Tuesday, May 13, 2008

I've got to really stop reading the comics

With any luck this will be my last "Ziggy" related post. I realize now that if I keep reading them it will only cause further harm to myself and others. It's sort of like looking at the sun, a brief glance here and there is fine, but you're not suppose to stare directly at it. Every daily panel I read just seems to out "Ziggy" itself in terms of sadness and confusion. If I don't quit now I'll just end up writing blog entry after blog entry detailing my increasing bewilderment and frustration with the comic. My obsession would completely spiral out of control until I eventually suffer a massive fatal aneurysm.

I mean how is any rational individual suppose to experience anything other then puzzlement and stupefaction (let alone "humor") from the following panel?!?:

Why is the toilet talking to Ziggy? What does it mean that he has an email? Why am I reading this?

Much like after watching the movie Hackers, the most obvious fact to draw from this is that the creator has absolutely no idea how computers or the internet works. Adding a "new fangled" sounding phrase like "E-mail" apparently is half the joke; a joke which would have been declared old ten years ago. I then reluctantly, against my better judgment, thought about the possible other half of the joke. Is it saying that because Ziggy just took a dump and it's a high tech Japanese toilet? Maybe Ziggy just dropped his Blueberry in the can? Maybe it's a commentary on the inherent melancholy of the simultaneous combination of ubiquitous mediated communication and the widespread alienation of the modern age? Or maybe it's not the toilet that's talking but, disturbingly, the poop?

These are the questions that need no answers.

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