Cathy is the dumbest comic strip ever...
Scott A Elwood
suffer from anxiety attacks and make a total ass of herself. I would think
that most women would find this strip offensive as it portrays Cathy as an
average woman who worries about little else except how she looks or how much
she weighs or what her boyfriend thinks... etc.
All I know is every time I look at the comic I feel like I want to hurl...
The original poster on this group,
Scott Elwood
Gerson V Koenig
using a thick pen? I can't tell, the art is too lousy!"
Really though, Cathy bashing is almost as easy as Quayle bashing.
Gerson Koenig
gmko...@acsu.buffalo.edu
Karl Wagenfuehr
supposedly draw themselves. I mean, they are cartoons, simple line
drawings. It must be difficult to reduce them any further to get that
realistic child-drawn effect and still retain character recognizability.
The result is usually characters who are able to do an uncanny job
of drawing themselves, becasause despite the obvious primitivism, the
drawing actually look like them. I wish *I* could have drawn myself
that accurately as a kid.
I'm thinking about not only today's Calvin & Hobbes, but an earlier
C&H where Calvin has his father read a story about Barney and his
father, where the drawing of the father by Calvin is also quite
amazing in its accuracy. And Denise The Menace strips where Dennis
draws himself and family with incredible caricature talent.
But if I tyhink about it, these cartoon kids have a terribly unfair
advantage over us regular drawers: they not only have much easier
subjects to reproduce, they also have famous, well-paid artists ghosting
their work! ;-)
--
' ", *
Karl Wagenfuehr , "Weisst du, wieviel Sternlein stehen an dem
wage...@huey.udel.edu , ' blauen Himmelszelt?" --Deutsches Volkslied
'
Karl Wagenfuehr
>Cathy has to be the dumbest strip ever. All she ever does in the strip is
>suffer from anxiety attacks and make a total ass of herself. I would think
>that most women would find this strip offensive as it portrays Cathy as an
>average woman who worries about little else except how she looks or how much
>she weighs or what her boyfriend thinks... etc.
>
priitive drawing style, but the fact that the composition is usually
repetative and uninteresting, and basically the art adds nothing that
couldn't be there is narration.
>All I know is every time I look at the comic I feel like I want to hurl...
>
Go for it!
>
> The original poster on this group,
> Scott Elwood
Sounds sort of like Michael Jackson's
self proclaimed title "King of Pop";
What, are you hoping it'll catch on? ;-)
MORSE,JAMES E
>The result is usually characters who are able to do an uncanny job
>of drawing themselves, becasause despite the obvious primitivism, the
>drawing actually look like them. I wish *I* could have drawn myself
>that accurately as a kid.
Some kids can draw themselves and others well. With Calvin's imagination
and artistic ability with snowmen, I think it's reasonable he's good.
>I'm thinking about not only today's Calvin & Hobbes, but an earlier
>C&H where Calvin has his father read a story about Barney and his
>father, where the drawing of the father by Calvin is also quite
>amazing in its accuracy. And Denise The Menace strips where Dennis
Actually, Hobbes illustrated the Barney story. Hobbes has also drawn
things before, the Calvinosaur, pictures of tigers, hair on Calvin's head...
>Karl Wagenfuehr , "Weisst du, wieviel Sternlein stehen an dem
>wage...@huey.udel.edu , ' blauen Himmelszelt?" --Deutsches Volkslied
Another interesting point was Calvin said in today's comic strip that
he was shocked he had only 4 fingers (or something like that). In all
the strips I can remember, Calvin has always had 4 fingers, counting the
thumb.
___________________
James Morse
___________________
Anne J.R. Nield
of the women I know love this strip. It's really a way to laugh
at ourselves and our own insecurities -- which are legion thanks
to the media portrayal of women. (and our unfortunate acceptance
of same).
And if anyone saw the recent strip concerning, "I type hundreds
of letters for $8 an hour on a $6,000 computer that a $150-an-hour
repairman comes to service..." etc. (there is more...) please be
assured that while many women I work with found it funny, NONE of
them were laughing THAT hard. It was just too close to the truth.
Every woman I know recognizes something of herself in Cathy --
which is why the strip IS appreciated -- and is also a way of
recognizing and "lightening up" about some of the ridiculous
things we put ourselves through -- and that we are subjected to
by others.
I adore "Far Side", "Calvin & Hobbes", etc., but I will never
pass up a Cathy cartoon.
My $0.02 worth.
Anne
Karl Wagenfuehr
>In article <1992Apr26....@acsu.buffalo.edu> v121...@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Scott A Elwood) writes:
>>Cathy has to be the dumbest strip ever. All she ever does in the strip is
>>suffer from anxiety attacks and make a total ass of herself. I would think
>>that most women would find this strip offensive as it portrays Cathy as an
>>average woman who worries about little else except how she looks or how much
>>she weighs or what her boyfriend thinks... etc.
>
>Cathy. I think that Cathy's bundle'o'anxieties really hits home, especially
>with working women. Because many women have confided in me about very similar
>anxieties, I can understand some of the humor (if only from an outsider's
>perspective).
>
Well, I would find that, if true, highly insulting to women, especially
working women. To say working women are that stupid, and that unable to
cope would really be hitting low.
Cathy bothers the hell out of me because instead of dealing with her
problems, facing up to them, trying to find real solutions, she just
rationalizes them away. If her job is such a pain THEN QUIT THE JOB!
If you just have to eat junk food, THEN EAT THE DAMN JUNK FOOD AND TO
HELL WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. If everybody else's opinion counts too
much, then DON"T EAT THE DAMN JUNK FOOD! Make up your mind, damnit!!
If your messy desk bothers you CLEAN IT UP. If you don't like cleaning,
LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT!
We all have to come to grips with who we are and what we do. Cathy is
a caricature of someone who has never faced up to herself in life. If
this is supposed to be what all women are like... well, needless to say
I find Cathy insulting to women, --and insulting to men --and insulting
to dogs --and insulting to anything else that appears in the strip!
>Not that Cathy Guisewite can't take on a male perspective. Try some soul-
>searching after reading a strip that Irving appears in.
>
I've already said I find the strip insulting to men. Irving is this drone.
I cannot picture him as being in any way "real". About the only value
I can see in Irving is that if a woman portrays a man THIS unrealistically,
then I can see why women get upset at men's portrayal of them. But then,
I maintain that Cathy cannot even portray a woman accurately, so the point is
moot.
>Aaack!
>
>As for the artistic quality of the strip, lighten up! This ain't Botticelli,
>ferchrissakes...
>
Didn't he draw fat women too?
Mike Cluff
>Cathy has to be the dumbest strip ever. All she ever does in the strip is
>suffer from anxiety attacks and make a total ass of herself. I would think
>that most women would find this strip offensive as it portrays Cathy as an
>average woman who worries about little else except how she looks or how much
>she weighs or what her boyfriend thinks... etc.
Personally, I have never met a woman (who reads the comics) that doesn't like
Cathy. I think that Cathy's bundle'o'anxieties really hits home, especially
with working women. Because many women have confided in me about very similar
anxieties, I can understand some of the humor (if only from an outsider's
perspective).
Not that Cathy Guisewite can't take on a male perspective. Try some soul-
searching after reading a strip that Irving appears in.
Aaack!
As for the artistic quality of the strip, lighten up! This ain't Botticelli,
ferchrissakes...
******************************************************************************
Mike Cluff *
v22964qs@ubvms or mike%luick@ubvms * All generalizations are false.
UB Language Perception Laboratory *
******************************************************************************
Christine Walsh
"Cathy" CAN be funny every now and then. However, I think that it is
mainly directed at females. I doubt that men would be amused at the shopping
episodes.
My main complaint is that Ms. Guisewite (sp?) gets up and stays on a soapbox
for days. Recently, the secretary character was lamenting the payscale and
social situation of secretaries. Yes, secretaries put up with a lot and don't
get a lot in return. But I only need to hear this once, not for a whole
week.
--
Christine Walsh, (__)
IKEA US Services (oo) Just say Moo
Plymouth Commons, Plymouth Mtg., PA 19462 \/
Audrey R. Forster
>In article <1992Apr27.1...@acsu.buffalo.edu> v229...@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Mike Cluff) writes:
>>In article <1992Apr26....@acsu.buffalo.edu> v121...@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Scott A Elwood) writes:
>>>Cathy has to be the dumbest strip ever. All she ever does in the strip is
>>>suffer from anxiety attacks and make a total ass of herself. I would think
>>>that most women would find this strip offensive as it portrays Cathy as an
>>>average woman who worries about little else except how she looks or how much
>>>she weighs or what her boyfriend thinks... etc.
>>
>>Personally, I have never met a woman (who reads the comics) that doesn't like
>>Cathy. I think that Cathy's bundle'o'anxieties really hits home, especially
>>with working women. Because many women have confided in me about very similar
>>anxieties, I can understand some of the humor (if only from an outsider's
>>perspective).
>>
>Well, I would find that, if true, highly insulting to women, especially
>working women. To say working women are that stupid, and that unable to
>cope would really be hitting low.
>Cathy bothers the hell out of me because instead of dealing with her
>problems, facing up to them, trying to find real solutions, she just
>rationalizes them away.
[solutions to improve Cathy's life deleted]
>We all have to come to grips with who we are and what we do. Cathy is
>a caricature of someone who has never faced up to herself in life. If
>this is supposed to be what all women are like...
This is where I think you've misinterpreted Cathy, and why you find it
offensive... I agree that if Cathy is meant to be what every woman is,
then it is a hideously unflattering view. But I don't think that's what is
intended. Rather, there is something from every woman in Cathy... she
is the sum of our anxieties. I'm not an underpaid office worker (just
an averagely paid grad student :-), and I'm not worried about the
organization of my closet but I do get a laugh everytime Cathy goes
shopping (like the recent women buying a white shirt vs men buying a
white shirt), and many times when she tries to have "meaningful"
conversations with Irving while he wants to watch tv, golf etc. Cathy
is not always funny to me, but hey, neither are Fox Trot or Calvin (my
two favorite strips). But sometimes she's right on the money.
-Audrey Forster Anything can be found in a .sig, the proof is
arfg...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu left as an exercise to the reader.
Mark Rosenfelder
>Cathy bothers the hell out of me because instead of dealing with her
>problems, facing up to them, trying to find real solutions, she just
>rationalizes them away. If her job is such a pain THEN QUIT THE JOB!
>If you just have to eat junk food, THEN EAT THE DAMN JUNK FOOD AND TO
>HELL WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. If everybody else's opinion counts too
>much, then DON"T EAT THE DAMN JUNK FOOD! Make up your mind, damnit!!
>If your messy desk bothers you CLEAN IT UP. If you don't like cleaning,
>LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT!
Karl, if you don't like a comic strip, DON'T READ IT! In capital letters!
The basis for the humor of "Cathy" is its honesty. Cathy knows what she
should do (avoid junk food, bag Irving, etc.), but has trouble doing it.
Most of us can relate to that.
Even in the context of the strip Cathy is more successful than she lets on.
The strip has always presented her as competent or even indispensable at her
job; she stands up to her mother on what's important to her, etc.
>We all have to come to grips with who we are and what we do. Cathy is
>a caricature of someone who has never faced up to herself in life. If
>this is supposed to be what all women are like... well, needless to say
>I find Cathy insulting to women, --and insulting to men --and insulting
>to dogs --and insulting to anything else that appears in the strip!
This is a bit tricky. Perhaps the strip would be insulting if it were written
by a man. But insiders are allowed more leeway to criticize their own group
than outsiders.
Besides, it is you, not the artist, who are equating Cathy with All Women.
The artist certainly does not claim that all women are like Cathy; her friend
Andrea, for instance, is shown as more self-controlled and integrated.
By the way, do you hate Charlie Brown, for being such a loser? Or
Woody Allen? Or Binkley? It's the same style of humor. Of course, it can
be carried too far-- take Jerry Lewis. Please.
None of this is going to make you like Cathy, of course. De gustibus
and all that.
Stephen Wayne Miller
v121...@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Scott A Elwood) writes:
>Cathy has to be the dumbest strip ever. All she ever does in the strip is
>suffer from anxiety attacks and make a total ass of herself. I would think
>that most women would find this strip offensive as it portrays Cathy as an
>average woman who worries about little else except how she looks or how much
>she weighs or what her boyfriend thinks... etc.
You seem to be ignoring the similar jabs at men in "Cathy": about how they
are inconsiderate, ininvolved, etc.
My only problem with "Cathy" involves those stupid McDonald's commercials
awhile back. I can't stand it when a normal cartoon (i.e., not invented
for the purpose of an ad campaign) sells out (I almost said "prostitutes
itself") for ads. Like: Garfield, Peanuts, Cathy, Hagar the Horrible,
etc. Actually, this pretty much goes for most things (i.e., not just
cartoons).
--
__ | Internet address: | "Oh no! Toonces, look out! AIIIEEEE!" --SNL
(_ | ata...@cats.ucsc.edu | "This is only an exhibition. This is not
__)teve | (Delphi: ATARIO) | competition. So please . . . no wagering."
---------+----------------------+ --Late Night with David Letterman
Ren: DON'T TOUCH IT! IT'S THE HISTORY ERASER BUTTON, YOU FOOL!!
Stimpy: Soooo wh-what'll happen?
Ren: That's just eet! We don't know! Mayyyyybe something bad . . . mayyyyybe
something good! I guess we'll never know! 'Cuz you're going to guard it!
Stephen Wayne Miller
gmko...@acsu.buffalo.edu (Gerson V Koenig) writes:
>As somebody wiser than I once asked, "is Cathy really fat or is the artist just
>using a thick pen? I can't tell, the art is too lousy!"
I'd rather have lousy-but-human art than slick-but-corporate art.
Stephen Wayne Miller
wage...@huey.udel.edu (Karl Wagenfuehr) writes:
>In article <1992Apr27.1...@acsu.buffalo.edu> v229...@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Mike Cluff) writes:
>Cathy bothers the hell out of me because instead of dealing with her
>problems, facing up to them, trying to find real solutions, she just
>rationalizes them away. If her job is such a pain THEN QUIT THE JOB!
>If you just have to eat junk food, THEN EAT THE DAMN JUNK FOOD AND TO
>HELL WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. If everybody else's opinion counts too
>much, then DON"T EAT THE DAMN JUNK FOOD! Make up your mind, damnit!!
>If your messy desk bothers you CLEAN IT UP. If you don't like cleaning,
>LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT!
Yeah, that would be REAL funny. Ha. Ha. Ha.
>We all have to come to grips with who we are and what we do. Cathy is
>a caricature of someone who has never faced up to herself in life. If
>this is supposed to be what all women are like... well, needless to say
>I find Cathy insulting to women, --and insulting to men --and insulting
>to dogs --and insulting to anything else that appears in the strip!
Sorry if all us unenlightened, non-self-actualized sub-humans aren't good
enough for you, but most people ARE this way (at least to some extent).
>I've already said I find the strip insulting to men. Irving is this drone.
>I cannot picture him as being in any way "real".
Reality check time! This is a CARTOON. Humor. Comedy. Not
thirtysomething. Not drama.
Karl Wagenfuehr
>
>Yeah, that would be REAL funny. Ha. Ha. Ha.
>
>Sorry if all us unenlightened, non-self-actualized sub-humans aren't good
>enough for you, but most people ARE this way (at least to some extent).
>
Great! Next you'll be telling me most people don't have noses, either.
>>I've already said I find the strip insulting to men. Irving is this drone.
>>I cannot picture him as being in any way "real".
>
>Reality check time! This is a CARTOON. Humor. Comedy. Not
>thirtysomething. Not drama.
>
Thanks for the tip. Now try telling it to Guisewite. And where does it
say that reality has no place in humor? If Irving were an ACURRATE
portrayal of a man, with certain key elements exagerated, then he might
be funny. There's nothing funny about a caricature who fails totally
to evoke anything of the subject he is caricaturing. That's why I don't
like Irving.
And if Irving is really the way most women see men, I can see that the
failure of the sexes to understand each other is fairly mutual. And maybe
there is some good to Cathy after all if it can point this out.
Oh, sorry -- forgot it was just a cartoon; ahem: Ha ha.
David C. Tuttle
>I once read this in National Lampoon's Letters to the Editors section (for
>those of you who don't know, they are fake satire letters):
Yes, that's why they're called "Letters >from< the Editors." :-).
(Or at least they used to be -- they also used to be called just plain
"Letters" sometimes.)
>Sirs-
>Chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp.
> - The third panel of any Cathy cartoon
"Ha ha ha. It's funny because it's true..." -- Homer J. Simpson
(This comment is closed-captioned for the irony-impaired :-)
--
David C. Tuttle d...@odin.mda.uth.tmc.edu
Software Systems Specialist Department of Biomathematics
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Houston, Texas, USA