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Because of this past weekend\u2019s horrific mass shootings at Brown University in Rhode Island and at the Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, we came very close to pulling the following commentary on our 200th caption contest, which featured a drawing by <\/span><\/i>New Yorker<\/span><\/i> cartoonist <\/span><\/i>Liam Francis Walsh<\/i><\/a>. It\u2019s set in a living room, where a nice-looking family is relaxing with their pets. Everyone (the father, mother, young son and daughter, and even the cat and dog and houseplant) is armed with an automatic rifle or handgun, and the dad is speaking.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n In light of recent events, trying to find the humor in a cartoon about America\u2019s gun culture can seem insensitive at best and cruel at worst. We understand that. Nevertheless, we made the decision to feature Walsh\u2019s cartoon\u2014which he first submitted to <\/span><\/i>The New Yorker<\/span><\/i> about ten years ago\u2014weeks before the recent tragedies, and we evaluated the 400 contest entries, chose a winner and five finalists, and filmed our judging process and posted it on YouTube (and I drafted the commentary) before the shootings happened.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Therefore, despite the fact that many of you may understandably feel that this is \u201ctoo soon,\u201d we are running the commentary. Given the heartbreaking frequency of mass shootings, especially in this country, there is probably never a good time to publish a cartoon about America\u2019s obsession with guns, but maybe that\u2019s the very reason such cartoons are important.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n With that said…\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Walsh\u2019s original caption highlighted the fact that guns create a false sense of security because they are themselves so incredibly dangerous: <\/span>\u201cIsn’t it nice to feel completely safe?”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n One of you made essentially the same joke: <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know about you, but I feel much safer.\u201d<\/i><\/b> That\u2019s good, but it would have been shorter and better without the first six words, which are unnecessary.<\/span><\/p>\n The following three captions suggest that the family is interested less in self-defense than in the possibility of a violent confrontation:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n By contrast, this entry suggests the family <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> focused on self-defense (and saving money): <\/span>\u201cThese were cheaper than the fence.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n As a Clint Eastwood fan, I like the way this entry\u2014<\/span>\u201cGo ahead, make my dinner.\u201d<\/i><\/b>\u2014alludes to the classic line (\u201cGo ahead, make my day\u201d) that Dirty Harry delivered while pointing his .357 Magnum at a criminal in 1983\u2019s \u201cSudden Impact.\u201d Changing \u201cday\u201d to \u201cdinner\u201d works perfectly in the context of the domestic setting.<\/span><\/p>\n This next entry suggests the family is seeking counseling from a less than competent professional: <\/span>\u201cI hope our family therapist knows what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The next five captions suggest that the father doesn\u2019t understand that guns pose a far more significant risk to his family\u2019s health than other perceived threats:<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n I like the way that second caption focuses on a small detail in the drawing, but it may be outdated. Comic books haven\u2019t been considered a threat to American youth since psychiatrist Fredric Werthem published <\/span>Seduction of the Innocent<\/span><\/i> in 1954.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m guessing Walsh liked the three captions about screens because he has, on a few previous occasions, mocked our addiction to them:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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