In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the tusks are looser.
Stolen from the Marx brothers movie, “Animal Crackers.” as was the elephant in my pajamas joke.
But how do you get down off an elephant?
You don’t: you get down off a duck.
Yeah, I was wondering about the “Officer Potus” thing as well.
Alternatively, the whole “Officer Potus, the friendly police officer who proposes ‘compromise’ in which the crocodiles just get to eat your leg instead of devouring you entirely” could also be a political dig from someone who is disappointed with Obama from the left and thinks he’s far too centrist and too inclined to compromise with the (stupid yet ravenous) Republicans (the crocodiles)–Tom Tomorrow rather than Mallard Fillmore.
Or we could just be reading tea-leaves here–the strip has never really seemed political to me from any direction. I really don’t know.
I love this joke, and I love to tell it to my second-grade students.
First, though, I have to explain to them what “down” is.
The joke falls flatter than someone trying to get down off an elephant.
I looked at the cartoons in question. I’m a big fan of clever sub-text, but whoever thinks this is a geopolitical comment regarding Israel and Palestine has far too much time on their hands.
I think Pastis is being deliberately ambiguous. He got us talking about his comic strip, didn’t he?
My brother and I used to discuss his characters. I think he writes a scene straightforward and then rewrites, altering it to make sure we can’t peg his thoughts based on his characters. He certainly stereotypes crocodiles though.
Yeah, but no one over-analyzes comic strips the way Dopers do. It’s really an art form the way some create hidden context out of whole cloth around here.
When I was in second grade, I thought it must be some pun on the verb “to duck.” I think I went about two more years before I finally understood it.
What the hell, you asked:
Zebra = Donkey = Democrats
Potus = Elephant = Republicans (Or moderate Republicans)
Crocs = Vicious, bloodthirsty killing machines = Muslim Extremists or the Far Right.
You connect the dots…
Here’s the link to the school bus strip. Click on the strip to enlarge:
I’m certainly open to the possibility that there’s no symbolism or implied commentary, and that I’m imagining things. It’s happened before.
I note, however, that prior to the appearance of Officer Potus, I NEVER thought for a second that Zebra and the crocs were a metaphor for ANYTHING. I figured the crocs were chasing Zebra for the same reason that Tom chased Jerry and Elmer Fudd chased Bugs Bunny and Sylvester chased Tweety: because it was funny.
Even now, if the policeman had been named Officer Jones, I wouldn’t have inferred any deep meaning. I’d have assumed this was just another dopey lawman in the Keystone Kops mold.
“Potus” is a name that makes one think of the President. And Officer Potus’ idiotic method of diplomacy (telling the victim to try to be more cooperative with those who are trying to kill him) made me think of Israel.
I could be waaaay off. If you think I am, feel free to say, “It’s just a silly cartoon, dude.” Or “No, I think Pastis means something else, like __________.”
I did think of the Israeli/Arab thing but I didn’t pick up on the “Potus” name. The character seemed to me to be vaguely like a sterotypical British Bobby, all laid-back politeness.
Link is to a long article so I’m not sure what you’re referring to. If you mean the British were cynical pragmatists when it came to occupying their colonial empire and ruthless in suppressing dissent, then I’ll point out I did say “stereotypical”, and Bobbies in Britain itself can hardly be compared to colonial troops.
They issued a white paper to create a state for the Jews and renigged before 1947.
Reneged. The misspelling took me aback for a second…
Ah, thanks!
I, too, was wondering about the name “Potus”. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered that as a name before, and if I’m not mistaken, most of Pearls before Swine’s characters are just named according to species, or with normal first names if necessary for disambiguation (like “Larry Croc”). “Officer Elephant” wouldn’t have seemed out of place, nor “Bob Elephant” or the like. But the only place I’ve ever seen “Potus” is as an acronym for “President of the United States”.
This seems like a bad idea on Pastis’s part. I look at today’s strip and wonder
Who’s Rat representing? Haliburton maybe? Is McZeeba’s really McDonalds and somehow involved in the Middle East situation?
I liked the comic better when it was just funny.
I think it’s just funny today.