This cartoon is a good example of how technology has changed. When I first drew this, smartphones were just beginning to replace standalone GPS units. Who would have thought that today, there is such a thing as GPS sheep tracking?
Today, we can track anything, including livestock. Radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology is small enough, we can keep track of and identify an entire flock without leaving the house.
What does an open-door policy do, exactly? I do have one at my work. There are times when I need to close the door for a meeting or to avoid interruptions. And I would say, for the most part, it has been good. But is it always the best policy?
“An open-door policy doesn’t do much for a closed mind.”
Bob Nelson
When I drew this cartoon, My office was a cubicle. Every cubicle worker knows the door is always open when there is no door. Interruptions are the norm. And it has changed the workplace dramatically. If a manager keeps the door closed, they are seen as aloof and unapproachable.
The other day, my seven-year-old niece and her mom were decorating the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music. Santa Baby came on the smart speaker. As my niece listened to the lyrics, she remarked, “That lady doesn’t sound very content!” It was music to my ears because the Sunday school lesson that day was on contentment. Thank you Sunday school teachers!
Four years ago, I remarked how Santa Baby wasn’t my favorite song. It’s a bit strong on the avarice and innuendo. It ranks down there for me with Baby it’s Cold Outside. Come one, people! We don’t want to explain these away to elementary kids. And they definitely should not be in the queue for Sunday morning worship.
I went ahead and redrew the cartoon I did in 2017. I wanted a steadier line and a color version. Thanks to my niece, I was reminded, once again, why I’m not a fan of this little ditty.
Even if it is cold outside, I recommend sticking to a classic such as, Let it Snow.
The cartoons I have posted on my site are considered single-panel gag cartoons by the industry. (Yes, there is still a cartoon industry!) But when memes came along a couple of years ago, I realized the single panel cartoons I have drawn over the years would fit in that category.
The other day, I came across this article that reinforced my conclusion. While it focuses on political cartoons, it also applies to single-panel, gag cartoons.
Technology has made it possible for nearly anyone to make a single panel gag. No, I don’t mean something so bad it gives you a gag reflex! I mean a gag as in a joke.
Thanks to image programs like Photoshop, and scores of others, anybody can take a photo and add a clever quip to it. I realize this may rub many fellow cartoonists the wrong way. After all, today is nothing like the glory days of magazine gag cartoons in The Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, or Esquire. Back then, a magazine cartoonist could earn a living with sales from these magazines.
I don’t think today’s trend is such a bad thing. While anyone can do this, it still takes creativity to match an image with the text. Sure, the cartoon industry has changed and declined. But other industries have gone through similar changes. We learn to adapt and move on.
So a gag cartoon is a meme before there were memes, it seems. It may be strange, but I am fine with that.
A few weeks ago, I was in church singing with the congregation. One song had the lyrics, “We lift our hands in praise.” So I did it. My eyes were closed at the time because, well, that’s what I sometimes do when I get into the music. When I opened them, I was surprised there were just a few others doing what the song says. Scandalous!
This morning, I am probably in church doing the same thing. A few decades ago, I may have been self-conscious about it. Maybe I still am and that’s why my eyes are closed. Regardless, if I am going to sing a praise and worship song, I’m going to do what it says. If I don’t what’s the point?
I drew this cartoon for the September 2019 Church of God Newsletter.