Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for January 31, 2009

What if someone is neither good nor bad …

That’s right…it’s purely hypothetical and if it happened it was only sort of on purpose.

Calvin is starting on the road to self rationalization. This the start of a process that will lead him some day to be a great politician and leader of a nation. “I did not have sexual relations with that salamander!”

Very hypothetical.

Go ahead, Calvin–poke him with a big ol’ stick. I tripple-dog-dare ya!

How come all the Santa stuff Calvin? - Christmas is now long gone?!

These are repeats. From almost twenty years ago, now. Not quite 1-to-1, though - this one is dated “12-19”.

si_rat: In that case could one expect both a present and a lump of coal?

is that like, “well, yes I meant to do it, but I didn’t mean for all those things to happen after I did it.”?

calvin’s facial exprsions change each panel

He has described himself perfectly - oh, wait, that’s me…maybe everybody?

… Good and bad eh, I suspect the best way to handle the problem then,is to give Calvin the present he most wants, but with an important part missing. …

Sort of like slick Willie, “I never smoked cigars with that women.”

Calvin is having the beginnings of post-traumatic distress under strong mental considerations of previous.. mmm… behavior?

si_rat & Yukoner - Lump of coal wrapped as a present?

That argument won’t work with either Santa or God, Calvin.

For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Romans 7:19

MrBillT says: Sort of like slick Willie, “I never smoked cigars with that women.”

SORT OF LIKE G.W.: “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!”

But really…

That Hobbes is quite the instigator isn’t he?

Was that hypothetical like when he had a bit of bad luck with the car (conversation reconstructed from memory):

Hobbes: “How bad? Could it be repaired?”

Calvin: “If we imagined that we could find the car, we might possibly suppose that it could be repaired…”

(reading from language pamphlet): “¡Hola, senorita! I am el fugitivo.”

Love Hobbes’s face in the last frame there. It’s like he’s thinking “hey buster, i know who you’re talking ‘bout”

Love the way he’s trying to rationalize his inability to rationalize. Anybody remember when he said this?…..

“Should I?—or shouldn’t I? Too late….I DID!”

Calvin sure does worry alot! Just go be a kid! :P

u know from the first “Tried to be Good” i knew he was talking about himself. though i loved the part in panel 4 where he says “This is a purely hypothetical case, MR. SMARTY PANTS” and hobbes face. but really out of a million or ten how many would be like calvin?

Suppose some kids stuffed tiger is real and alive?

hmmm… 364 days of fun and 1 day of coal… sounds good to me! lol

I can remember being seated on Santa’s lap at about age 5 and asked the usual “have you been a good girl?” My response was “most of the time.” Took several years before I figured out why everyone in earshot was laughing.

… Zippy007 says: “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Romans 7:19” EXCEPT when I stop doing the evil I do not want to do. Then it’s all bananas and creme what? …

Fenyugreek Tubbsbottl lll,

If only it was that easy …

There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Romans 3:11-12

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6

Zippy007 says:

Too sad to know how you feel about yourself and others around you.

In the hypothetical case presented, Santa turns the child’s file over to Sinter Klaus and Black Peter. A few presents and a BIG bundle of switches.

si-rat,

The truth is the truth, but there is Good News. If you look past your biases you will notice that I am trying to present this Good News to you- THAT’S what I think of others. You can deny the truth and believe that Christians believe in nothing, but you cannot deny that legitimate Christians care enough to try and share what they know.

Calvin and Hobbes…Two of the greatest philosophers of our time

adjective adverb

Justifying our sin

Justifying One’s sin

Everyone has been both. I suppose Santa measures which happens more, “good” or “bad”. And I’m pretty sure the belief stated that he watched ALL year. Which is creepy.

That last puff of breath fog in panel four looks just like Calvin’s dad. He’s looking to our left.