tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post9114704022649948213..comments2024-03-01T21:01:15.174-06:00Comments on Biblical Christianity: Calvin is less fun these daysDJPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-39519997611269471122010-02-12T01:49:26.098-06:002010-02-12T01:49:26.098-06:00Fred,
Pfff...have you ever even read C&H comi...Fred,<br /><br />Pfff...have you ever even read C&H comic strip or know what it even looks like.CRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01912897040503058967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-60589695471505562602010-02-11T20:43:28.953-06:002010-02-11T20:43:28.953-06:00I don't read Calvin and Hobbes that often, but...I don't read Calvin and Hobbes that often, but I still like the comic strip. I observe daily the natural inclination of boys, and Waterson nailed those inclinations in his strip. I see the imagination of Calvin...and Waterson brilliantly nailed it. I see the boys in my classroom, all children of Christian parents, and their natural inclinations as boys, and Waterson nails it every time. I am the teacher in the strip trying to bring them into a place of learning, sighing as I labor against their tendency to burp, box, imagine, and daydream their way through life. BTW...I am a very strict teacher, but I do have a sense of humor with them also.candyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06088593538648596769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-2052880165630094022010-02-11T19:47:34.793-06:002010-02-11T19:47:34.793-06:00The first moment I thought my husband was The One ...The first moment I thought my husband was The One was when I learned he loved Bloom County too and we started quoting lines to eachother.Rachael Starkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10781158372237369417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-22553546799275795702010-02-11T13:24:27.308-06:002010-02-11T13:24:27.308-06:00I used to read C&H (1990s), and have several o...I used to read C&H (1990s), and have several of the collections books. Every once in a while I'll get out those old books again, but not very often... but yes, I see your point about its portrayal of a dysfunctional family. (And that's the reason I never really got into the Simpsons when it first started, because the Christian talk radio I then listened to was always harping about it for the same reasons you mentioned... but they never spoke out against C&H and I just didn't think about it as more than a fun comic strip.) I especially enjoyed the Spaceman Spiff and imagination / philosophy series, and just saw the rest as exaggerated comic strip fun. But then I'm not a parent, either.Lynda Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01755739519555633760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-60325017941040325082010-02-11T05:59:10.272-06:002010-02-11T05:59:10.272-06:00Doonesbury. Tsk.Doonesbury. Tsk.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-77542584269908511372010-02-10T23:44:37.707-06:002010-02-10T23:44:37.707-06:00Still enjoying Bloom County, though. Also a very g...<b>Still enjoying Bloom County, though. Also a very good artist.</b><br /><br />Ooh...liberal hunting!<br /><br />Socialized Medicine!<br /><br />One of my all time favorites.<br /><br />I even enjoy some of the Doonesbury stuff (some)....which will probably get me kicked out of the comments section ;)VcdeChagnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09061295600050633057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-37431084640611739392010-02-10T20:52:07.782-06:002010-02-10T20:52:07.782-06:00Still enjoying Bloom County, though. Also a very g...Still enjoying <i>Bloom County</i>, though. Also a very good artist.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-58886821054454738172010-02-10T19:43:56.699-06:002010-02-10T19:43:56.699-06:00That was brilliant, now, wasn't it? I got the...That was brilliant, now, wasn't it? I got the illustration exactly backwards. I guess I was the first one to the party, or something.<br /><br />Back to sleep...threegirldadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10514416693800430357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-45107981418963365912010-02-10T19:41:15.435-06:002010-02-10T19:41:15.435-06:00You may be late to that party; I never even made i...You may be late to that party; I never even made it inside the door. Never thought it was the least bit funny -- not that that makes me any sort of noble.<br /><br /><em>Far Side</em> was my obsession back in them thar days...threegirldadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10514416693800430357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-57019507324654103052010-02-10T14:54:32.334-06:002010-02-10T14:54:32.334-06:00My perspective on C&H changes depending on the...My perspective on C&H changes depending on the general state of the Starke home when I'm reading it.<br /><br />When peace reigns, I think it's funny. When the combination of non-stop birthday craziness, bad weather and subsequent bad behavior reign, (like the last few weeks), we are not as amused.<br /><br />I'd not thought about that section from Proverbs 23 though. I might print that and post it prominently in the dining room. Mealtimes have been warzones of late...thanks!Rachael Starkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10781158372237369417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-37507368858864483802010-02-10T14:43:47.812-06:002010-02-10T14:43:47.812-06:00Part of the problem is that you are reading it eve...Part of the problem is that you are reading it everyday. Sometimes I find it amusing when my kid throws a tempertantrum while writhing on the floor (she still gets punished, of course). But if she did it everyday, it wouldn't be so funny.<br /><br />The same is true when you see somebody else's kid throwing a tantrum. It's a little amusing because you can relate, but if I had to experience it everyday it would get old.<br /><br />The last thing is that in some of the C&H comics, Calvin comes across as malevolent, quite beyond normal six year old boy mischieviousness. When you are a parent you don't like to see that in <i>any</i> kid.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15285043747501470199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-34492272613981229422010-02-10T14:31:31.116-06:002010-02-10T14:31:31.116-06:00Being a parent now, in some ways I agree with your...Being a parent now, in some ways I agree with your sentiment. Though I certainly enjoy his various strips on Spaceman Spiff and the dinosaurs and of course his snowman-Santa Claus stuff. <br /><br />The Tenth Anniversary collection book had a lengthy essay by Watterson. He outlined a lot of his philosophy, if we can call it that, as to his approach to this comic. If I am recalling right, he pulled a lot of his material from his memories as a kid and sort of what he "thought" at the moment. <br /><br />It is a bit of shame Watterson is something of a J.D. Salinger like reclusive weirdo. <br /><br />I did admire his tenacity to take on the stale, traditional comic strip format in order to produce material worth reading and enjoying for its artistic value. The way the newspaper syndicate fought him on this shows the petty small mindedness of corporations. It's one of the reasons newsprint is failing.Fred Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16025967176465685306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-13110459165624047792010-02-10T12:48:12.955-06:002010-02-10T12:48:12.955-06:00Spoken, LeeC, like a good puritan! Personally I fi...Spoken, LeeC, like a good puritan! Personally I find that the grotesque, the deformed, the exaggerated (in myself and others) provokes more laughter than reflection on what is noble, true and pure but we should never forget the admonition of DJP's least favorite philosopher that "we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh." I suppose in that sense I laugh at what is true and take pleasure in the purity of others.RThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08285891444546787144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-84477370546719072312010-02-10T12:26:20.729-06:002010-02-10T12:26:20.729-06:00By "predjudices" you mean "settled,...<b>By "predjudices" you mean "settled, informed conviction born of experience." Yes, thank you.</b><br /><br />The quotable Dan Phillips.<br /><br />I find myself in the same boat with stuff that I used to enjoy.<br /><br />As the father of five boys, there is much in the 5 minute snapshots of comic strips that I see in them. <br /><br />Then it hits me that I need to shepherd my sons and not be so amused by their sin (a tough prospect at times).VcdeChagnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09061295600050633057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-66573457823720841932010-02-10T11:34:32.834-06:002010-02-10T11:34:32.834-06:00No you are not alone.
And yes I'm often consi...No you are not alone.<br /><br />And yes I'm often considered a killjoy.<br /><br />The thing is I often do find it initially funny. When someone shows me a snippet from The Simpsons or some such or makes a joke I might snort at it or chuckle. In fact I have a decidedly grim sense of humour that I actively strive to repent of just as I would looking at a woman other than my wife.<br /><br />I laugh, and then I think about it. The pain it represents, the grief, the sin. And no I cannot laugh anymore.<br /><br />Sure I like to laugh, and I do often. But I would rather laugh about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy...<br /><br />It's a cleaner laughter full of light. Sure the wine sparkles in the cup, and tastes good going down, but in my stomach it is like ashes. Bleak, unourishing, not only unproductive, it can be destructive.<br /><br />I have co-workers who show me things and when I don't laugh they say "Come on yhou KNOW thats funny!" and yes I do find it funny. But just as indulging in anything that is sinful is "fun" that doesn't mean that I should.<br /><br />And no I'm not saying that if you enjoy Calvin and Hobbes you are sinning. :)<br /><br />Merely that for me it may very well be. I avoid it BECAUSE I enjoy it. And I think thats natural, but thats the point isn't it?<br /><br />My word verification is "gravy" everything is better with gravy...<br /><br />I want to laugh at good things.LeeChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540608568274871363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-30201190091257122752010-02-10T10:49:36.614-06:002010-02-10T10:49:36.614-06:00Most cartoons are rooted in exaggeration and hyper...Most cartoons are rooted in exaggeration and hyperbole, so that can partly explain the extreme nature of his rebellion. Further, as in most comic strips, Calvin doesn't grow. He is six and a half...forever. Given this fact every strip is rooted in that specific place and time. We don't see his parents training him because training him would communicate that we are supposed to see Calvin actually maturing. He's an ornery, sometimes brilliant, defiant, and articulate 6 year old. Every strip starts over at that point, and we treat it unfairly if we expect Calvin to change. <br /><br />Could we ask the strip to give us the period five minutes after Calvin pops off? Sure, but then it wouldn't be a comic strip anymore, and it certainly wouldn't be about the antics of smart, lonely boy and his stuffed tiger.<br /><br />All that being said, I always hoped for a spin off with just Hobbes.JRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12092156388367076715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-63967026980565954212010-02-10T10:28:13.067-06:002010-02-10T10:28:13.067-06:00I think you're a sourpuss. :p
I still enjoy t...I think you're a sourpuss. :p<br /><br />I still enjoy the jokes and the themes that run through the comic strip, regardless if in real life Calvin would need some massive discipline instilled in his life.<br /><br />But I see where you could stop enjoying the strip. It just hasn't lost its spark for me.Cameron Shafferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08373231190625204161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-3217248965319199462010-02-10T10:18:23.466-06:002010-02-10T10:18:23.466-06:00I see what you're saying, Dan, and you're ...I see what you're saying, Dan, and you're right. But... even with three boys (who at times remind me of the cartoon Calvin), I still think it's funny exactly because it's so exaggerated.<br /><br />Putting the "fun" back in "dysfunctional"...<br /><br />JulieHerding Grasshoppershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15668974245505544238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-646178462516635792010-02-10T10:17:37.161-06:002010-02-10T10:17:37.161-06:00I own quite a few C&H collections books from w...I own quite a few C&H collections books from way back when. They'd been hiding on a bottom shelf for many years when, in a cleaning frenzy, I found them and pulled them out. I'm still amused by his snowmen, but I also think that, were Calvin MY kid, I'd have choked him by about the middle of the second book. What's that say about the sanctification of my parenting skills???Colloquisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08530006843488477150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-72015475886618369122010-02-10T09:49:10.386-06:002010-02-10T09:49:10.386-06:00I think my first thought upon encountering Calvin ...I think my first thought upon encountering Calvin & Hobbes recently after a long hiatus was simply, "this strip is a perfect illustration of what a Christ-less existence looks like."<br /><br />So, ditto.<br /><br />HSAT - I think the snowman strips are some of the funniest things ever put to pen and ink. ;-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985600488300447937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-78488319992894626522010-02-10T09:47:49.042-06:002010-02-10T09:47:49.042-06:00Actually I had in mind "knee-jerk, partially ...Actually I had in mind "knee-jerk, partially distilled, blindly recieved assumptions," but what do I know? As the great man said, "everything is subject to interpretation, and the interpretation that prevails at a given time is a function of power rather than truth." Sorry - that just slipped out . . .RThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08285891444546787144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-52150672472197957742010-02-10T09:37:34.590-06:002010-02-10T09:37:34.590-06:00I knew that.
Stupid fingers.I knew that.<br /><br />Stupid fingers.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-1586063950805065562010-02-10T09:35:18.285-06:002010-02-10T09:35:18.285-06:00It's "dysfunctional", BTW.
Most of ...It's "dysfunctional", BTW.<br /><br />Most of the strips are still funny to me, but I see your point.Rhologyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14245825667079220242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-26374841160014280142010-02-10T09:11:13.889-06:002010-02-10T09:11:13.889-06:001995? I can't get past the fact that they were...1995? I can't get past the fact that they were last made in 1995.<br /><br />Maybe that's why he quit. Maybe Waterson got sick of him being a brat as well.Brad Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00197301845256854051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-42178808877901106682010-02-10T09:07:31.327-06:002010-02-10T09:07:31.327-06:00I definitely know what you're talking about. ...I definitely know what you're talking about. The strips where Calvin was enraging his parents, ambushing neighborhood girls, and defying teachers were kinda lame. However, the ones with aliens, dinosaurs, and snowy-day philosophical ruminations I usually tended to enjoy.<br /><br />But I haven't read C&H in a long time.CGrimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03257084521984285384noreply@blogger.com