The Pointless Man

In “The Point,” a 1971 animated story by Harry Nilsson and Carol Beers, the protagonist, a little boy named Oblio, is banished from his home to the Pointless Forest because he “has no point.” He is unfairly tried and convicted, along with his dog, Arrow, for this alleged crime by the evil Count, who loathes Oblio's apparent pointlessness.

In the Pointless Forest, he encounters the Pointless Man, who proves to be the most pointless of beings. His opinions and positions are thoughtless and rushed; he is a false prophet. He is harsh, petty, fickle and unreliable. But he notes, “a point in every direction is like no point at all. Any fool can do that.”

Later, Oblio meets the Rock Man, who says that “there ain’t nothing pointless about this gig. Hey, man, you don’t have a point (on your head), to have a point.” In other words, what is pointlessness, and who gets to make that decision? Everyone and everything Oblio meets refuses to fit into a binary box, an easy label.

Couldn’t help but connect the dots between Herr Gropenfuhrer and The Pointless Man. I thought it was high time for some wisdom from Helmut Vallidaklopf, correspondent for the Americas for the GonzoPR blog who’s undercover in his basement bunker along Connecticut Avenue near the White House.

JM: “Good morning, Helmut. How goes the battle? Keeping cool?”

HV: “Keeping the faith and staying cool as a rock.”

JM: “So you’ve seen ‘The Point,’ eh? Do you also see the comparisons between the Pointless Man and Herr Gropenfuhrer?”

HV: “Oh, yes. As you may remember, when Oblio returns to the Pointless Village, the denizens of the land are overjoyed to see him. None of them felt good about the rules that sent him away in the first place, and his return has galvanized them to stand up to the rules of the law itself. We must regain control.”

JM: “Yes, indeed. And, the law has been usurped by Herr Gropenfuhrer and his minions and appeasers.”

HV: “The analogy between the Pointless Man and Herr Gropenfuhrer is uncanny. He points a finger in all directions to blame Americans for its woes: the Democrats, Hillary Clinton, immigrants, American people of color, sunspots. Plus he has a case of Obama envy.”

JM: “Indeed. He must go. We must reject the authoritarian rule of the land with the power of our votes. Well, keep cool, amico mio. I suggest a tall Paulaner or Spaten at cocktail hour.”

RV: “Sounds like a plan, JM. We’ll catch up later.”