Clyde and his friend Dabney are homeless and sleep under a bridge.
Clyde contemplates the beauty that exists even within his situation of being homeless in a city. Dabney sees only the stark reality of his existence. Clyde thinks that Dabney is blind to the wonderful richness of their surroundings.
Dabney is realistic. Clyde is mentally unbalanced and delusional. Sadly, this is not uncommon for many of the homeless.
Certainly, “Funny” and “Highbrow” are not mutually exclusive. My favorite comedy involves people who are very smart being very silly, and often that’s the very formula for “Clever”.
I don’t see this strip as being pedantic in that I don’t see it wholeheartedly endorsing Clyde’s worldview at the expense of Barney’s (or Dabney’s). Both Barney and Clyde are exaggerations. The downsides of Clyde’s life are not being hidden from us, and the strip does not seem to be ADVOCATING homelessness. Nonetheless, Clyde being in the circumstances in which he is, has an ATTITUDE of making the best of his situation, of finding the beauty in what other people would see as ugliness. I disagree with jtpozenel’s characterization of Clyde as “deliusional”; he sees evertything that Dabney sees, but he also sees MORE, which Dabney (and perhaps jtpozenel) does not/will not/cannot see.
I don’t foresee that this is a plot development which the cartoonists will pursue anytime in the near future, but if you can imagine Barney following Clyde’s example, throwing away his company and family and living in the park, I can’t imagine that it would be presented as the answer to Barney’s discontent. Likewise, were Clyde to find himself with the responsibilities that Barney bears (a “Trading Places” scenario), I don’t imagine we would find that Clyde is/would be a successful executive.
It doesn’t appear to me that the cartoonists are proposing Clyde’s extreme behavior as the only alternative to Barney’s extreme behavior, simply that there are aspects of Clyde’s attitudes towards money and life that it would do Barney well to consider. If you see that as pedantry, well, so be it. But it’s about balance, as I see it, and Barney’s life is out of balance (Clyde’s too, perhaps, but Clyde is enjoying his life a heck of a lot more than Barney, at this point.)
It’ll be interesting to see how the cartoonists handle Clyde’s response to winter (assuming the setting is a Northern city). I wonder if they’ll go there.
ottod Premium Member about 14 years ago
Great bridge and backdrop.
jpozenel about 14 years ago
Clyde and his friend Dabney are homeless and sleep under a bridge.
Clyde contemplates the beauty that exists even within his situation of being homeless in a city. Dabney sees only the stark reality of his existence. Clyde thinks that Dabney is blind to the wonderful richness of their surroundings.
Dabney is realistic. Clyde is mentally unbalanced and delusional. Sadly, this is not uncommon for many of the homeless.
ComicKazi about 14 years ago
Okay…but is this clever or funny? Or just highbrow and pedantic?
fritzoid Premium Member about 14 years ago
^ Yes, yes, maybe, and no.
Certainly, “Funny” and “Highbrow” are not mutually exclusive. My favorite comedy involves people who are very smart being very silly, and often that’s the very formula for “Clever”.
Ushindi about 14 years ago
We even got to hear about little sister 14 years ago - fits right in there, doesn’t it?
fritzoid Premium Member about 14 years ago
I don’t see this strip as being pedantic in that I don’t see it wholeheartedly endorsing Clyde’s worldview at the expense of Barney’s (or Dabney’s). Both Barney and Clyde are exaggerations. The downsides of Clyde’s life are not being hidden from us, and the strip does not seem to be ADVOCATING homelessness. Nonetheless, Clyde being in the circumstances in which he is, has an ATTITUDE of making the best of his situation, of finding the beauty in what other people would see as ugliness. I disagree with jtpozenel’s characterization of Clyde as “deliusional”; he sees evertything that Dabney sees, but he also sees MORE, which Dabney (and perhaps jtpozenel) does not/will not/cannot see.
I don’t foresee that this is a plot development which the cartoonists will pursue anytime in the near future, but if you can imagine Barney following Clyde’s example, throwing away his company and family and living in the park, I can’t imagine that it would be presented as the answer to Barney’s discontent. Likewise, were Clyde to find himself with the responsibilities that Barney bears (a “Trading Places” scenario), I don’t imagine we would find that Clyde is/would be a successful executive.
It doesn’t appear to me that the cartoonists are proposing Clyde’s extreme behavior as the only alternative to Barney’s extreme behavior, simply that there are aspects of Clyde’s attitudes towards money and life that it would do Barney well to consider. If you see that as pedantry, well, so be it. But it’s about balance, as I see it, and Barney’s life is out of balance (Clyde’s too, perhaps, but Clyde is enjoying his life a heck of a lot more than Barney, at this point.)
rotts about 14 years ago
Nice insights, fritzoid.
It’ll be interesting to see how the cartoonists handle Clyde’s response to winter (assuming the setting is a Northern city). I wonder if they’ll go there.