Weird Science

Cidu Bill on Nov 29th 2008

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Hopefully there’s more to this than  “Science is harder than the arts.”

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, Zach Weiner, comic strips, comics | 21 responses so far

21 Responses to “Weird Science”

  1. Sari Everna Nov 29th 2008 at 01:21 am 1

    The only other thing I can think of is that you shouldn’t be getting a degree in something you hate.

    Also, science it harder than arts? Really? Endless essays and papers are that much easier than labs? ‘Cause I think I’d beg to differ. Y’know, being in science and all.

    Actually, if I replace “science” with “english” and “arts” with “science”(or, in fact anything else), this totally makes sense. But not laughs, so I guess I don’t get it either.

  2. Yaniv Nov 29th 2008 at 02:45 am 2

    It might have to do with Zach Weiner being a science student. The guy’s hair might not be a tropical orange, but I think it’s likely the guy in the comic is a stand in for Zach.

    Did you fail a test, Zachy?:(

  3. Charlene Nov 29th 2008 at 03:02 am 3

    Many scientists are convinced that arts are what you take when you’re not smart enough to pass a science course. Arts are for dumb people, science is for smart people.

  4. Bobdog Nov 29th 2008 at 06:47 am 4

    The author has at least 16 reasons to get a degree in the arts. Reason #16 is he hates science, presumably because he is failing it, which lowers his self esteem. Additional reasons to go for the arts degree he include: The author hates math, the author hates history, the author hates language arts, etc. Also he thinks he will get laid by own of those kooky artsy-fartsy girls — one with all the mascara and vintage clothing who’s always talking about Phish…

  5. Birdseed Nov 29th 2008 at 09:19 am 5

    My own equivalent panel in Junior high would have been pretty much the opposite - a double a plus on the science bit that made me drop it as much as I could in favour of History and Social Studies the following year. Who wants to do something as literal and simple as science?

  6. Tim_H Nov 29th 2008 at 10:54 am 6

    This probably has to do with, when science majors study late into the night, the common joke is “forget this, I’m majoring in theater” or something. It IS a “science is harder” joke per se, but to be honest, we all know that there’s no way we could get a degree in english/theater/history.

  7. Miss Appropriate Nov 29th 2008 at 11:45 am 7

    As a former Art major who switched to a Science major midway through my sophomore year… It’s misleading to use the word “harder”, because which major fits you depends mostly on how your brain is wired. If people try to insinuate intelligence into the old left brain/right brain discussion, they’re applying a single arbitrary scale simply to try to put other people down and make their own insecure selves feel better. Saying that you don’t have a proclivity or talent for a particular thing - whether it’s science, math, singing, writing, painting, or other visual arts - doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re any less intelligent.

    By the way… I’d say that failing a course would generally be a good sign that you should at least consider whether you’re on the right path. In my case, my dedication was tested by an obnoxious and terrible professor who I would have to start taking most of my classes with for the next 2.5 years. I didn’t change majors solely because of him, but he did tip the scales toward science (even though I never would’ve dreamed I’d end up as a science geek). ;)

  8. Carl Nov 29th 2008 at 01:06 pm 8

    Speaking as a guy with a science degree, art stuff is WAY easier.

    For me.

    Because I’m good with words. (I’m now a professional writer.) Since there is no actual right answer in art, essentially I could and can effortlessly get an “A” in any art class that doesn’t require me to actually create paintings of sculptures by sheer bullshit.

  9. Suzanne Nov 29th 2008 at 05:55 pm 9

    Aren’t there three panels in these cartoons- two and a “bonus?” Is this a panel completely out of context?

  10. Kamino Neko Nov 29th 2008 at 06:19 pm 10

    No, most SMBC are one-panel affairs…some have 2, and a good number have a bonus panel (or two) that expands on the joke (but don’t depend on them to MAKE the joke), but most are just like this.

  11. Mark in Boston Nov 29th 2008 at 06:23 pm 11

    When I was in college, the science students took four courses per semester at 4 credits each. Typically two were regular courses that met for 80 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and two were lab courses that met for 2 hours on Tuesday and Thursday.

    I was a music student and took ten courses per semester. One could be any normal 4-credit course offered by the university (for instance, Ancient Greek). Two would be like normal courses but in musical subjects at 3 credits each (Music History, Music Theory). Private lessons on your major instrument were one hour per week at 1 credit. Then there were a bunch of 1 or 2 credit courses: harmony, counterpoint, keyboard literature, a secondary instrument, composition, conducting. Four hours a week of orchestra rehearsals (2 credits) with 2 or 3 performances each semester. And to top it all off, the dreaded Performance Class — no credit, required every semester for all students. In addition to that I practiced 3 hours a day (Saturday and Sunday included). The students who are now in major orchestras or have world-class careers practiced 6 or 8 hours a day.

    Science and liberal arts students have it easy.

  12. Lindsey ^_^ Nov 29th 2008 at 08:37 pm 12

    @Carl: ditto. I’m a pretty good BSer, which makes me fly by in English class. You can give me pretty much any situation and I can go on for pages about how it symbolizes oppression or whatever the hell the professors want. With science, you have to get it right. With English, you can BS your way through it.

    I’m a French/Linguistics major, so it’s a mix of both. I get to BS in French and be literal with linguistics.

  13. Yaniv Nov 30th 2008 at 04:03 am 13

    Science and arts are incomparable; the former deals with memorization, the latter with interpretation. Science is about knowing the material, whereas most art degrees deal with being able to create your own material. How difficult each is depends on how skilled a person is with either one.

    I, for one, find both fairly easy.

  14. Dave Nov 30th 2008 at 11:07 am 14

    Yaniv, if you think science is about memorising stuff then you haven’t met true science yet. It’s as much about finding new stuff out than being told new stuff. In maths (which I’m taking my degree in) you have to know it, admittedly, but then it’s a puzzle trying to figure out what to use where etc.

  15. Singapore Bill Nov 30th 2008 at 02:31 pm 15

    He got an F because he is a stupid, useless goof who has nothing to contribute to society. Therefore, he should get an arts degree, because they are for stupid, useless people. The cartoonist probably has a science degree.

  16. Yaniv Dec 1st 2008 at 02:35 am 16

    Math isn’t a science.:p

  17. Powers Dec 1st 2008 at 08:13 am 17

    Mathematics is indeed a science, Yaniv. The proofs are logical instead of experimental, but it’s still about discovery and proving hypotheses.

  18. GP Dec 1st 2008 at 12:32 pm 18

    I don’t think it’s about science being “harder.” I think it’s a personal thing, i.e. you (perhaps the cartoonist?) stink at science. The reverse joke could be made with an egghead-looking student holding a bad painting of a stick figure and the caption, “Reason #16 to get your degree in science.”

  19. BlueRaja Dec 1st 2008 at 01:10 pm 19

    Yeah, I think it’s just making fun of art majors, something the author of SMBC does a lot (I believe he himself got a degree in art).

    One of my favorite ones, from WAY back when SMBC was in black and white - it doesn’t seem to be archived anymore - was a comic in which a man was shopping at a super market and trying to decide between the low-quality toilet paper and the art degrees.
    He ought to put those back up, he made some of his best comics back then..

  20. MQ Dec 1st 2008 at 06:51 pm 20

    If y’all could get A’s in art and literature classes just by BS’ing emptily for pages on end, then you had some piss-poor (or grotesquely overworked?) art and literature instructors. If your teacher’s even halfway decent, then you kinda have to get it “right” in art and English too.

  21. Yaniv Dec 2nd 2008 at 01:09 am 21

    Powers - The sciences are rooted in the sensual experiencing of reality, whereas mathematics is a man-made method of relating things. They’re different.

    Most schools agree with me, too, seeing as they use the term “math and science” rather than just “science.”

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