Just about everybody on mocha had some special work to do. Ian was the best fisherman on the

island, so he more or less kept everybody supplied with fresh fish. Then there was Benny

Sixtoes, who by a gifted nature could climb trees better than anybody else, so he became

the coconut seller. Big daddy's daughter, Raquel, presided over the village melon patch.

Fresh ripe melons here. This is from a 1976 educational cartoon about a fictional

place called the Kingdom of Mocha. It was made by Amico Oil, which is now BP, and it's

full of all kinds of racist and sexist garbage. The man in that clip who's delegated to

fishing is a caricature of a black man, and the woman presiding over the melon patch.

Well let's just say they're clearly not just talking about canelopes.

Morning, Mr. Gale. Hi, Benny. How are the coconuts? Oh fine, just fine, ma'am.

See, how'd you like to trade a couple of those? Yeah. So the movie is based on film strips.

The Amico Oil started making about the Kingdom of Mocha in the early 1970s, and the film strips

are just as bad, not only because of the obvious stereotypes and bigotry, but also because

they're full of insidious messages about how our economy should work. Yeah, yeah, that's

right. The Kingdom of Mocha presents itself as a story of how the economy just sort of

evolved. So at the beginning of the story, the mochaens have a barter system, but then

they realize that's inefficient, which okay, whatever. Then they start using clam shells

as currency, and one character starts selling wood. And then, as if because there's some

innate force in all of us pushing us to become capitalist, he creates a corporation.

Well, I incorporated myself. Did it hurt? No. What I mean is I formed a company like they

have over on the Beaver Island. Oh, yes. In the Kingdom of Mocha, wood is what's used

to power cars. And this guy who has the logging company, he's supposed to be the voice of

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