Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for July 25, 2023

And 10 years later, every person above 13 will be a videographer.

I think Calvin would also enjoy “Cheaters”. Say what you will, I like it cuz it’s a nice reminder to never date, wed and have a family.

I hate “reality TV”.

Calvin must’ve been watching “America’s Funniest Home Videos”. Ugh!

From Heinliein’s Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), “Humor is something bad that happens to someone else.” ~Valentine Michael Smith.

“Smile, you’re on candid camera” was the slogan of a show in the ’60’s…..

I think it was Charlie Chaplin who said that, “Comedy is when other people step on that banana peel and tragedy is when you step on that banana peel.” ;/

Calvin is wise beyond his years. “Intrusion exploitation and voyeurism all in one” (Waterson) Nailed it!

And keep in mind that this comic was drawn years before there were cameras on every phone.

In a few years, there really would be a reality show named “Big Brother”.

Calvin is precisely at the level of maturity targeted by reality TV.

Calvin speaks truth.

Calvin is wise beyond his years.

We do, too, which is why we like comics.

Reality TV wasn’t even really a thing back when this was written- I’m wondering what it’s specifically referring to! I guess “MTV’s The Real World” was around.

Calvin must be referring to “America’s Funniest Home Videos”. I’ve only seen it once. The studio audience falling out of their chairs, rollicking with laughter at the sight of others getting hurt. Not for me. Although I do enjoy watching “motorcycle wheelie fails” on the You Tube. Hee, hee!

For once, Calvin is right.

State Farm canceled our home insurance because they supposedly sent a drone over our house and said our roof needed replacing. Talk about invasion of privacy. What if we were sunbathing in the nude or some other private personal thing?

Little did Watterson know…

It’s been 1984 for a while now and only getting worse by the day.

I’d love to have a Snickers.

The Count ❤️s it when Calvin channels Rat from “Pearls Before Swine”.

schadenfreude shäd′n-froi″də noun Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. Malicious enjoyment derived from observing someone else’s misfortune. Delight in another person’s misfortune.

If there is an unintentional irony to this particular strip, this was before social media existed.It’s now at least an order of magnitude worse.

Anyone remember Candid Camera?

Just wait, Calvin – you’re going to love the Exploitation Channels……er, I mean TLC and Bravo and ID and all those other channels I skip past on my way to Turner Classic Movies.

Candid Camera began all of this “America’s Funniest Home Videos” stuff.

Think of all the cops that are famous now because of Afroman!!! With out that raid, their lives would have been meaningless, now they will go down in infamy!

Yep… a sadist is being developed by reality TV.

Watching folk’s schadenfreude on tv..better them than..

Schadenfreude rides again.

Sometimes things never change

Imagine his reaction to today’s society with Instagram, Tik-Tok, FB reels etc…. He’d be in heaven.

When the dumbing down of America really accelerated

Something tragically wrong with the business model when the lowest common denominator equals the highest possible ratings and profits.

Funniest Home Videos is mostly people crashing and almost getting killed or hurt bad. I always wonder, what’s the funny part?

Everything has become entertainment; it’s kinda disgusting.

Still topical.

Calvin would probably be a fan of modern reality shows.

I can’t watch stuff like that anymore. Even America’s Funniest Home Videos is just mean pranks now.

None of the would have happened without the advent of cable tv. They had to fill the time with reality shows and never ending news

This 4-panel comic from the ’90s encapsulates so much of the prevalent social media/“reality” entertainment media that exists today…30 years ahead of time…

Calvin is still relevant and timely these many years later.

Calvin, you are shaping up to be a nice little sadist.

Schadenfreude defined…

…..that’s ‘scripted and choreographed’ tradegies.

Calvin’s greatest wish is to grow up to be a Psychologist, ha ha.

Wait until the next step, Calvin—when you forget they’re people! I once had a guy try to tell me about how much he liked the characters on Survivor.

There’s always a market for humiliation.

Well this turned out to be a prescient strip, huh?

the Germans have a word for this: schadenfreude

the pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.

Every 10 year cycle makes Calvin & Hobbes less and less funny, and more and more worrying.

I watched the show once. I was not amused.

I LOVE the way the TV bounces in the first panel. Glorious!

They kid is ideal material for a super villain.