the wisdom of cartoonists

I ran across this huh-worthy [IMHO] quote in a 1991 interview with my hero Mort Walker:

Many people wonder why a military strip like Beetle Bailey appeals to such a wide audience. The truth is, it isn't a military strip. The Army is just a convenient setting that everyone understands. The pecking order doesn't have to be explained and the role of the poor guy at the bottom of the ladder is classic in literature. Our job in the strip is to knock down idols and punch holes in pomposity. Americans feel that authority should be questioned, not blindly followed, and people in authority in this country accept this resistance as an inalienable right. [emphasis added]