December 1, 2012

"A touchy subject!"

 

That's a "Calvin & Hobbes" strip from 9/11/92, pointed out by a student in my "Religion & the Constitution" class.

Here's a great tool for finding vaguely remembered "Calvin & Hobbes" strips (if you have a key word). Here are a couple other separation-of-religion-and-education strips, focusing on the Pledge of Allegiance.

Gift idea: "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes." (Generic gift-buying portal for making no-cost-to-you contributions to the Althouse blog: here.)

And thanks to Rusty, commenting in "What sort of man walks the streets of Madison with a camera strapped to his head?": "Meade looks like Hobbes. In Calvin and Hobbes."

21 comments:

Saint Croix said...

"Meade looks like Hobbes. In Calvin and Hobbes."

Glad it's not the other one.

Maybe in a few decades, if goes for that hippie puritan look.

Saint Croix said...

If he goes for that hippie puritan look. Grrrrrrr.

Saint Croix said...

And boy I miss Calvin and Hobbes.

ricpic said...

No church and state separation problem if Calvin sets fire to the effigy of his teacher outside of school.

Eric said...

One of the best gifts I ever received was the complete Calvin and Hobbes.

rehajm said...

We've given the complete works to many different types of people and it's never failed. Makes a wonderful gift. Then next time we'd hit 'em with The Complete Far Side. Both volumes make good bookends, too.

...and I always thought Calvin's dad looked like Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim.

Paddy O said...

Got that book set for my birthday a couple months ago. What a delightful gift indeed.

Got the complete Far Side a number of years ago.

They go well together as the best strips of all time.

The Far Side collection has the better cover art by far.

Bob said...

"Jesus & Mo" is a great cartoon strip for discussing religious topics. It's the only strip I know that disparages Islam as often as it does Christianity.

pm317 said...

Yes, it is a great gift idea. I took a bunch of Calvin and Hobbes books every time as gift to my friend's kid in India. It was much appreciated.

Sunslut7 said...

Ann, has Mead cinsudered using a 'Looksie' camera instead?gooogle Looksie and their web site will detail it.

edutcher said...

I think it was the very secular burning in effigy that was the problem.

Saint Croix said...

If he goes for that hippie puritan look. Grrrrrrr.

Does that mean he'll feel the need to spank her every time she lights up an e-Cig?

Patrick said...

If I haven't said it before, Calvin and Hobbes fits nicely into my theory of parenting. My kids LOVE reading it, so I make them repeat occasionally the mantra: "Calvin is not a role model." Of course, they think this is because Calvin is mischievous and gets into trouble (which is a feature, not a bug for my kids). It dawned on me, however that Calvin is a great role model for kids. He plays, which is more unusual than you might think, if you don't have younger kids. These days, most, or at least many kids have their entire lives meticulously planned out with organized activities, especially sports. Not Calvin. He has transmogrifiers to invent and build, snowmen to make and destroy, and little neighbor girls to feud with.

The series that ends with this strip shows this nicely.

Joe Schmoe said...

Got the complete Far Side a number of years ago.

They go well together as the best strips of all time.


Amen to that. Both are sheer genius, and I was crushed when both strips ceased, although it's understandable that both cartoonists would have a hard time sustaining such a high level of output. I don't know how they did it for as long as they did.

I'll also always have a soft spot for Peanuts, which holds up remarkably well over time.

ricpic said...

These days, most, or at least many kids have their entire lives meticulously planned out...

Ya mean it isn't "Where'd you go?" "Out." What'd you do?" "Nothing." anymore? Poor deprived kids today.

William said...

There's such a huge number of Peanuts cartoons that they can run on an endless loop forever and ever and remain fresh and new. The Far Side and Calvin didn't have such long careers. You have to wait at leat five years before re-reading, otherwise they're stale.

James Pawlak said...

And how do you deal, in your class, with the "free exercise of religion" clause?

Ann Althouse said...

@James We use this casebook. It's great!

Saint Croix said...

Berg was my law professor. He's awesome. McConnell and Berg, that's got to be a fun book.

Goju said...

Loved the Calvinball episodes. Impossible to cheat cuz there are no rules. Calvin's interaction with adults - especially his mom - was some of the most beautifully crafted writing I have ever seen written.

Jim S. said...

Y'all might appreciate the Calvin and Hobbes I have at the bottom of my sidebar on my blog: http://agentintellect.blogspot.com

Freeman Hunt said...

When I was a kid, I was given books of Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and Herman. Anyone remember Herman?