>>54413632I mean, Pokemon has always felt inherently conservative and pro-small government, even if it's definitely not intentional. I'm not talking modern day, Reagan-style conservatives either, I'm talking full on hardcore 1800s style America where politicians would end up beating the shit out of each other or having honor duels to the death, and a large chunk of the population are in frontier towns/the wilderness.
Think about it, it's the norm for young children (anywhere from small children who have to be just out of kindergarten to at most 14 year olds) to be given a living weapon, and then sent off to build up an arsenal of living weapons for the sole purpose of honor duels that fund their daily lives. Pokemon trainers are basically adults the moment they get their starter regardless of age. There's no government oversight or anything, if you had the balls to catch something and you pull it off then congratulations, you now own the legendary continent buster dragon monster god, so cool.
Seriously if all the adults were slightly drunk 24/7 (morning alcohol was a common thing in America at the time) it'd basically be a modern day interpretation of Early American values. Then you have Super PETA trying to guilt you into giving up your guns-er living weapons for the good of all, but are secretly just trying to have full control of the living weapons and from there they can steamroll the whole region and rule it with no real resistance. Team Plasma sounds like something the NRA thought up for a cartoon piece they made to appeal to children.
I swear these Japs are crazy man, they made the most pro-rural American thing they could have without realizing it, and just got away with it. That's hilarious.
Bonus points for unbalding the bald eagle, Benjamin Franklin is rolling in his grave.
