CSotD: A couple of shots of rum in the holiday strips
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Wiley Miller manages to slip a timely dig into a holiday strip this morning. Like adding rum to eggnog, the trick is to put in enough give it some kick without overwhelming the sweetness.
Nicely done, and I hope it sticks in some minds as we go on debating the social contract. Gotta say I'm really sick of hearing about the "free" stuff we're all getting. No such thing as a free lunch and never was and we all know that, even as we share what we have.
Sure, sharing is "socialist" by definition: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."
The whole social contract is "socialist," if you want to parse it that way.
But lemme ask you this: Who's been insisting that this country was formed on Christian principles, huh?
Not the freakin' socialists, pal.
"To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked." — Luke, 12:48
“Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they that have cast into the treasury, for they all cast in of their abundance, but she of her want cast in all that she had, even all her living.” – Matthew, 12:44
"This commandment have we from him: That he who loveth God love his brother, also." — 1 John 4:21
"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: Neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common." – Acts 4:32
It's not surprising that socialists believe in charity, given that every major belief system on the planet believes in it. Charity is a fundamental principle throughout the world.
Well, at least 99 percent of the world.
Which is the point, and a point well made.
And Wiley isn't the only cartoonist putting a bit of an edge on his holiday strip:
"Magical thinking" is a frequent target for Frazz. There are a lot of strips that specialize in pointing out the gap between what we say and what we do, but Jef Mallett's own may-I-say-obsessive participation in triathlons (I'm apologizing more for the redundancy than the presumption) lends an air of authority, since it is not a "do as I say, not as I do" situation.
Of course, it's only fair to point out that Mallett doesn't have a corner on follow-through: Nobody gets a syndicated strip by sitting around thinking how cool it would be to have one. Still, this is a particular theme in Frazz, as seen in this 2003 classic:
And, finally, Dave Blazek breaks through the Yuletide cliches with this silly Loose Parts:
I particularly love the use of "heebie-jeebies," because I once caught a case while standing in the middle of the bridge looking down into Royal Gorge.
It's not "acrophobia" — I really wasn't scared. I knew the bridge was solid, I knew there was no danger. It was purely a case of the heebie-jeebies, and that was overpowering enough: I nearly had to crawl off the bridge. I can absolutely and totally identify with Blitzen's response.
The good news is, I've been back to the Gorge and out on the bridge and had no problem at all. I'm sure Blitzen will be just fine the next time out, too.
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