Editing Will Rogers (section)

==Philosophy and style==
After Rogers gained recognition as a humorist-philosopher in vaudeville, he gained a national audience in acting and literary careers from 1915 to 1935. In these years, Rogers increasingly expressed the views of the "common man" in America. He downplayed academic credentials, noting, "Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects."<ref>Paula McSpadden Love, ''The Will Rogers Book'', (1972) p. 119.</ref> Americans of all walks admired his individualism, his appreciation for democratic ideas, and his liberal philosophies on most issues. Moreover, Rogers extolled hard work in order to succeed, and such expressions affirmed American theories about how to realize individual success. Rogers symbolized the [[self-made man]], the common man, who believed in America, in progress, and in the [[American Dream]] of upward mobility. His humor never offended even those who were the targets of it.<ref>James M. Smallwood, "Will Rogers of Oklahoma: Spokesman for the 'Common Man'", ''Journal of the West'' 1988 27(2): 45–49. {{ISSN|0022-5169}}</ref>

In the 1920s, the United States was happy and prosperous in various ways<ref name=Bryson2013>{{Citation |last=Bryson |first=Bill |author-link=Bill Bryson |year=2013 |title=One Summer: America, 1927 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0767919401 |oclc=841198242 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780767919401 }}</ref> (leading to the nickname ''[[Roaring Twenties]]''), but it also suffered from rapid change and social tensions. Some people were disenchanted by, and alienated from, the outside world.<ref name=Bryson2013/> Many common people believed that [[World War I]] had resulted in extensive and largely senseless carnage, and they supported [[isolationism]] for the US. According to scholar Peter Rollins (1976), Rogers appeared to be an anchor of stability; his conventional home life and traditional moral code reminded people of a recent past. His newspaper column, which ran from 1922 to 1935, expressed his traditional morality and his belief that political problems were not as serious as they sounded. In his films, Rogers began by playing a simple cowboy; his characters evolved to explore the meaning of innocence in ordinary life. In his last movies, Rogers explores a society fracturing into competing classes from economic pressures. Throughout his career, Rogers was a link to a better, more comprehensible past.<ref>Peter C. Rollins, "Will Rogers: Symbolic Man, Journalist, and Film Image". ''Journal of Popular Culture'' 1976 9(4): 851–77. online</ref>

In 1926, the high-circulation weekly magazine ''The Saturday Evening Post'' financed a European tour for Rogers, in return for publication of his articles. Rogers made whirlwind visits to numerous European capitals and met with both international figures and common people. His articles reflected a fear that Europeans would go to war again. He recommended isolationism for the United States. He reasoned that for the moment, American needs could best be served by concentrating on domestic questions and avoiding foreign entanglements. He commented:
:America has a unique record. We never lost a war and we never won a conference in our lives. I believe that we could without any degree of egotism, single-handed lick any nation in the world. But we can't confer with Costa Rica and come home with our shirts on.<ref>Peter C. Rollins, "Will Rogers, Ambassador sans Portfolio: Letters from a Self-made Diplomat to His President", ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'' 1979 57(3): 326–39. Quote from Paula McSpadden Love, ''The Will Rogers Book'', (1972) p. 177.</ref>
{{box quote|width=30em|bgcolor=cornsilk|fontsize=100%|salign=center|quote="Rogers' philosophy was reactionary, dispiriting and provincial, despite every affectation of bonhomie and tolerance. It scorned ideas and the people who held them, it relied on vague evolution rather than direct action, its fixed smile concealed rigidity of opinion that middle America need not be disturbed from its own prejudices and limitations."—Film critic [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] in ''A Biographical History of Film'' (1976)<ref>Yagoda, 1993 p. 311: Quoted in full here by Yagoda. "These attacks, though intemperate, are to some extent justified by the late Rogers films..." And p. 384: See note here from p. 311 for Thomson source.</ref>}}Rogers was famous for his use of language. He effectively used up-to-date slang and invented new words to fit his needs. He also made frequent use of puns and terms which closely linked him to the cowboy tradition, as well as speech patterns using a southern dialect.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Southard | first1 = Bruce | year = 1979 | title = Will Rogers and the Language of the Southwest: a Centennial Perspective | journal = Chronicles of Oklahoma | volume = 57 | issue = 3| pages = 365–75 }}</ref>

Brown (1979) argues that Rogers held up a "magic mirror" that reflected iconic American values. Rogers was the archetypical "American Democrat" thanks to his knack of moving freely among all social classes, his stance above political parties, and his passion for fair play. He represented the "American Adam" with his independence and self-made record. Rogers furthermore represented the "American Prometheus" through his commitment to [[utilitarian]] methods and his ever-optimistic faith in future progress.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Brown | first1 = William R. | year = 1979 | title = Will Rogers and His Magic Mirror | journal = Chronicles of Oklahoma | volume = 57 | issue = 3| pages = 300–25 }}</ref>