“Whistled for a cab” is like “boarded a plane in a blindfold and handcuffs.”
According to the Miami Herald, the 168 prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, who apparently enjoy a “28,000 book and video library,” have been watching a lot of Fresh Prince lately. In fact, it has recently become the most popular form of entertainment at the detention camp. At first glance, this seems like a bizarre entertainment choice for captives who don’t seem to have a lot in common with an inner-city black teenager who lives with his extended family in a mansion. But maybe there’s more of a connection there than initially meets the eye? Consider:
- Both the prisoners and Will have had their lives “flipped, turned upside down.”
- Both were relocated far from home after getting into one little fight/jihad.
- Like Will, the prisoners previously spent most of their days on the playground, or at least the monkey bars.
- And both Will and the prisoners are in a constant struggle to free themselves from under the thumb of a controlling uncle (Uncle Phil/Uncle Sam).
Fresh Prince: An ahead-of-its-time allegory for the war on terror.
