Phoenix Wright: The American Lawyer

This is a comics-inspired Christmastime consumerism diorama celebrating our American love of general/social candy-folklore!

Meyer Lansky was a very interesting figure in the history of crime in America! He was a manager of the Jewish criminal mafia and was tied to Lucky Luciano's Italian-American mafia enterprise from 1930-1950. Lansky established gambling operations in cities all over the world including Las Vegas and London! He was a very peculiar character, and I wanted to present a comics-inspired 'Americana diorama' representative of our modern-day socialized consumerism/capitalism fascination with American mysticism and American dollhouses (e.g., Lego Batman)!

This yarn was inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Merry Christmas (signing off),

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"My name is Phoenix Wright, and I'm an Algerian-American democrat living in the United States. I post on the Internet about the social value of consumerism and capitalism tokens around the world such as Limca lime-soda bottles, Lucky Strike cigarettes, Starbucks coffee, and P.F. Chang's China Bistro! I have fun doing what I do, but I have to contend with serious cynics who fail to see the modern value of commercial intellectualism (e.g., NASDAQ). Some consider me a 'lawyer' of American imagination, but others think me a pedestrian political 'cartoonist' of capitalism idiosyncrasies. I'm committed to making capitalism seem and feel and even look like a grand system of 'arcade' diarism. I will succeed!"

"My main muse or inspiration is the Ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite, siren of love. Aphrodite reminds me of the human appeal of Las Vegas and Starbucks and why consumers in the 21st Century love flocking to capitalism towers and totems and embracing both the amenities and aesthetics of commercial intelligence (e.g., Monopoly board-games!). Aphrodite reminds me of how commerce can feel like a human yearning for the magic of shopping and the simple youthful joy of finding that ideal toy for Christmas. After all, doesn't imagination remind us of the enchantment of friendship, and doesn't friendship create imaginary contours of true love? Aphrodite is a figure of great beauty, and I think she captures our capitalist focus on the 'magic' of market pastels. Who can disagree?"

"I've adopted a cartoon avatar for my blogs about how Phoenix Wright represents the enthusiastic liberal left and why today's radicals don't necessarily endorse anti-civilization terrorism and can happily embrace forms of mainstream pro-capitalism jovial vigor! After all, who can resist the ideal image of kids running through toy-stores during the Christmas shopping-season? Today's liberals demand a more vitality-based approach to Wall Street IQ. As Phoenix Wright, I try to use basic rhetoric to champion the simple joys of everyday American housewives finding secured happiness finding all their necessary goods and items in convenience-based stores like Target and CVS. Yes, my only rival is the nefarious Machiavellian nihilist Magneto, who insists that consumerism is a paragon of juvenile capitalism hypnosis. Magneto fails to see the 'human magic' of capitalism-hospitality, the kind we find in Toys 'R Us, Burger King, RadioShack, and Olive Garden. I think I can bring down the political narcissism of the dark Magneto. Who dares to bet on me in this symbolic 'propaganda' fight?"

MAGNETO: Consumerism is antithetical to social intelligence.
PHOENIX WRIGHT: False; capitalism can be a thing of wondrous efficiency.

MAGNETO: Efficiency in commerce often spells monotonous mob psychology!
PHOENIX WRIGHT: You can't deny the social appeal of Christmastime toys.

MAGNETO: Toys are one thing, but Wall Street is a system of glaring junk food.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: It's so tempting to destroy Wall Street ethos because of human frailty!

MAGNETO: What's so grand about Pizza Hut, Phoenix Wright?

PHOENIX WRIGHT: Well, it's the personal pan-pizza during the holidays that reminds us of friendship.

MAGNETO: Friendship?

PHOENIX WRIGHT: Yes, we meet friends or greet waiters/waitresses at Pizza Hut and have tasty foods.

MAGNETO: That's just a reference to spiritual 'candy' and not human intellect.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: Wrong; the aesthetics of hospitality form the foundation of American pride.

MAGNETO: Today's anti-capitalism terrorists (e.g., 9/11) pronounce real fears about gluttony.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: How can we allow human folly and vice to cloud our views on Air Jordan sneakers?

MAGNETO: It's this kind of 'basketball shoe' insanity in consumerism that makes gangsters idealized.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: It's true we romanticize organized criminals like Meyer Lansky, but we remember laws.

MAGNETO: Meyer Lansky was a Jewish mafia genius who create gambling operations across Earth!

PHOENIX WRIGHT: True; Bonnie and Clyde were thrilling Depression-era bank robbers; but crime is not education.

MAGNETO: What is real education in this modern era of capitalism blizzards and capitalist wars?
PHOENIX WRIGHT: We remember the Gulf War and 9/11 as monuments to our love of peaceful shopping.

MAGNETO: So you espouse the 'Christmastime shopping housewife' as a testament to American idealism.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: Indeed; Meyer Lansky was an old-time genius, but today, we want 'pizza' arcades!

MAGNETO: Maybe today's criminal is more 'masked' and anonymous...

PHOENIX WRIGHT: That's a smart point, Magneto; however, I espouse American craftsmen like Steve Jobs.

MAGNETO: Apple Computers' aesthetics won't outshine the 'silk' of Meyer Lansky.

PHOENIX WRIGHT: Even Meyer Lansky would love an Apple-TV for Christmas!

MAGNETO: What the hell is an 'Apple-TV' and why would Lansky want one?

PHOENIX WRIGHT: Meyer Lansky loved gambling and the aesthetics of group activity.

"As you can clearly see, my insistence (as Phoenix Wright!) that capitalism and consumerism is a thing of great and wondrous human imagination is contested fiercely by those who espouse the Machiavellian rationalism of street-juice and criminal enterprise (e.g., Magneto!). However, I will always defend the social value of summertime water-pistols that American youngsters can purchase at a Toys 'R Us store and use to design competitive outdoor water-games symbolic of our human interest in finding nonviolent games that remind us of the magic of nature and the beauty of Earth's natural resources! After all, we can tell our kids to be sure their water-guns are filled with pollution-free water, right? Right! Capitalism is so darn complex that it requires a sincere spiritual embracing of the human 'aesthetics' of commercial craftsmanship. That's how we can best destroy terrorism!"

PHOENIX WRIGHT: "I won't lie to you and tell you that capitalism and consumerism today are perfect micro (or macro!) systems. My mission is to suggest that when we can so easily purchase Christian Christmastime ornaments on eBay or Amazon, we easily remember that commerce can actually be a thing of surprising energy! We want today's American students to appreciate why the 'real' work of civilization critique requires a more 'creative' adherence to celebrated traditions (e.g., Black Friday). After all, who's more hospitable...Meyer Lansky (a warlock)...or Steve Jobs (a magician)? Merry Christmas!!"

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