Today's Bizarro is brought to you by Skaters In Love.The basic concept for this cartoon came from my young protege, Victor, who has been sending me ideas since he was about 14. He's got some great ideas, especially for his age, and I've drawn a dozen-or-so of them in the past five years or whatever. I forgot how old Victor is now.
I like cartoons that lead you to think through the punch line and this is one of those. Of course, you have to have heard the expression, "like a bull in a china shop," to get the joke, but I think people still say that, don't they?
I often wonder where expressions like this come from. Who first thought of placing a bull in a china shop to illustrate destructive clumsiness? Did someone say it in a pub in Llanidloes, Wales in the 17th century and it spread slowly by word of mouth from there? Or was the expression published somewhere and catch on more quickly? There's probably a web site that explains it, but who's got the time to dig that up right now? Not I.
For the record, I think bullfighting is the most heinous and barbaric of sports still being practiced in the civilized world. Parts of Spain are finally outlawing it, and it's about time. Others are decrying the loss of a "tradition." Slavery, rape, pillaging, and throwing virgins into volcanoes are traditional human activities, too, but I'm not shedding any tears over their loss. Not that they are completely gone, but at least we're not still televising them or featuring these activities in the travel section of the Sunday paper.
As you might surmise, I root for the bull.
13 comments:
LOve the concept of the comic panel!! Very clever!!
Mythbusters actually tested this one out, and the results are astounding. As one of the MythBusters said, "I am really surprised at how nimble [the bulls] are. They are daintily avoid the shelves they set up"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk_zpMory-0
One word - brilliant!
I'm probably going to be one of a million people saying this, but Mythbusters tried it out, and bulls generally don't mess with china, even though we'd assume they would. The cartoon's still funny because it's a great turn of phrase, but bulls in china shops are more likely to hurt the owner than the china.
Now THAT is really funny!
That bullfighter seems to be mexican, no? XDDDD
We have a similar expression (that nobody uses) in Sweden, but then it's an elephant instead of a bull.
Still appreciated this joke once I got it though. :P
Mythbusters - Bull in a china shop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk_zpMory-0
In France, we place an elephant in a porcelain (de Limoges?) shop. Historians specify that Hannibal was never seen in Limoges downtown area, shopping some souvenirs during the Second Punic War.
While in Spain, my parents (WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER) took us to a bullfight. I was 11 years old, and already a little animal freak. I bawled my eyes out through the whole thing. I was the only person in the place cheering for the bulls. It was one of the worst things I have ever witnessed.
People really, truly suck sometimes.
I love seeing a bull shove his horn right up the arse of one of these douchebags. I always root for the bull.
Same thing with rodeo. I always hope the throw the guy 20 feet and be breaks something. Leave the poor bull alone and let him hang out with his cow girlfriends.
Great panel Dan!
Do you think though that the Bull and the mattador would hang out, and go shopping together outside the ring? "Hey Juan, let me escape and I'll buy you some sice crockery later on!" Hmmmm
Is it just me, or does his hat look a little like squashed Mickey Mouse ears? :)
Rooting for the bull... yes.... having filmed rodeos undercover, I've had to suppress the odd "yeeeeehaaaa!" when a cowboy got hurt by a bull or thrown off a horse. I don't wish harm upon anyone. In fact, I wish they weren't participating in this "sport" in the first place. However, if people not only take the risk, but are also quite happy to hurt a terrified animal, I dare say it serves them right, and better them than the bulls.
The worst part of undercover filming is having to applaud for the cowboys in front of children. I found there are always some who are quite concerned about the animals, whilst others are already thoroughly convinced by the cheering crowd and "family event" advertising that it is somehow ok.
The funniest thing that happened to me at a rodeo was being told twice by different people that I was quite welcome to film "as long as you're not SPCA". I could honestly say I was not. I was there for quite a different organisation. Hah. Suckers.
Actually, my last comment sounded a little dumb in that cowboys get thrown off horses at rodeos all the time, of course :)) I meant in a way that was more, let's say, unpleasant than they had hoped or expected.
Anyway, thanks, Dan, for the constant supply of laughs!
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