by "RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
Published 11/10/2017 at 17:34
by "RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
Published 11/10/2017 at 17:34
Tags: far side friday
STARS: 8
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
11/10/2017 at 17:51, STARS: 2
He knew he was disturbed even then.
"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
11/10/2017 at 17:51, STARS: 0
I don’t think I’ve ever understood any of these
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
11/10/2017 at 17:52, STARS: 3
"Die-Trying" (die-trying)
11/10/2017 at 17:54, STARS: 1
"Die-Trying" (die-trying)
11/10/2017 at 18:10, STARS: 4
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
11/10/2017 at 18:18, STARS: 6
Nearly all Far Side cartoons are similar in tenor, though the depth of pop culture understanding required or the type of humor involved varies - everything from wordplay to purely absurd juxtapositions or situations. I can explain what would make one funny, but I can’t make one funny *to you*, obviously.
Take this one, for example:
It’s common behavior for someone to anthropomorphize an animal that is staring in bafflement at something: a normal person might say that the dog was “cute when he tries to understand my knitting” or something. The level of intelligence that people assume in animals is usually right on the edge of being too stupid to relate to. In this case, the mathematicians are attributing the dog’s confusion to “trying to understand” something most humans couldn’t. Their anthropomorphic proxy for the dog is much dumber than they are, but smarter than the average human.
In short, mathematicians (already an odd character archetype) doing the “oooh, look at the cute puppy” thing in such a way that suggests something completely insane. Because they’re smart, but in a way, really, *really* stupid. And that’s funny (or isn’t).
This one, a cleaning lady has been careless and sent herself back in time. It is a combination of a well-worn cliche (cleaning lady knocking something over, pushing buttons on something), something which “always happens”, and
accidentally traveling back in time
, which is a thing that
literally never happens
. More than that, time travel stories are almost *always* absurd, but we ignore that, and the time machine itself *does* look like a dryer. Which is another layer of nonsense but “explains” how this happened.
This one is kind of similar. The fish are a family who have just fled their burning home... except, their home, as with any family of fish, is a fishbowl. Something which is literally filled with water. As well, they are fish, and will soon suffocate when not in the bowl. The whole setup makes sense in pieces, but when all the pieces are combined, it makes absolutely no sense... and that’s funny. To most.
That is the general format of The Far Side: to tell in a single panel a complete story which is completely ridiculous - or to suggest a tragically bizarre happening that takes a moment to “see”. A mixing and matching of elements in deliberate but subtle contradiction or to build on one another’s level of craziness. Inasmuch as the presented situation makes no sense, none, it cracks people up... because they can see how it *should* make sense, but doesn’t.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
11/10/2017 at 18:20, STARS: 1
Others have done it, but I just wrote a “how the Far Side’s humor works” thing for Nauraushaun. Not really sure why.
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/1820348631
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
11/10/2017 at 18:23, STARS: 0
Cool!
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
11/10/2017 at 18:25, STARS: 4
"Die-Trying" (die-trying)
11/10/2017 at 18:33, STARS: 3
"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
11/10/2017 at 18:37, STARS: 1
That’s pretty deep. I’m going to look harder at these from now on. I get what you’re saying.
I prefer things that are simple like myself
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
11/10/2017 at 18:48, STARS: 0
This is actually kind of Far Side-ish, just not reaching quite as far for the weirdness. If it was a Far Side cartoon, it would be a ghost being kicked out of the “H. F. Poltergeist Malevolent Society” for spilling his wine... AGAIN. The other ghosts would be frowning in disgust, one would have a stained cummerbund, and the offender would have his head hanging.
It’s the same two funny ideas: “Poltergeist is a fancy word, so it ought to mean a fancy ghost” and “but ghosts aren’t actually *that* fancy, that would be crazy” and combining them with a really weird (and funny) picture (with other ghosts *actually being* impossibly fancy!) and a weird description with a pun.
There are different ways to convey a funny idea, and some make them even funnier, but only to some people.
"Die-Trying" (die-trying)
11/10/2017 at 19:22, STARS: 2
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
11/10/2017 at 19:26, STARS: 2
"Die-Trying" (die-trying)
11/10/2017 at 19:28, STARS: 1
