# I don't get this cartoon; please explain. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441 "2017-01-18T02:00:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/1 "2017-01-18T02:00:10Z")
I’m not dense, but I don’t get [this New Yorker cartoon](https://www.instagram.com/p/BPWN917B6LP/?taken-by=newyorkercartoons). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/2 "2017-01-18T02:03:48Z")
It’s the old delaying gratification test given to young children. In Trump’s case, he’d take the one marshmallow. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/3 "2017-01-18T02:46:59Z")
[The Marshmallow Test](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ) (video) [The Mature Marshmallow Test](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQvBrEEYS20) (video) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/4 "2017-01-18T03:11:52Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It’s the old delaying gratification test given to young children. In Trump’s case, he’d take the one marshmallow. Wow, I’m embarrassed. I majored in psychology and took a number of child psych classes, but don’t remember that particular test. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/5 "2017-01-18T03:22:06Z")
Elaine? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/6 "2017-01-18T03:31:44Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Elaine? The pig eats the marshmallow. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/7 "2017-01-18T03:44:52Z")
IIRC, in the 60s tests they followed up on the children. NOT ONE of the children with the self discipline to defer gratification and wait for the second marshmallow had substance abuse problems as teenagers and adults. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/8 "2017-01-18T03:59:05Z")
I normally roll my eyes at New Yorker cartoons. But this one was pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/9 "2017-01-18T04:36:55Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > IIRC, in the 60s tests they followed up on the children. > > NOT ONE of the children with the self discipline to defer gratification and wait for the second marshmallow had substance abuse problems as teenagers and adults. They also did better in school. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/10 "2017-01-18T06:22:20Z")
Shhh-don’t tell anybody but they’ve actually been following up on us for more than 40 years. The last I heard they were doing brain MRIs on some on the kids. Yes-I’m one of the original marshmallow kids No I don’t remember what I did. No they won’t tell us. The original study was actually designed to study the ways in which children distracted themselves. The longer-term follow-up was not originally planned. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/11 "2017-01-18T10:53:50Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Yes-I’m one of the original marshmallow kids And the Sdope wins again!!! Ya ask a question, and 4 hours later ya get an answer from the original source. Man, I love this place 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/12 "2017-01-18T12:35:26Z")
yet another New Yorker cartoon where [“Christ, what an asshole”](http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/06/christ-what-an-asshole-is-only-001-of-new-yorker-caption-contest-subs/) would be a fitting caption. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/13 "2017-01-18T13:07:09Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > No I don’t remember what I did. **Checks username** I can make an educated guess. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/14 "2017-01-18T13:27:43Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Elaine? “I wish I was oranger.” ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/15 "2017-01-18T14:50:24Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > And the Sdope wins again!!! > Ya ask a question, and 4 hours later ya get an answer from the original source. > Man, I love this place 🙂 I remember one time a poster asked a question that had something to do with the old 80’s show: “That’s Incredible!”. Another poster chimed in: “That guy is actually my boss. Let me go ask him real quick.” I got a kick out of that. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/16 "2017-01-18T15:41:08Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I remember one time a poster asked a question that had something to do with the old 80’s show: “That’s Incredible!”. > > Another poster chimed in: “That guy is actually my boss. Let me go ask him real quick.” > I got a kick out of that. [**ducati** and Fran Tarkenton.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=593994&highlight=tarkenton) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/17 "2017-01-18T16:08:45Z")
I “get” only ab9ut half of New Yorker cartoons, but I understood this one immediately, or as soon as I realized it was Trump. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/18 "2017-01-18T16:24:09Z")
I wonder where I fitted in to their marshmallow test, I refused the first one - happy enough to wait, but I also didn’t want the extra one because I hate marshmallows. IIRC they told me that they would only give me one marshmallow having waited and heard my explanation then they asked if I still didn’t like it, so I took it and gave it to a kid next to me, my thought was, you promised it to me and its not right to take it away. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/19 "2017-01-18T16:30:39Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > yet another New Yorker cartoon where [“Christ, what an asshole”](http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/06/christ-what-an-asshole-is-only-001-of-new-yorker-caption-contest-subs/) would be a fitting caption. “The good news is cartoon moose attacks are down 100%.” ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441/20 "2017-01-18T18:58:49Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > And the Sdope wins again!!! > Ya ask a question, and 4 hours later ya get an answer from the original source. > Man, I love this place 🙂 Yes but if you could have waited 8 hours you would have gotten TWO answers from two original sources! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-this-cartoon-please-explain/777441.md?page=2)