too much power into too few people.
@@hyenaloaf1858 They have a lect with 29 mill views. It explained everything that then happened many years later. Should be first or second option. (First comment was supposed to be second)
@@Pandora234able propaganda is outrageous Apollo died and it was a dramatic boxing film about both sides going vs each other for brownie points wolf warrior or something crazy about a nation only would be propaganda meanwhile rocky 4 was about avenging a dead friend and being forced into the sole role of reping a whole country.
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not... but in case you're serious, you actually can! Obviously American Dad is supposed to be funny and entertaining, so sometimes it glamuorizes events in ways which are.. well, very controversial. But Seth MacFarlane is brilliant at covering actual historical events within the episodes of American Dad or Family Guy. Either that or covering current events in such a manner that it highlights real problems within the world today. Try "The Best Christmas Story Never Told"... it covers John Hinkley's shooting of Ronald Reagan and James Brady, and changes within the country which stemmed from that. One of my favourite episodes ever! There's also the song "You've Got a Lot to See" from Family Guy episode "Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows"... it actually covers about 3 decades worth of highlights within the social and economical hierarchy and the changes throughout the years because of those significant events... sung by Brian to a woman who has been a shut in for about 30 years, and hasn't experienced these things because of being a shut in! :)
Couldn't agree more! He and his shows get shit on a lot by people, I suppose a lot of it is just the inevitable "Okay, this thing was popular and beloved for a while, now we've got to turn on it and label it 'passe' and move on to whatever the new thing is" cycle that the majority goes through, for whatever reason. But I love the way he (and the writers...American Dad in particular has very little to do with Macfarlane himself at this point, other than that he does the voices)manage to slip in so many references, whether flippant pop cultural ones or actual relevant social ones, all while being funny, and in 23-minute episodes. Still 2 of my favorite shows of all time (cartoon or live-action), and some of the only ones I'll consistently DVR to watch before I go to bed, and etc. Can't wait for the new season of AD to start, crossing my fingers it won't get canceled (again...)
111 111 Do you have any specific examples (in your opinion)?? I agree that a lot of the heavy lifting and ingenious stuff is done by a whole team that doesn't get enough credit, but I wouldn't go as far as to say he SHOULD be cut out. But maybe I just don't know
It's amazing how good of a parody of Schoolhouse Rock this is, from the art style to breaking from singing to just a lecture about things that are too hard to write lyrics for.
Recently I went on a wikipedia rabbit hole of the Iran-Contra affair and boy does this song not even scratch the surface. The Nicaraguan Civil war was crazy. It became a proxy war for the Americans and Soviets, but for some reason Canada backed the Soviets rebels and Communist Poland and Romania backed the American rebels. Then somehow Israel and the PLO got involved and it became a proxy war between them where Iran and Saudi Arabia were both backing the Israeli backed rebels. The entire things was a massive mess.
An under 2 minute funny cartoon song doesn't give a deep look into the Iran-Contra scandal as well as their governments and war crimes. On a more surprising note, it rained today in London, England.
Never underestimate the sheer shamefulness and two-faced boldness of people of power and privilege. They WILL lie to your face because they know they can get away with this
I actually agree... I dont mean this ironically but i actually learned more about this whole incident in this clip than i ever did anywhere else... It was both Catchy and factual..And a bit humorous too "You see North secretly sold missiles to a harmless country called "Iran" that would always be a grateful ally"
I was reading One Nation Under Blackmail by Whitney Webb when it got to a section going into detail about this and I remembered this American Dad clip. It succinctly nails what went down.
@@kurtpunchesthings2411 the guy who took a hit for Reagan thus setting him up for life among the republicans since a lot of Republicans worship Reagan.
My high school government teacher showed us this when we were learning Reagan. He was the coolest teacher, and had an even better laugh. 10 years later, hes still my favorite! Thank you Mr. Conolly ❤
If that's true, then you're fairly ignorant! For one thing, this song isn't entirely accurate... it's a whimsical representation loosely based on historical facts. Although it does have its purpose in giving one a GENERAL overview of the concept of the cold war and what happened between Nicaragua and the US, plus the ensuing scandals - and it's certainly intriguing - one would definitely benefit from doing their own research using actual reliable sources of material! Another important thing to remember is that the character of Stan is a right wing extremist, as was President Reagan. So he always glamorizes everything that Reagan and other right-wing extremists do or say, but it's a bias perspective! Of course, the same would be true if the character were a hard-core liberal, and constantly praised Obama whilst trashing Reagan, Bush and the rest, as that's how bias works! Actually, as Hailey is a hard-core liberal, any episode which features her voicing of her opinion always includes the portrayal of any action or speech of a right-wing politician in a negative light. The gun control episode in season 2, for example... she refers to Stan and the CIA as "right-wing lunatics!' Not really a very nice or neutral thing to say! So at least we know that the bias in the show itself goes both ways, lol. But the cartoon mainly centres around Stan's bias, so we are shown bias in favour of the actions and speeches of the right-wing extremists. So I'd honestly suggest it would benefit you to not claim that 'most' people only know anything about Oliver North through a whimsical portrayal in a 90 second song with a major bias and featured in a cartoon! 'Most' people probably wouldn't appreciate being portrayed in such a ridiculous manner! At least use this as a jumping off point to do some proper research, if your history classes don't cover this, or you haven't gotten to that class yet. I'm sure that's what 'most' people do, lol. I myself have been intrigued by political or historical events portrayed in this cartoon and gone and done more research. I don't live in America, so not all of the the political events are taught in non-American schools (although the significant historical ones are). Major props must be given to Seth and all the writers and other creative consultants for their genius in being able to take off where real life ends, and actually discuss very controversial subjects in a way which doesn't really come across as insulting, even though they're kind of making fun of serious things at times. Family Guy does it too, but I think I enjoy American Dad just a bit more because of the character being a very politically minded character, so hence the show actually teaches you a few things that you can go away and research if you're interested! Peter Griffin doesn't really know anything about anything, honestly! He's literally nothing but a comic relief character! :p
history = his story, the political machine is geared to give you a micro revolution every 4-8 years that accomplish's nothing... you know, not enough to water to tree of liberty but just enough keep it alive so you think your still free.....
Dude, im from Nicaragua and i just can't believe that our educational system is so bad that i had to lean this big chunk of history from a American dad song
Most of us in the United States didn't learn about Iran-Contra in school, either. I guess the schools considered Iran-Contra to be too recent to cover in history class. Maybe by 2040 it'll be long ago enough for schools to care.
Yes!! Haha (super unpopular opinion I know-- but I kind of sorta LOATHE Family Guy and most of McFarlane's "our only source of providing humour is RANDOMNESS AND FARTS!" shows and movies) yet this was AMAZING and I absolutely loved it. Fuck Ollie!!!! Fuck all those insane extreme right wing narcissist, sociopath NUTS.
@@Doctorkilledbydeath OMG he wrote and directed some those classic toons??! My mind has fully combusted. That is amazing wooooowwww. The man was ALWAYS there, throughout my entire childhood and I didn't even know it!! Ok I'm liking Seth more and more now.
So...in your logic...¿ Star wars plagiarized every dramatic novel with scenes like "He was his brother" or "The murderer of my friends was my own father"
You're right, I don't doubt it, but putting references is not bad, even if they are a bit meticulous (I don't blame the person who teaches and doesn't see American Dad), it's like looking at an old chapter of the Simpsons, even if you're a person With a lot of culture, it is impossible to understand absolutely all the references, since they can go from referring to a film of the 50s, to another one of a book or a painting.
I need a hot secretary with a shredder. I'll take a regular secretary with a shredder. I just need someone to operate the shredder while I am being indicted for high treason and/or war crimes.
Ryan Taylor also don't forget they were fighting a regime that murdered 20 million men, women, and children in the Siberian Gulags and 60 million men, women, and children in China during Mao's "great leap forward"
Jackluck2 No but Communism did and had Communism been allowed to take over Nicaragua it would have ended up like Cuba. Instead it's been a Democracy thanks to Reagan
The "increasingly rapid time" thing is universal, but I feel like starting around 2000, it's become even more heightened in the cultural sense, in the sense that the decades are no longer cleanly broken up into periods anymore. By as early as '94, you can see movies etc where they refer to "The Eighties", and what that whole decade was about style-wise, music wise, how different it is ideologically from "The Nineties". But even now, 6 years into the next decade...what the hell was 2000-2010 about?? What do we even call it?? What are the laughable, now-outdated styles?? It's all a fucking hodgepodge
What he did was wrong but did your teacher teach you about all of the socialist dictators throughout the world including Saddam Hussein and the Baath party?
Much like with Bethesda I feel like Seth missed a good opportunity by not making college level educational cartoons. School house rock for college students.
Oliver North was a guest speaker at my super-conservative college and we had to listen to him talk for an hour about how it’s America’s job to police the world.
@@mattsodano6264 No offense as a non-american but if your elected officials can pull stuff like this, the war on drugs, or the patriot act and get away with it then maybe you should try and sort out your own democracy before messing with anybody else's turf. Like the problem with Iran-Contra wasn't only the fact that they were funding terrorists, it was the fact that it was actively treasonous to the very country that elected them but they ended up getting off scot-free for something that an average citizen would probably have been executed for. "Rules for thee but not for me."
The USSR had minimal involvement in Nicaragua, but they always use such propaganda to fervor blind patriotism (the exact same thing is done to China now). So that they can do anything with the publics' support. In reality it was the Nicaraguans themselves who rose up to slightly change their economic system to improve their living standards, like the US and other western powers themselves have done during the FDR/New Dealers era and their equivalents. But the so called democratic free world cannot permit such things to others, particularly their colonies, so they labeled the Sandanistas communist Marxist terrorists and funded the fascist forces in Nicaragua (the Contras) to militarily defeat these reforms and to terrorize the public, destroy infrastructure, and all the rest. Edgar Chamorro was a leader of the Contras and became a dissident because the Contras had no vision for the country, when he asked his soldiers why they fought for the Contras, they'd always reply that it was because they were getting paid. The Sandanistas were the complete opposite (even though they won, going against these powers you can never win long term. They always destroy these countries in the end). A lot of people are unaware of the fascist dictatorships that were couped and instated by western powers all over the world, from Latin America to the Middle East. And still so to this day. Ukraine being one of the most recent examples (Maidan Revolution in 2014). It was an internationally engineered coup leading to a war by and for western elite interests (e.g. taking Russia's energy market share in Europe, providing a stimulus to US weapons manufacturers, throwing Ukrainian bodies at reducing Russia's influence, and etc). The Central Intelligence Agency is probably the most evil terrorist organization that there is and ever will be.
@@Tacotime478 Because they're saying this is an example of why it's one of the best Seth's shows, even though in this part they're propagandaizing the public...? I'm not saying it's intentional, as that was the narrative painted by the state and media. But that's still what it is. Imagine painting forces that terrorized a public as the good guys. The United States funded those terrorists and forced the Nicaraguan public to fight for better living standards. Which even though they won, were then sanctioned out of the global economy to make sure they wouldn't achieve them anyway (and they didn't - the benefits were short lasting). This is pure evil. If Seth criticized such acts rather than paint Congress as the problem (who blocked funding these terrorists), I would have nothing to say.
I believe the implication was that the details of the Ollie North story (that should've been a bigger controversy), which are more or less laid out fact-by-fact in the song itself, were remembered by his brother because of it, so he could use that historical info on the exam. However, bonus points should be granted if he included Roger and Klaus in the description lol
Not only is this song absolutely amazing but the funniest part is people asking if Oliver North was a real person. Yup and this song is pretty much exactly what happened.
I love that little pause after Stan shout "Genius!" as if telling us to let that sink in your mind on how bat shit idiotic and desperate the US were to beat the USSR during the cold war.
Oh yeah it gets even better (worse) basically the US used everything they had in their toolbox to try and halt the Soviets at every turn such as: The US hired former Nazhi scientists such as Klaus Barbie to help with their aeronautical and rocketry engineering
@@rejvaik00 yeah America was really desperate lol but to be fair wasn’t the Soviet Union also desperate I don’t really know much about their perspective on the Cold War or what they’ve done, regardless the 1980 miracle on ice is what took it home 😂
@@oogalaboogala8408 oh yes the USSR was definitely just as desperate, they likewise tried everything within their power to ensure a communist victory Like when they rolled over protestors with tanks in Prague
@@rejvaik00 wow I never knew about that, sounds just like Tiananman square. Crazy that we’re never taught a whole lot about the Cold War in school especially since it was not long ago and people can still feel the affects of it today
@@rejvaik00 One correction, the stuff about Nazi scientists being recruited by the Allies is true. Even the Soviets did it. However, Klaus Barbie was not a scientist, you may be confusing him with Werner Von Braun. Barbie was involved in the political repression that permeated South America for much of the 60s and 80s.
The way Reagan runs away never fails to make me laugh... God i wish American dad could do more like this Truth be told i had no idea who Oliver North was before i saw this episode of American dad
@@peter.p. They also trafficked cocaine into the US which was insane given the MASSIVE push for mandatory minimums on drug related crimes like say trafficking cocaine into the country....
i remember my parents when i was young telling me id never watch cartoons when i get older because theyre for little kids and you wont learn anything. im 30
Seth Macfarlane should make a series where he stars as an animated version of himself and explains history but a bit more detailed than this but in song fashion. His animated character's outfit could change with the period too!
I loved everything about this from the first time I saw it but the running kids turning into fireworks at the line "...and landmines!" has always particularly stuck with me as an absolutely top class bit of animation and satire.
@@viraloracle5151 the w bush administration did nothing but help iran. They got rid of saddam hussein and the talibans. They both hated iran and now these countries are pro iran
Not being from the US I had no idea who Oliver North was and thought it was a fictional character initially when I saw the title and thumbnail, but that was a genuinely good history lesson
Literally. People forget, the tensions in the 80s and 90s was mostly a civil war in Russia with itself. They were fine with us. Hell Ole KC! Loved us so much he put a Pizza Hut in Moscow!
Yep. Remember when you played a Communist War Hero in WAW, planting the red banner on the reichstag? Now its just "commies bad". Meanwhile, games that kill nazis are getting less and less. We need more nazi killing.
@@kurtberliner7049 Honestly, I prefer playing games as both sides of the story. Knowing war, the Wermacht soldiers, some of them did it for the love of their country or defence of their families. Even the Japanese did the same. Such as Okinawa for instance, civillian suicide bombers because of Japanese Propaganda protraying the Americans as devils. Which fueled by undiciplined Marines did war crimes. But war is war. Both sides had this. But then again... KILL THEM NAZIS! WHOOOOOOOOOOOO
@Brady Fries Come on comrade you don't mean that. I mean no one so fragile about their own skin color, would openly oust themselves as someone that would rather kill communists than nazis. That'd be embarrassing.
Just look at all key word ALL of 2019 alone In May they attack an oil tanker in the gulf June they shoot down a US drone July they seize a British oil tanker September they attack Saudi state run oil co. December they attack US military bases in Iraq, and storm US embassy in Iraq.
Did anyone else notice George Sr. in the background of all this , don't forget , he once headed the CIA and mot likely engineered the majority of this with good ol Ollie and Reagan left holding the bag.Great play on the old School House Rocks cartoons from when I was a kid. Peace Y
Reagan most likely had no idea this happened, he signed off on the Boland agreement and likely knew how fucked the contra were. My guess is that north was to blame.
So they pretty much admit Fawn Hall, the old ass secretary who's still alive by the way who destroyed the evidence against Oliver North, is guilty of destruction of evidence. However, Oliver North is also guilty of high treason because of the MacFarlane affair caused by selling weapons to Iranians.
I love how this song is in a completely different art style than usual in order to Drive the Parody/Love Letter to School House Rock home. And it’s among one of my favorite scenes in this series!
I'm from Scotland and don't know much about this incident but I got a Trivia question correct at a Pub Quiz and was able to explain it whilst sounding intelligent purely because of this scene 🤣
"technically high treason" that's the worst kind of technically
Well, at least it wasn't...light...treason.
Yeah but technically doesn't count, which is why he got off like a rich white dude in a Saigon cat house
But the best kind of treason. Not high technically
But it was totally justified.
Wonder what low treason would be.
“Iran who will always be a grateful ally”
Kekw
@@a.c.6192 r/ihavereddit
@@a.c.6192 yes
Now they might be
Horacio Ortiz I was just thinking that lmao
"Iran who will always be an greatful ally" lmao
Corey O'Bryan not anymore....😒
Corey O'Bryan Iran did a great move against the US, Fuck the US Government
Comrade_ Savage15 You are now being monitored by the United States Government. Every website you visit, every text, phone call, voicemail, every sound within a 30 foot radius of your phone's microphone, and everything within the lens of your phone's camera is being recorded at all times.
ZeranZeran The United States can't monitor foreign enemy territories, they try and Russia will DDOS half of Servers in United States Government facilities
Comrade_ Savage15 You're a cute kid. If I were you, I would start destroying any hard drives, sd cards, phones, RAM, anything that holds memory. You have a few weeks max.
I like how this manages to both educate about the actual historical event while also still being written from the perspective of someone who doesn't get why it was wrong.
@@gallectee6032I will point out that it was only like two people, North and Regan, that disobeyed Congress, consisting of over 500 people.
It is always nations that put too much power into too few people.
its not as much abt getting
@@gallectee6032how much is Putin paying you?
@@hyenaloaf1858 University of Chicago
@@hyenaloaf1858 They have a lect with 29 mill views. It explained everything that then happened many years later. Should be first or second option. (First comment was supposed to be second)
"Him and Reagan went around the sissy congress"
that got a good chuckle out of me
R. Reagan was the Devil!
@@aceous99 he wasn't.
@@aceous99 Reagan was a hero
@@aceous99 that was kenyan marxist
@@mfsalatino how?
I fuckin' love how "The Commies" is just Ivan Drago
Well Rocky 4 was American propaganda lol
@@Pandora234able
Was it? Do you recall what Rocky says to the audience when the match ends?
same here it help really set the scene well
@@Pandora234able no it wasn't lmao
@@Pandora234able propaganda is outrageous Apollo died and it was a dramatic boxing film about both sides going vs each other for brownie points wolf warrior or something crazy about a nation only would be propaganda meanwhile rocky 4 was about avenging a dead friend and being forced into the sole role of reping a whole country.
Dang this really was educational.
Look up whitest kids you know kitty history if you wanna keep learning
its crazy how American Dad copied your video
Damn I just finished watching your video
you just realized your just made a video about the Iran-Contra Affair.
I love that you used clips from this in your Iran-Contra video you just released.
I love the little detail of the children running into landmines just turning into patriotic fireworks. Absolutely stunning.
Yeah..turning.. let's put it at that 😂
Seth Macfarlane’s singing voice and Schoolhouse Rock’s animation style are a match made in post-modern heaven
I would love to see him do a parody of schoolhouse rock
@@gamer10137 I know I was meaning a full tv show
0:44 was the Schoolhouse Rockiest of them all’
Nope
I thought the same thing about the School House Rock part, when I first saw this.
I wish I could learn more history from sarcastic Seth MacFarlane songs.
Wow, I just learned while being entertained!
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not... but in case you're serious, you actually can!
Obviously American Dad is supposed to be funny and entertaining, so sometimes it glamuorizes events in ways which are.. well, very controversial.
But Seth MacFarlane is brilliant at covering actual historical events within the episodes of American Dad or Family Guy. Either that or covering current events in such a manner that it highlights real problems within the world today.
Try "The Best Christmas Story Never Told"... it covers John Hinkley's shooting of Ronald Reagan and James Brady, and changes within the country which stemmed from that. One of my favourite episodes ever!
There's also the song "You've Got a Lot to See" from Family Guy episode "Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows"... it actually covers about 3 decades worth of highlights within the social and economical hierarchy and the changes throughout the years because of those significant events... sung by Brian to a woman who has been a shut in for about 30 years, and hasn't experienced these things because of being a shut in! :)
Couldn't agree more! He and his shows get shit on a lot by people, I suppose a lot of it is just the inevitable "Okay, this thing was popular and beloved for a while, now we've got to turn on it and label it 'passe' and move on to whatever the new thing is" cycle that the majority goes through, for whatever reason. But I love the way he (and the writers...American Dad in particular has very little to do with Macfarlane himself at this point, other than that he does the voices)manage to slip in so many references, whether flippant pop cultural ones or actual relevant social ones, all while being funny, and in 23-minute episodes. Still 2 of my favorite shows of all time (cartoon or live-action), and some of the only ones I'll consistently DVR to watch before I go to bed, and etc. Can't wait for the new season of AD to start, crossing my fingers it won't get canceled (again...)
Funny you say that, because his shows usually are at their best when isn't involved in the writing process.
111 111 Do you have any specific examples (in your opinion)?? I agree that a lot of the heavy lifting and ingenious stuff is done by a whole team that doesn't get enough credit, but I wouldn't go as far as to say he SHOULD be cut out. But maybe I just don't know
It's amazing how good of a parody of Schoolhouse Rock this is, from the art style to breaking from singing to just a lecture about things that are too hard to write lyrics for.
Don't forget about the great abundance of cartoon slapstick and metaphors. I remember how Looney Tunesesc The Shot Heard Around the World was.
It looks like it was ripped straight out of the interjections song
Oliver North did nothing wrong.
@@Vampirecroniclerright down to the ending no less
Recently I went on a wikipedia rabbit hole of the Iran-Contra affair and boy does this song not even scratch the surface. The Nicaraguan Civil war was crazy. It became a proxy war for the Americans and Soviets, but for some reason Canada backed the Soviets rebels and Communist Poland and Romania backed the American rebels. Then somehow Israel and the PLO got involved and it became a proxy war between them where Iran and Saudi Arabia were both backing the Israeli backed rebels. The entire things was a massive mess.
Honestly about sums up late 1900’s politics as a whole.
America backed the Sandanistas until January 1981.
Most logical Cold War proxy war
@@heavysbeltbuckle Romania was always trying to snuggle up to the Americans and Canada is about as communist as you get in the West.
An under 2 minute funny cartoon song doesn't give a deep look into the Iran-Contra scandal as well as their governments and war crimes.
On a more surprising note, it rained today in London, England.
And now Oliver North says that "America should never have allowed Iran to get missiles".
I'm gonna guess he got alzheimer's at his old age.
Like President like Colonel
Alzheimer's. Sure, let's go with that.
@Shawn Dominique ... Yes. That would be the joke.
Never underestimate the sheer shamefulness and two-faced boldness of people of power and privilege. They WILL lie to your face because they know they can get away with this
Or he realizes the problems that stemmed from their actions and regrets it
Aaaand now he's the head of the NRA
yup, that's why i'm here
Nick930 he’s not even allowed to conceal carry anymore is he? That seems kinda ironic
Beat me to it
But he was "acquitted" he is capable to carry.
mo. ack he doesn't want to carry weapons, he wants to sell them to Iran again
This is actually the best and Most succinct summary of the whole situation - it's an unironically good history lesson
I actually agree... I dont mean this ironically but i actually learned more about this whole incident in this clip than i ever did anywhere else... It was both Catchy and factual..And a bit humorous too "You see North secretly sold missiles to a harmless country called "Iran" that would always be a grateful ally"
So all of this is true?
@@leonturner2598 yes Ollie North took the fall for this and ultimately escaped prison time
I was reading One Nation Under Blackmail by Whitney Webb when it got to a section going into detail about this and I remembered this American Dad clip. It succinctly nails what went down.
@@kurtpunchesthings2411 the guy who took a hit for Reagan thus setting him up for life among the republicans since a lot of Republicans worship Reagan.
My high school government teacher showed us this when we were learning Reagan. He was the coolest teacher, and had an even better laugh. 10 years later, hes still my favorite! Thank you Mr. Conolly ❤
Well obviously political but fair enough.
@@johnnotrealname8168no shit, it's a political controversy
@@bigfloppa9594 Sure but a political cartoon? If to show the aftermath then fine but this only shows one side.
@@johnnotrealname8168 it shows the correct side lol
@@bigfloppa9594 Yeah if you listen only to the media.
They showed us this in US History class
Wow, that’s cool
It does an excellent job encapsulating the situation for young learners, which is why it’s not just good entertainment but educational.
Kiwi here, my uni lecturer even used it!
Same
Good
This joke has aged like fine wine.
@that guy over there america never was thats part of the reason why it was so controversial
@@1313tennisman Hey! We were friends with the dictator we installed until Iranians overthrew him
@@1313tennisman we were before the Ayatollah came to power.
This happened wtf are you on about.
more like a fine mayonnaise
I think that the most of us learn about Oli north from this song
Amen to that!!
If that's true, then you're fairly ignorant!
For one thing, this song isn't entirely accurate... it's a whimsical representation loosely based on historical facts.
Although it does have its purpose in giving one a GENERAL overview of the concept of the cold war and what happened between Nicaragua and the US, plus the ensuing scandals - and it's certainly intriguing - one would definitely benefit from doing their own research using actual reliable sources of material!
Another important thing to remember is that the character of Stan is a right wing extremist, as was President Reagan. So he always glamorizes everything that Reagan and other right-wing extremists do or say, but it's a bias perspective!
Of course, the same would be true if the character were a hard-core liberal, and constantly praised Obama whilst trashing Reagan, Bush and the rest, as that's how bias works! Actually, as Hailey is a hard-core liberal, any episode which features her voicing of her opinion always includes the portrayal of any action or speech of a right-wing politician in a negative light. The gun control episode in season 2, for example... she refers to Stan and the CIA as "right-wing lunatics!' Not really a very nice or neutral thing to say!
So at least we know that the bias in the show itself goes both ways, lol.
But the cartoon mainly centres around Stan's bias, so we are shown bias in favour of the actions and speeches of the right-wing extremists.
So I'd honestly suggest it would benefit you to not claim that 'most' people only know anything about Oliver North through a whimsical portrayal in a 90 second song with a major bias and featured in a cartoon! 'Most' people probably wouldn't appreciate being portrayed in such a ridiculous manner!
At least use this as a jumping off point to do some proper research, if your history classes don't cover this, or you haven't gotten to that class yet. I'm sure that's what 'most' people do, lol.
I myself have been intrigued by political or historical events portrayed in this cartoon and gone and done more research. I don't live in America, so not all of the the political events are taught in non-American schools (although the significant historical ones are).
Major props must be given to Seth and all the writers and other creative consultants for their genius in being able to take off where real life ends, and actually discuss very controversial subjects in a way which doesn't really come across as insulting, even though they're kind of making fun of serious things at times. Family Guy does it too, but I think I enjoy American Dad just a bit more because of the character being a very politically minded character, so hence the show actually teaches you a few things that you can go away and research if you're interested!
Peter Griffin doesn't really know anything about anything, honestly!
He's literally nothing but a comic relief character! :p
history = his story, the political machine is geared to give you a micro revolution every 4-8 years that accomplish's nothing... you know, not enough to water to tree of liberty but just enough keep it alive so you think your still free.....
dmf1301 Shut your Liberal ass up Reagan is one of the best presidents ever sure better than Obama.
Not a liberal supporter. Never have been.
Although they did finally push the SSM referendum through Parliament, so they get one point for that! :p
Dude, im from Nicaragua and i just can't believe that our educational system is so bad that i had to lean this big chunk of history from a American dad song
Most of us in the United States didn't learn about Iran-Contra in school, either. I guess the schools considered Iran-Contra to be too recent to cover in history class. Maybe by 2040 it'll be long ago enough for schools to care.
Oh, Gwen Stefani, Gwen Stefani!
....no doubt, no doubt.
The commies are back in power and runs dictatorship there Ben
@@ecstasycalculus its covered in apush now
We need more historical American Dad song parodies with throwback looking cartoons
it's a schoolhouse rock parody, both in art direction but also song and storytelling design
agreed!!!!
Yes
It’d be funny to see it’s take on the Vietnam War, and the other Cold War/Post-Cold War conflicts.
It’s biased and misleading
Okay, I'm not usually a big Seth MacFarlane fan, but this is legitimately one of the most awesome things I have ever seen on a comedy series.
Yes!! Haha (super unpopular opinion I know-- but I kind of sorta LOATHE Family Guy and most of McFarlane's "our only source of providing humour is RANDOMNESS AND FARTS!" shows and movies) yet this was AMAZING and I absolutely loved it. Fuck Ollie!!!! Fuck all those insane extreme right wing narcissist, sociopath NUTS.
@@DarleyHavidsun You should try Dexter's lab, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken (where he wrote and directed some episodes) and Cosmos
@@Doctorkilledbydeath OMG he wrote and directed some those classic toons??! My mind has fully combusted. That is amazing wooooowwww. The man was ALWAYS there, throughout my entire childhood and I didn't even know it!! Ok I'm liking Seth more and more now.
Lusty Argonian Maid lol commie
@@DarleyHavidsun You sound like a Schizo, calm down.
Should be Oliver North's official theme song.
PinMike8666 yes
His now the leader of the N.R.A
@@LazyPirate8 not anymore
Reagan's "Well" at 1:00 is so perfect.
Yes sir
You know something? He DID say "well" a lot!
I know! It sounds just like him!
Ollie North, Ollie North
He's a soldier
And a hero
And a novelist
And now he's the president of NRA
By the way, he also ran for the United States Senate from Virginia in 1994. And he almost won.
Soldier? As in the Army? He was a marine...
Richard a marine is a soldier to
@@mattyboy3576 soldiers are members of the army, marines are members of the marine corps
North wasn't a soldier, he was a marine. You don't call marines "soldiers".
Who doesn't love Stan as an 80's cartoon
Me
You don't even love cartoon Drago.
+bananaduck27 He looks like Roger Ramjet :P
I love Stan all the time.
Hate to be that guy but School House Rock came out in like the 60’s
Interestingly enough, this whole thing, typically called the Iran-Contra Affair, is also known as the McFarlane Affair in Iran.
Well that's due to the officer Robert McFarlane
@@noobguy57 Yeah, I know. Just thought it was an interesting coincidence.
@@JamVar Got to love it when reality throws in it's own easter eggs like that
0:23 Maann, where the kids blow up as landmines in the tune of American freedom, that was subtle dark humor at its best
Yea
All jokes aside, the song is actually really good
Agreed. If I need a quick giggle I watch this
And (relatively) historically accurate.
It’s a good spoof of schoolhouse rock
I genuinely started a college essay about the Contras with “In the 80’s there was Cold War drama” and did well... thanks American Dad!
So...in your logic...¿ Star wars plagiarized every dramatic novel with scenes like "He was his brother" or "The murderer of my friends was my own father"
You're right, I don't doubt it, but putting references is not bad, even if they are a bit meticulous (I don't blame the person who teaches and doesn't see American Dad), it's like looking at an old chapter of the Simpsons, even if you're a person With a lot of culture, it is impossible to understand absolutely all the references, since they can go from referring to a film of the 50s, to another one of a book or a painting.
Kyle Starr taking inspiration from a generic sentence without any real relevant content isn’t plagiarism.
Did you properly quote and cite that?
He's back. Now he's president of NRA. Thanks to his hot secretary and her shredder 😂
David Cohen I gotta admit, the irony is freaking hilarious.
lol i kinda like him tbh
I'll pick him over Wayne LaPierre but still Oliver North is a tool. Literally and metaphorically a tool.
I need a hot secretary with a shredder. I'll take a regular secretary with a shredder. I just need someone to operate the shredder while I am being indicted for high treason and/or war crimes.
Was her name Fawn Hill??
I love the “and land mines” as children run by and explode into fireworks.
Huh. Actually learned something today.
Ryan Taylor also don't forget they were fighting a regime that murdered 20 million men, women, and children in the Siberian Gulags and 60 million men, women, and children in China during Mao's "great leap forward"
@@gandhithegreat328 I'm pretty sure the Sandinistras didn't kill 20 million people in Siberia or china.
Jackluck2 No but Communism did and had Communism been allowed to take over Nicaragua it would have ended up like Cuba. Instead it's been a Democracy thanks to Reagan
Sammuel Parris and Oliver north
@@gandhithegreat328 pretty sure Cuba has better HDI than Nicaragua so...
“Technically high treason” is the best kind of treason
"Y'see North secretly sold missiles to a harmless country called Iran, who would always be a grateful ally"
Fucking dead
Fucking genius!
... until now I always thought he said **heartless** country
I wish there were more clips like this on government corruption issues, it makes it really memorable and easy to understand and show other people
There was, it was called Schoolhouse Rock, which I think was what the song was also parodying.
@@UnchainedEruption School house rock teaches math and proper sentence structure not corruption
If you want another video like this someone made a school house rock parody of the JFK assassination
... and punish those corrupt government people?
(Well no because that's too hard)
The glory days of American Dad.
I don't think it was a coincidence that this video was recommended right after all the mess with Iran..
This was shown in 2008. *2008.* That's 8 years ago.
I know magic right.
Still good.
☢ KAZUHIRA EVAN ☮
Add ten to that, imagine how I feel.
Wow, I was 24 back then... Jeez
The "increasingly rapid time" thing is universal, but I feel like starting around 2000, it's become even more heightened in the cultural sense, in the sense that the decades are no longer cleanly broken up into periods anymore. By as early as '94, you can see movies etc where they refer to "The Eighties", and what that whole decade was about style-wise, music wise, how different it is ideologically from "The Nineties". But even now, 6 years into the next decade...what the hell was 2000-2010 about?? What do we even call it?? What are the laughable, now-outdated styles?? It's all a fucking hodgepodge
Can we just appreciate how they animated it like school house rock...
that...that's the whole point. the entire thing is designed to parody a schoolhouse rock episode
Should update the last line “And now he’s on Fox News, decrying Iran for using Surface-to-Surface Missiles”
I wonder where they found that...
TheFiresloth ruclips.net/video/QZIR-eZdvGk/видео.html
Oshabot 16 Guess who doesn’t really give a shit what you think? That’s right, it’s me.
wow my history teacher played this video in class
+SgtBaker16 Or he isn't a revisionist.
What he did was wrong but did your teacher teach you about all of the socialist dictators throughout the world including Saddam Hussein and the Baath party?
@@drumyogi9281 Saddam Hussein? Is this the former ally of the United States and who banned the Communist Party in his country?
@@impervas5801 That was pretty funny
@@adrianccone NPC with no valid Argument
I have never heard about this guy before, well i guess American dad can actually teach history
Much like with Bethesda I feel like Seth missed a good opportunity by not making college level educational cartoons.
School house rock for college students.
He literally was all over the news, r u Amish
@@BaseballPlayer0 Doesn't it occur to you that they could be either not American or too young to remember
@@willch.2259 no excuse
@@BaseballPlayer0 actually that is a good excuse, sorry this person doesn't know everyone you know
Oliver North was a guest speaker at my super-conservative college and we had to listen to him talk for an hour about how it’s America’s job to police the world.
because what we will do without the americans, have free elections? xdxd
Makes a nice change from all super left-wing leaning colleges
It's not our job, it's our duty. The problem is we do a terrible job of it. This song being an example.
@@SuperKiao Well, in the sense of hearing idiocy of a right wing flavor instead of left, but okay...
@@mattsodano6264 No offense as a non-american but if your elected officials can pull stuff like this, the war on drugs, or the patriot act and get away with it then maybe you should try and sort out your own democracy before messing with anybody else's turf. Like the problem with Iran-Contra wasn't only the fact that they were funding terrorists, it was the fact that it was actively treasonous to the very country that elected them but they ended up getting off scot-free for something that an average citizen would probably have been executed for. "Rules for thee but not for me."
this song is literally half the reason I passed US history
nope, other 49% was random history songs on the internet, and 1% was his entire education in history from all his teachers.
sounds like easy tests.
The other half is form "little Hitler" form robot chicken
I highly doubt Iran Contra is more than a footnote in any US history course.......
How much time did you spend studying Ollie North?
And this is an example why _American Dad_ is not only the best of Seth's shows but is a straight up great cartoon.
The USSR had minimal involvement in Nicaragua, but they always use such propaganda to fervor blind patriotism (the exact same thing is done to China now). So that they can do anything with the publics' support.
In reality it was the Nicaraguans themselves who rose up to slightly change their economic system to improve their living standards, like the US and other western powers themselves have done during the FDR/New Dealers era and their equivalents. But the so called democratic free world cannot permit such things to others, particularly their colonies, so they labeled the Sandanistas communist Marxist terrorists and funded the fascist forces in Nicaragua (the Contras) to militarily defeat these reforms and to terrorize the public, destroy infrastructure, and all the rest. Edgar Chamorro was a leader of the Contras and became a dissident because the Contras had no vision for the country, when he asked his soldiers why they fought for the Contras, they'd always reply that it was because they were getting paid. The Sandanistas were the complete opposite (even though they won, going against these powers you can never win long term. They always destroy these countries in the end).
A lot of people are unaware of the fascist dictatorships that were couped and instated by western powers all over the world, from Latin America to the Middle East. And still so to this day. Ukraine being one of the most recent examples (Maidan Revolution in 2014). It was an internationally engineered coup leading to a war by and for western elite interests (e.g. taking Russia's energy market share in Europe, providing a stimulus to US weapons manufacturers, throwing Ukrainian bodies at reducing Russia's influence, and etc). The Central Intelligence Agency is probably the most evil terrorist organization that there is and ever will be.
@@gallectee6032what does this have to do with American Dad being Seth McFarlands best show?
@@Tacotime478 Because they're saying this is an example of why it's one of the best Seth's shows, even though in this part they're propagandaizing the public...? I'm not saying it's intentional, as that was the narrative painted by the state and media. But that's still what it is.
Imagine painting forces that terrorized a public as the good guys. The United States funded those terrorists and forced the Nicaraguan public to fight for better living standards. Which even though they won, were then sanctioned out of the global economy to make sure they wouldn't achieve them anyway (and they didn't - the benefits were short lasting). This is pure evil.
If Seth criticized such acts rather than paint Congress as the problem (who blocked funding these terrorists), I would have nothing to say.
@@gallectee6032 American Dad really is an ironic show. He doesn't glamourize the USA with it, and the main character really is satire.
@@gallectee6032 because all says here is 100% wrong. All “socialism reform” is funded by ussr and use terrriosm force to undergo dictatorship reform.
This helped my little brother pass his history final in 11th grade.
lol
I believe the implication was that the details of the Ollie North story (that should've been a bigger controversy), which are more or less laid out fact-by-fact in the song itself, were remembered by his brother because of it, so he could use that historical info on the exam. However, bonus points should be granted if he included Roger and Klaus in the description lol
bill bixby Insightful
Is your brother a little slow?
You mean grade 11
It's been a decade and I keep coming back here, once or twice a year because this randomly pops up back in my memory.
Anyone else feel the same way?
I get the end with roger!, it's from a schoolhouse rock ending
duh! exclamations
okay
William Hartnell You are my favorite doctor.
The schoolhouse rock video about interjections.
Aren't you special!
“But that was technically high treasoooooooooon!” Lives in my head rent free
Same
“HE’S A SOLDIER, AND A HERO, AND A NOVELIST, AND NOW HE’S ON FOX NEEEEEEEWWWWWS!”
That part and the Iran bits are pure gold.🤣
Not only is this song absolutely amazing but the funniest part is people asking if Oliver North was a real person. Yup and this song is pretty much exactly what happened.
This is how I learned about Ollie North. Thank you, American Dad!
I love that little pause after Stan shout "Genius!" as if telling us to let that sink in your mind on how bat shit idiotic and desperate the US were to beat the USSR during the cold war.
Oh yeah it gets even better (worse) basically the US used everything they had in their toolbox to try and halt the Soviets at every turn such as:
The US hired former Nazhi scientists such as Klaus Barbie to help with their aeronautical and rocketry engineering
@@rejvaik00 yeah America was really desperate lol but to be fair wasn’t the Soviet Union also desperate I don’t really know much about their perspective on the Cold War or what they’ve done, regardless the 1980 miracle on ice is what took it home 😂
@@oogalaboogala8408 oh yes the USSR was definitely just as desperate, they likewise tried everything within their power to ensure a communist victory
Like when they rolled over protestors with tanks in Prague
@@rejvaik00 wow I never knew about that, sounds just like Tiananman square. Crazy that we’re never taught a whole lot about the Cold War in school especially since it was not long ago and people can still feel the affects of it today
@@rejvaik00 One correction, the stuff about Nazi scientists being recruited by the Allies is true. Even the Soviets did it. However, Klaus Barbie was not a scientist, you may be confusing him with Werner Von Braun. Barbie was involved in the political repression that permeated South America for much of the 60s and 80s.
The way Reagan runs away never fails to make me laugh... God i wish American dad could do more like this
Truth be told i had no idea who Oliver North was before i saw this episode of American dad
"Technically high treason"
That's the best kind of high treason!
Technically aiding enemy is totally justified if you are POTUS or dear friend of POTUS 😂
@@peter.p. They also trafficked cocaine into the US which was insane given the MASSIVE push for mandatory minimums on drug related crimes like say trafficking cocaine into the country....
i remember my parents when i was young telling me id never watch cartoons when i get older because theyre for little kids and you wont learn anything. im 30
Bentley_Brant this isnt something to learn dude :¥
Marco Rodigues explain why not
Bentley_Brant Left or right?
Legend27 left
your parents are morons, I bet they watched "FRIENDS" and stupid shit like that
all you need to learn about Ollie North in under 2 minutes and with a catchy song.
Seth Macfarlane should make a series where he stars as an animated version of himself and explains history but a bit more detailed than this but in song fashion. His animated character's outfit could change with the period too!
I loved everything about this from the first time I saw it but the running kids turning into fireworks at the line "...and landmines!" has always particularly stuck with me as an absolutely top class bit of animation and satire.
I can’t believe this was uploaded 10 years ago. I feel old
me too
@@Derekivery omg you replied..
@@Derekivery 12 years now
@@Derekivery dog I'm watching in 2024 and will be recommending this video for at least the next 50 years
I showed this in history class and my teacher laughed so hard at it
Harmless country called "Iran" bahahahahahaha
unlike the US iran not invaded anybody in last decades.
Obama's buddies.
@@viraloracle5151 the w bush administration did nothing but help iran. They got rid of saddam hussein and the talibans. They both hated iran and now these countries are pro iran
Imagine being this stupid?
@@viraloracle5151 not Because they dont want to.
Not being from the US I had no idea who Oliver North was and thought it was a fictional character initially when I saw the title and thumbnail, but that was a genuinely good history lesson
Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War In A Nutshell
Literally. People forget, the tensions in the 80s and 90s was mostly a civil war in Russia with itself. They were fine with us. Hell Ole KC! Loved us so much he put a Pizza Hut in Moscow!
Yep. Remember when you played a Communist War Hero in WAW, planting the red banner on the reichstag? Now its just "commies bad". Meanwhile, games that kill nazis are getting less and less. We need more nazi killing.
@@kurtberliner7049 Honestly, I prefer playing games as both sides of the story.
Knowing war, the Wermacht soldiers, some of them did it for the love of their country or defence of their families. Even the Japanese did the same.
Such as Okinawa for instance, civillian suicide bombers because of Japanese Propaganda protraying the Americans as devils. Which fueled by undiciplined Marines did war crimes. But war is war. Both sides had this.
But then again...
KILL THEM NAZIS! WHOOOOOOOOOOOO
@Brady Fries Come on comrade you don't mean that. I mean no one so fragile about their own skin color, would openly oust themselves as someone that would rather kill communists than nazis. That'd be embarrassing.
Fun fact Oliver North was a military consultant for Black Ops II. He also makes a cameo and is voiced by himself.
This song is actually hilarious, perfect combination of Stan’s patriotism and delusion
“A tiny bit of blow”
Having seen the Netflix doc, I can safety say that was the biggest load of Dino-shit ever.
Talking about narcos?
@@powderedphantom5765 No; it’s a recent Netflix doc; Crack.
@@TonyDSaint k
And Reagan is the major reason why the crack epidemic of the '80s was as bad as it was.
Yup. It was more a boat full of dinosaurs load.
Or rather just literally entire literal military planes
I recently saw Ollie North speak at the traveling Vietnam wall exhibit and I couldn’t get this song outta my head.
Even after all these years I can still recite this from memory. Proof enough that kids these days need Schoolhouse Rock.
"a harmless country called IRAN WHICH WOULD ALWAYS BE A GOOD ALLY" best line EVER
Funnily enough, The Iran-Contra Affair is also referred to as the “Mcfarlane Affair”.
You can tell Seth McFarlane really likes making songs. Family guy, Cleveland show, and American dad all have some hilarious musical scenes
I just know that in another life he was a Broadway star.
he actually makes music as well
80's ? Nicaragua ? I thought Big Boss handled that ;)
Neos4500 nah it was solid snake!
Neos4500 war.....has changed....
Hoang Vo War. War never changes.
XD
Mark Maxim the enclave can change that
1:36 "and now he's on Fox Newwwwwwwwwwws!"
Now they gotta update it to "And now he's the president of the NRA!"
God I love Fox
"I would rather entertain and hope others learn something than teach and hope others were entertained." - Walt Disney
you know it's a problem when the greatest explanation of this incident is a satire
"Iran who will always be a great ally"
*Sweats nervously*
We have not been on speaking terms with Iran since 1979
Just look at all key word ALL of 2019 alone
In May they attack an oil tanker in the gulf
June they shoot down a US drone
July they seize a British oil tanker
September they attack Saudi state run oil co.
December they attack US military bases in Iraq, and storm US embassy in Iraq.
Seymour Lewis And then we filled their military leader with shrapnel.
@@Krosstic that boi was vaporized.
The US supported the Shah of Iran, and tried to overturn a democratically elected president with a coup in 1953.
this song is so true
Luis X epic
Did anyone else notice George Sr. in the background of all this , don't forget , he once headed the CIA and mot likely engineered the majority of this with good ol Ollie and Reagan left holding the bag.Great play on the old School House Rocks cartoons from when I was a kid.
Peace Y
Plus, George Sr. was Vice President at the time.
Isaac Mounce calm down we all have a right to have an opinion, him and I choose something different than you, is that so bad
Adam Sarris I believe he is
Some reason he looked like Rumsfeld to me.
Reagan most likely had no idea this happened, he signed off on the Boland agreement and likely knew how fucked the contra were. My guess is that north was to blame.
I've actually shown this to people who worked in the Reagan administration, and even they think it is the best summary of the entire ordeal.
So they pretty much admit Fawn Hall, the old ass secretary who's still alive by the way who destroyed the evidence against Oliver North, is guilty of destruction of evidence. However, Oliver North is also guilty of high treason because of the MacFarlane affair caused by selling weapons to Iranians.
beside the fact that iran killed us soldiers before this
1:46 steve expressed my thoughts
I actually learned a lot from this lol. I memorized it and it helped me on a social studies assignment lol
Every single American history teacher should show this to their students.
“Always be a grateful ally”
Genius!
I love how this song is in a completely different art style than usual in order to Drive the Parody/Love Letter to School House Rock home. And it’s among one of my favorite scenes in this series!
NYAAAY!
xXSilentAgent47Xx found ya again
Yeeee...
What was THAT?
No joke this helped me ace my history final, thank you Oliver North you’re a true American Hero!!!
I think you missed the point about the treason
@@gorginhansona little treason never hurt anyone
What American hero hasn’t committed treason? High Treason especially!
@@gorginhansonOliver North was a hero!
I love the Drago Rocky IV nod.
And now he’s on Fox Neeeeeeeeews!!!
I'm from Scotland and don't know much about this incident but I got a Trivia question correct at a Pub Quiz and was able to explain it whilst sounding intelligent purely because of this scene 🤣
Seth McFarlane misses very often but when he hits it's fucking gold.
i wish all history was told this way
Yeah it's called schoolhouse rock
I love that he’s actually a real person instead of someone just made up. Props Seth
I really like this song. It’s one of the best American Dad! moments of all time.
I finally found it! This song has been stuck in my head for the past three days!
That last line Roger, dressed as a cheerleader, says after the song is finished; "Crap, that's the end."
Seth Mcfarlen is a musical genius
Keep in mind that this was AFTER the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Hostage Crisis.
No one is talking about the children turning into fireworks when he mentions landmines 💀
Meat firework 😢
Lmao who's here after Ollie North sued the NRA