CIDU: East Coast Blizzard Special Edition (language advisory)
Cidu Bill on Feb 10th 2010
Okay… clearly this isn’t one of those (in)famous it’s-snowing-so-much-for-global-warming gags — but beyond that certainty, I have no idea what Stanfill is getting at.
Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Edward Hopper, Far Left Side, Mike Stanfill, climate change, comic strips, comics, global warming, humor | 17 responses so far
Lihtox Feb 10th 2010 at 02:41 pm 1
First, some obvious points which might not be familiar to everyone:
* It’s an old joke to show someone a white piece of paper and claim it’s a painting of a “Polar Bear Eating Vanilla Ice Cream in a Snowstorm”
* The picture is a parody of Edward Hopper’s painting “Nighthawks”
Here’s my best guess: in the original joke, the snowstorm is obviously violent enough that the polar bear and the ice cream blend in. Thanks to climate change, the snowstorm isn’t nearly as bad, and so you can actually see the polar bear and the ice cream. The Nighthawks reference is completely unrelated.
Folly Feb 10th 2010 at 02:45 pm 2
Yup. Lihtox has got it. Notice how everyone is staring at the polar bear as if they have suddenly noticed it.
Kevin Andresen Feb 10th 2010 at 02:59 pm 3
You probably know he’s referring to one variation of an old joke response which describes what has been painted or drawn on a blank canvas or piece of drawing paper. (I’ve only experienced the ice cream variant a few times; I’ve heard “a polar bear in a snow storm” hundreds if not thousands of times in my life.)
The author has offered an explanation for the ice-cream eating polar bear. Ha!
After a while, the humorous interpretation that has been settling into the reader’s thoughts… is then visited/interrupted by the meta-issue that this canvas is not white, let alone blank. And while perhaps not exactly amused, the mind appreciates that it was momentarily led down a colorful path of whimsy.
Kevin Andresen Feb 10th 2010 at 03:00 pm 4
Oh boy, do I take too long to write these things.
Kevin Andresen Feb 10th 2010 at 03:04 pm 5
Lihtox, nicely done. And Folly, I love your added meaning to the people’s stares.
Ted in Fort Lauderdale Feb 10th 2010 at 04:30 pm 6
Nothing to do with the cartoon - just Bill’s title. Is this really the “East Coast blizzard”? I’m pretty sure I’m on the east coast (well, about 4 miles away right now) and we’re not in a blizzard. Yes, it’s pretty cold - mid 60’s I think - but still…
mdt48302 Feb 10th 2010 at 04:36 pm 7
You’re going to need another language advisory on what I’d like to call Ted in Fort Lauderdale right now.
vintage_schwinn Feb 10th 2010 at 04:38 pm 8
LOL @ mdt
yellojkt Feb 10th 2010 at 06:15 pm 9
The other variation is a sheet of black construction paper titled “Black Cow in a Coal Mine At Midnight”.
Mel Feb 10th 2010 at 07:05 pm 10
mdt, I’m guessing you’re also in the midst of the Snopocopypse/Snowmageddon/Snoverkill… After sending them pictures of my snow-filled neighborhood they sent me a picture of their bright, sunny, Florida yard. I didn’t respond for fear of insulting them.
bookworm Feb 10th 2010 at 07:28 pm 11
I feel for those of you in all that snow. Are milk and bread still available?
Lola Feb 10th 2010 at 09:51 pm 12
Bookworm…. I’d settle for a stale cracker about now.
Powers Feb 11th 2010 at 07:09 am 13
How do you think those of us in Upstate New York feel? That’s twice a blizzard has passed south of us in favor of Washington and Philly. We’re starting to wonder if we did something to tick the snow off and it doesn’t like us anymore.
hm Feb 11th 2010 at 09:52 am 14
@Powers, you can gladly have the 36+ inches in my yard! We saw a plow for the first time about midnight last night and I was so happy I thought I might cry! Running out of ideas for the 3 kids, forget the milk and juice.
mdt48302 Feb 11th 2010 at 10:35 am 15
From arloandjanis.com:
“It’s our turn now, apparently. There’s a snow storm bearing down on the southeast, with places like Mobile and Pensacola expected to see at least flurries. Inland, forecasts range from one to eight inches, but it’s started early in Texas and Louisiana, and they’re talking as if accumulation might be in the upper reaches. I’ll let you know how it turns out.”
Putting in a little body English here that it gets down to Ted in Fort Lauderdale, but I suppose that’s a forlorn hope…
Ted in Fort Lauderdale Feb 11th 2010 at 11:42 am 16
mdt - well, there _were_ (very) light flurries (well, speckles) on Jan 19 1977…
It actually got quite cold (for us) last night (high 40’s? - cold enough that both the lizard and turtle spent the night inside). It’s warming up now, but it may not get warm enough that we need to run AC for the next week - just as well, as I can use the break on my electric bill.
While you may find all this amusing (or irritating) take into account that they actually open shelters here when the temps drop into the 50’s, because we’re not used to or prepared for it and many people (especially including the homeless) have little if anything in the way of warm clothing and many homes have only rudimentary heat (or none at all)…
(Doubt that helped, but…)
Vicky Feb 15th 2010 at 05:51 pm 17
this cartoon probably would have been more imediatly understandable if the words at the bottom were at the top of the picture