Sunday, July 27, 2008

Obsessive Humor

Bizarro is brought to you today by Censorship International. "Hey! You can't do that!"

As I mentioned yesterday, I accidentally left my current cartoons at home so I'm using stuff that is on my laptop, hence the date of this cartoon.

This is one that never ran in the papers because it was feared that people with OCD would rise up against newspaper editors all across the land and cause trouble for me. One might be tempted to say, "Don't give in, Dan. To hell with them if they can't take a joke." But editors don't like losing a day of work answering angry emails, letters and phone calls and may decide to replace Bizarro with a less controversial clone. That would be bad for me. So this isn't really censorship as much as it is my personal editor advising me against it and me agreeing.

I experienced a bit of this last week when I ran a cartoon about dyslexia. I didn't lose any papers over it (that I know of), but some folks complained. I have OCD and dyslexia in my family (and a touch of OCD myself) so I feel I have the right to poke a little fun at me and mine. Humor is an age-old human device for getting through tough times and situations, so I am not as sensitive about it as many people apparently are. God knows that vegans get regularly grilled in humor venues of all kinds, but I take it with grain of salt (or a salt lick) and laugh at myself and my kind. My folks taught me that. Laughing at ridicule and teasing takes the fun out of it for the other guy, and the sting out of it for you.

The blog is good for this kind of cartoon, which will likely never see wider publication. Glad I had this opportunity to share it with you, hope no one has taken time off from checking the door locks and stove handles to get offended.



20 comments:

beforewisdom said...


God knows that vegans get regularly grilled in humor venues of all kinds


Vegans getting grilled, heh.

Anonymous said...

I laughed! But then again, I have UPLS, uncontrollable pathological laughing syndrome.

Garrett Williams said...

Most cartoonists have OCD anyway

Anonymous said...

I think our society is getting out of control with people taking offense. Of course, I say that only until someone says something way offensive and then I think our society is getting out of control with people saying offensive things. Sometimes people are stupid and sometimes stupid people say stupid things. Apart from all that, though, I thought the comic was very funny and was not poking fun in a malicious manner.

Anonymous said...

It's weird, how people don't get humour. Or they get it until it's about them and they forget that it's not for real. I don't think anything is off limits, I might not like it, it might suck, I might even be offended, but it's not off limits.
I was offended once when I saw a black stand-up comedian making jokes about being black in Sweden and picking apart myth after myth. Then he went over to making fun of eastern european (like me) pilots, but only building the jokes upon prejudice (stupidity, illetarcy, alcoholism), and not conterclaiming them once. In contrast to his anti-racist theme I was offended by his hypocracy. The jokes themselves were only old.

edjusted said...

Some of the best jokes are funny because they're true. And I think the more truth a joke has, the more (some) people get offended. Some people just can't handle the truth, I guess.

doug nicodemus said...

motto of the day - laughter is life...god knows in what order your cartoons they run...the sj-r ran a substitute cartoon today. BUT like i said i came to your cartoonery late so i enjoy the old one too.

Penny Mitchell said...

I'm so weary of, "As long as *I* laugh, it's funny. If I'm not laughing, then you shouldn't, either."

Blarh.

L. Erskine said...

This was funny. I've got mild OCD and I GET IT... as do my other friends with OCD. Some people are just strung waaaay tooooo tight. BOOORING! Sheesh! If only people put all that unused energy towards something worthwhile...

Anonymous said...

I've always appreciated your weekly reminder e-mails to check this blog, but now I don't even need them! Great blog, outstanding commentary, nonpareil cartoons!

disabled account said...

i concur!

it made me giggle because i want to hang that sign in the bathroom at work hoping it will make more people actually wash their hands. (yuck!)

aside from not washing at all, my (gross) favorite is the person that answers their cell phone in the stall and, while still on the phone, they go to the sink and merely rinse the fingertips on their free hand. no wonder cell phones are so nasty, right?

i generally open the door with the paper towel and toss it to the trash from the door so i don't have to touch their yuckiness.

anybody queasy yet?

Anonymous said...

Strange how people can be so sensitive. Still, the line between humour and being offensive is very thin, grey and random.

Even if I have a hint of OCD I still find this cartoon very funny. :-)

Blasphemous Homemaker said...

I have major OCD and I laughed out at this.

Now ask me how many times I had to spell and respell the word verification before I accepted it and pressed "Publish Your Comment."

Anonymous said...

HAHAHA! Checking door locks and stove handles! Because that's what they do! HAHAHAHA! That's some low-level humor there, Danny. Try aiming for funny next time.

Jym said...

=v= I am terribly offended and must leave a comment. Hundreds and hundreds of times.

Arun Ramkumar said...

I have OCD and I loved this toon :)

B.A.D. said...

Maybe it's all the soy protein that gives us such tough skin.

In any case, the idea of an OCD uprising in hilarious in and of it self.

Unknown said...

Great Comic! You can get lost in it.

munchy365 said...

Ha! Just imagining all of the people who have OCD uniting and rising against makes me laugh.

"Oh no! I have to go back and make sure I put out food for my cat before I start this riot!"

BTW - I have OCD and this made me laugh.

Numbat said...

I have OCD and thought the cartoon hilarious. Especially since my handwashing is the worst part of my compulsion.

I don't think the joke about OCD was done in bad taste at all.

Sometimes I think people complain about these things just because they want to make a noise.