|
|
Post by patapin on Jul 3, 2019 12:41:51 GMT
Hello, this strip didn't make me laugh at first.  Maybe we could try to analyse it together? First, I'm not quite sure of "mean". He is bad? Or is he stingy? Then, I can't find any reference to a "Mach Beagle", or a "Macho somebody". have you got a tip? And I'm sure the last box follows from the 2 previous ones. I believe there is a constrast between the tough macho, and his "weapon", that is just a pen. So, tell me, what made you laugh? |
|
|
|
Post by MrB on Jul 5, 2019 13:36:05 GMT
Hi Patapin - good to see that the forum still gets some posts.
"Mean" here means "bad" rather than "stingy". And I would guess that "Macho Beagle" is like "Macho Man", which is what a rough tough, very masculine, man might be called. But I don't know of any specific character that the cartoon might be referring to, which makes the last panel puzzling. The last panel would be funny if there is a "Macho somebody" who carries something that most people would not be able to carry, because it's too heavy or too dangerous, but I think it must be an American cultural reference that is unknown across the Atlantic. Perhaps one of the US forum members has the answer?
By the way - I often find this with your Peanuts questions. Although I am a native (British) English speaker, I still struggle to understand because of the local American references. Truly the US and UK are two countries divided by a common language.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dil Bert on Jul 5, 2019 23:28:12 GMT
And I'm sure the last box follows from the 2 previous ones. I believe there is a constrast between the tough macho, and his "weapon", that is just a pen.
WRT "Macho Man" it was a general term (from at least the 1970's) describing a masculine man. There was also a pro wrestler who had it as his nickname en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Savage
I'm afraid I don't have any real insights on the last panel. If you know the year the cartoon was first published, you might search for that year and the year before and some of the words in the last panel. The general setup reminds me a bit of the modern Chuck Norris meme where he is described as doing things mere mortals find hard to do, such as "Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird."
My best guess would be there was something about felt pen technology at the time (leaking?) which made them bad to carry. At one point they had glass vials holding the ink, for example. www.historyofpencils.com/writing-instruments-history/history-of-marker-pens/ Beyond that, it seems unlikely it's a joke about a dog carrying its own pen (fenced area, not writing instrument) since 'felt' describes the pen.
|
|
|
|
Post by patapin on Jul 6, 2019 8:47:57 GMT
Thank you both for your comments, and your researches. I appreciate very much.  This strip was published in July 1993, and maybe Charles Schulze had just seen the movie "Macho" www.imdb.com/title/tt0107165/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2. I didn't. Well, maybe in 1993, felt pens often linked (or losed their caps in your pockets), and to carry a pen was very courageous! Or maybe, as we think this Macho is tough, we expect him to carry a gun, or a bat. |
|
|
|
Post by Dil Bert on Jul 6, 2019 11:03:13 GMT
This strip was published in July 1993 [...] Hi Patapin,
That's interesting; I had thought the term felt pen was replaced by felt tip pen or marker by that time, but I stand corrected. My guess then is that "Macho Beagle" is a play on "Macho Man Randy Savage" and Macho Beagle carried the felt pen to sign autographs on whatever object fans presented for his signature. Google found references to Randy Savage signing things in black marker. I've read other mentions of celebrities always carrying a marker so they would be able to provide an autograph when asked and not be delayed by the search for a suitable writing instrument.
Feels like there's some specific incident or quotation we haven't been able to find which would make this strip funnier.
Also, this looks to be a good resource even though it doesn't cover this particular strip:
|
|
|
|
Post by patapin on Jul 7, 2019 9:25:43 GMT
FANTASTIC!Thank you very much, Dil Bert, your informations are very precious.
|
|
|
|
Post by dancelover on Jul 10, 2019 15:23:26 GMT
Beg pardon for the delay - I'd had a fever. IMHO, the particular kinds of "bad" that "mean" means here are "cruel" and "nasty." Please note that this does *not* mean that he was not stingy, too. Macho Man is from the Spanish "macho" describing how a Spanish-speaking man feels that he ought to behave. Other people might consider him overly aggressive. IMHO the vital words in Panel 3 are "carried his own." This Macho Person does not use a servant to "add to his consequence" by carrying things. No, he carries his own ... whatever. A One Man Gang, he is! His "whatever" being merely a pen, provides the Humor Of Undercut Expectations. To me, at least. For all that, I do not call it the funniest Peanuts strip I ever read. Dancelover Hi Patapin - good to see that the forum still gets some posts. "Mean" here means "bad" rather than "stingy". And I would guess that "Macho Beagle" is like "Macho Man", which is what a rough tough, very masculine, man might be called. But I don't know of any specific character that the cartoon might be referring to, which makes the last panel puzzling. The last panel would be funny if there is a "Macho somebody" who carries something that most people would not be able to carry, because it's too heavy or too dangerous, but I think it must be an American cultural reference that is unknown across the Atlantic. Perhaps one of the US forum members has the answer? By the way - I often find this with your Peanuts questions. Although I am a native (British) English speaker, I still struggle to understand because of the local American references. Truly the US and UK are two countries divided by a common language. |
|
|
|
Post by Dil Bert on Jul 11, 2019 10:49:11 GMT
Someone proposed having a computer explain cartoons and propose other funny captions would be a good test of artificial intelligence:
|
|
|
|
Post by patapin on Jul 15, 2019 15:57:19 GMT
Hi, thank you for all of you, this was a strange strip.
I believe we can keep the explanation: "He was a Macho, he carried his own..."
And then the last funny word: "pen"
Have a nice summer. (Very hot here)
|
|
Since Sept. 6, 2022, Chiloka has not been reachable. (