# Explain this cartoon to me?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 4, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325 "2013-02-04T18:49:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/41 "2013-02-08T16:50:42Z")

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Vohrstein?

That’s not a word.

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/42 "2013-02-08T18:30:18Z")

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Include me among those who thought it unfunny before _and_ after explanation. The explanations seem to say it’s _not_ funny … and that’s what makes it funny!

But, like the New Direction song _You don’t know you’re beautiful; that’s what makes you beautiful!_ in which the girl can no longer be beautiful once she hears the song, is it perhaps the case that the cartoon can no longer be funny if anyone actually laughs at it?

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/43 "2013-02-08T18:31:42Z")

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> [@septimus](#):
>
> the cartoon can no longer be funny if anyone actually laughs at it?

and no one knows why!

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**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/44 "2013-02-08T19:00:27Z")

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This reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where he dumps a girl because he couldn’t get over how she could actually LIKE a stupid commercial for Dockers Pants

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/45 "2013-02-08T22:49:42Z")

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> [@Infovore](#):
>
> Can someone explain [this cartoon](http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/Aphids-on-the-heliotrope-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i8643039_.htm)to me? Like, what’s supposed to be funny about it?

Gardeners are rolling in the aisles.

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**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/46 "2013-02-08T22:53:13Z")

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> [@septimus](#):
>
> Include me among those who thought it unfunny before _and_ after explanation. The explanations seem to say it’s _not_ funny … and that’s what makes it funny!
> 
> But, like the New Direction song _You don’t know you’re beautiful; that’s what makes you beautiful!_ in which the girl can no longer be beautiful once she hears the song, is it perhaps the case that the cartoon can no longer be funny if anyone actually laughs at it?

So…it’s sort of the Schroedinger’s Cat of cartoons? A quantum comic?

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**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/47 "2013-02-09T00:54:47Z")

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> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> Gardeners are rolling in the aisles.

Heh! Actually, I mentioned this all to my sister, who is a gardener, and she said, “Aphids are not funny!”

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/48 "2013-02-09T04:24:52Z")

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> [@Infovore](#):
>
> So…it’s sort of the Schroedinger’s Cat of cartoons? A quantum comic?

Close. It’s the Epimenedes Cartoon. It’s not funny, which makes it funny, so it isn’t funny, so it’s funny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-cartoon-to-me/649325/49 "2013-02-09T05:59:52Z")

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I like it.

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