Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for May 15, 2015
Transcript:
Mom: "Have you noticed how nobody dresses up for anything anymore? People look like slobs everywhere I go" Dad: "Everybody's rude, too. People swear all the time, and you can forget about being addressed as "Mr." or "sir." There's no respect for anyone" Calvin: "How come I gotta change the world?!"
srmcd1 over 9 years ago
Because your parents want to stay frozen in their pasts while getting the respect they seem to think they deserve.
Or something like that…
Either way, they’re both control freaks.
BE THIS GUY over 9 years ago
It has to start somewhere.
Mr Nobody over 9 years ago
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” Attributed to Socrates. Thus have adults have been whining about the “new generations” for thousands of years.
orinoco womble over 9 years ago
I was raised to call men in authority or older than myself “sir” and older women “ma’am” or “miss”. By the time I was in highschool in the Midwest in the seventies, I was repeatedly asked by teachers, etc. not to do it as it made them uncomfortable.
Hmmm. Respect made them uncomfortable? That explains a lot.
Zero-Gabriel over 9 years ago
@Calvin
Just be your REAL/Self.
rentier over 9 years ago
nobody, anybody, noone, anyone, somebody, something, someone, everywhere, everything, nothing, everybody, every…, some…………
rentier over 9 years ago
Yes, yes Calvin, you will have to…..
rickray777 over 9 years ago
Because there is a natural order to what you need to learn, THAT’S why-y-y-y! Yes, it all has to start somewhere; you also need to understand that as a kid in this world, you have very few (if any) rights to speak of.
phylum over 9 years ago
whether it is good or bad..conforming to your parents dress code is a fast track ticket to nerdsville…
Cameron1988 Premium Member over 9 years ago
So this was no different in the 90s of what we’re dealing with today
Cameron1988 Premium Member over 9 years ago
Now you might as well add that a lot of people have several tattoos, and piercings as well
Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
Every generation laughs at the old fashions but follows religiously the new — Henry David ThoreauI’m going to change the world, and all for $14.95. I’m not going to change the world much, but hey, what do you expect for under fifteen bucks? — Jarod KintzYou can’t make footprints in the sand of time if you’re sitting on your butt, and who wants to make buttprints in the sand of time? — Bob Moawad
To view the following strips in the archive and help GoComics generate revenue, please click on the blue archive links below. To view the strips directly, click on the images below or stretch them.Here is an early Peanuts strip that was very funny at the time, because Snoopy was still usually walking on all fours:Peanuts (February 25, 1960)Dilbert (April 22, 2013)Peanuts (April 15, 1995)Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
So, how was today’s older generation viewed by the generation before them? Let’s take a look:While the music is performed, the cameras linger savagely over the faces of the audience. What a bottomless chasm of vacuity they reveal! Those who flock round the Beatles, who scream themselves into hysteria, whose vacant faces flicker over the TV screen, are the least fortunate of their generation, the dull, the idle, the failures . . . – Paul Johnson (b. 1928), British journalist. “The Menace of Beatlism,” in New Statesman (London, February 28, 1964).
Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
Yesterday, Jacob asked, “Hobbes, how do you get a line break in your comments?”@Jacob: To put in a line break, you can hit “enter" at the end of your paragraph, then type<br>then hit “enter” again.
Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
I wonder how many people who are proud that they were raised to show respect to others, always show respect to other drivers on the road and other posters online……..Alas, regardless how we were raised, we all continue to be human.
IndyMan over 9 years ago
Recently attended a celebration of my high school graduation and we were given a tour of the high school principal. I noticed that although we were all older that her, she was always addressed as Mrs. ……… and she addressed us the same way—Sir/Ma’am. Mutual respect in ‘this day in age’ !! ! ! !
chovil over 9 years ago
I agree with the parents, but I draw the line at the tie. What bugs me most is the swearing. I don’t associate with those people. Calvin has already changed the world.
Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
@Mr Nobody: The famous quotation that you cited is often wrongly attributed to Socrates or Plato. Through the miracle of Google, I found that it was actually written in 1907 by a student named Kenneth John Freeman for his Cambridge dissertation. Nevertheless, the quote does illustrate that the problem has gone on for at least a century if not thousands of years.
Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
Most parents deserve respect from their children, but in cases where the parents are truly evil, they do not.See M. Scott Peck’s book, People of the Lie.
Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
Personally, I have never liked being called Mister or Sir by another adult, especially if they are working in a low-paying job. It has always seemed like some sort if outdated class system, whereas I like to think of all of us as equals. And, anyway, it just sounds really strange when someone calls me Mr. Hobbes or Sir Hobbes.
dflak over 9 years ago
It’s called leadership by example. It’s easy to tell someone else what they should be doing. Showing them takes courage and stamina.
Now if mom and dad dressed like slobs, cussed and were rude to other people, then there’s no reason to expect you to do otherwise.
Number Three over 9 years ago
Amen, Dad!Although I don’t really bother to dress up for anything but I’m wearing one of my new tops which is long so I can wear it like a dress.
Wearing that tomorrow.xxx
Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
Thank you, Madam LX013 !
Carl R over 9 years ago
I suspect that in each generation there are some that are raised to be more respectful than average, and for them, when the next generation comes along, there seems to be a big drop, while there really isn’t all that big of a difference. Yes, Hobbes, even some that are raised to be respectful do lose patience at times, whether on the road, or on the internet, or in retail settings, but that doesn’t excuse it. We all could stand to improve at learning to treat others with respect.
Pthhht! over 9 years ago
I worked for a company that suddenly decreed all engineers must wear a tie. I dug through a pile of old clothes and found a tie, placed it through the belt loops on my pants and went to work. Well, they never said how or where the tie had to be worn! They disapproved of it, so I never wore one again.
Hobbes Premium Member over 9 years ago
@QuiteDragon: I saw your comment before it disappeared, so at least you have a witness. Is it possible that you accidentally hit “delete” on that comment as you were scrolling on your phone or tablet? I’m pretty sure that has happened to me with at least one of my comments in the past.
ThumperMcDuff over 9 years ago
For many years I wore suit and tie while “on he job” because doing so seemed to give the impression that I had both the authority and competence to set policy and direct others; the authority was real, but as I look back on those times, the “competence”…maybe not as much as I thought at the time. I used “sir” and “ma’m” with those above AND below me in my organization’s hierarchy. I used the terms as a sign of respect.Now, after more than 20 years in retirement, I still say “sir” and “ma’m” to just about everybody including my two dogs… but I don’t think I even have a suit that fits and I wear a button-front shirt for weddings and funerals only…and if I REALLY liked the person getting married or buried I’d tuck it in.
cosman over 9 years ago
When someone calls me Mr. Cosman, i smile. and say, “i’m sorry, but my father is Mr. Cosman..”
Hunter7 over 9 years ago
Sorry Calvin. But someone must pick up the torch. The spear. The flag. Be the leader. Change the world. It is your turn. Besides you look so cute in your Sunday best clothes.
Susie Derkins :D over 9 years ago
Well, you’ve caused a lot of trouble to other people for the past 10 years.
srmcd1 over 9 years ago
At the end of the day, it’s all subjective.
Humerus1 6 months ago
his parents so mean :(
anagnostopoulos_demetrios 3 months ago
Calvin’s Dad said "Everybody’s rude, too. People swear all the time, and you can forget about being addressed as “Mr.” or “Sir.” There’s no respect for anyone." This coming from the man who makes a scene whenever he goes grocery shopping (“Did the manager have to talk to you again?”) People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. :P
ajm2259 7 days ago
There are so many things to unpack here. I would ask them what they’ve done to earn that respect.Dad’s a lawyer- he should be surrounded by dressed up people much of the time. Also, I would ask if things really got worse, or if they became more aware.