History Headscratchers / CalvinAndHobbes

** When people in-universe find a character hilarious or quirky, it's like a comedian laughing at his own jokes. There's also the risk of making Calvin look like a JerkassSue. At least by calling him out all the time, it keeps Calvin's character grounded.

*** Also, to be totally fair to Miss Wormwood, she doesn't really seem to play favourites from what we can tell; she's definitely jaded, but all up she seems fairly reasonable and fair if looked at neutrally (let's be bluntly honest here; Calvin usually deserves it when he gets in trouble with her).

*** That's a rather condescending thing to say; the macabre isn't the only form of creative expression. You don't have to be "creatively sterile" or lacking imagination to find the idea of living next to / opposite a house where grotesque massacre scenes start springing up everytime it snows to be rather unappealing.

*** Favoritism isn't unheard of, no, but TeachersPet is a trope, not an unbreakable universal constant. Sometimes even the TeachersPet gets on the teacher's wrong side. And it's not like Susie is constantly sent to the principal's office, it's like once or twice in the entire run of the strip. It's not ''that'' big a mystery, it's just something that happens on rare occasions. Miss Wormwood might like Susie, but she is also fair and willing to punish her if she feels it's merited. Again, that also happens.

*** Favoritism isn't unheard of, no, but it's not an unbreakable physical law of the universe either. Sometimes even the TeachersPet gets on the teacher's wrong side. And it's not like Susie is constantly sent to the principal's office, it's like once or twice in the entire run of the strip. It's not ''that'' big a mystery, it's just something that happens from time to time. Miss Wormwood might like Susie, but she is also fair and willing to punish her if she feels it's merited. Again, that also happens.

*** Favoritism isn't unheard of, no, but it's not an unbreakable physical law of the universe either. Sometimes even the TeachersPet gets on the teacher's wrong side. And it's not like Susie is constantly sent to the principal's office, it's like once or twice in the entire run of the strip. It's not ''that'' big a mystery, it's just something that happens from time to time. Miss Wormwood might like Susie, but she is also fair. Again, that also happens.

** We should remember that technically speaking Hobbes does not "insult / hurt her along with his friend"; most of the time, when Suzie is present and interacting with Calvin, Hobbes is in "stuffed toy" mode, so is merely a passive witness to what is going on at best.

** As with the immediately above Headscratcher, this is at least partly explained by the fact that the characters around Calvin have to put up with him for much longer than the reader does. The reader finds Calvin charming, his arguments erudite and compelling, his creative endeavours awe-inspiring and inspirational, and so forth, because they only have to put up with them for upwards of five-ten minutes a day if so they choose through the distance and remove provided by viewing his adventures on a sheet of newspaper, the page of a book or the screen of a computer or phone. The other characters, meanwhile, have to deal with Calvin, in person, in their world, on a daily basis. They have to stand there and actually listen to Calvin constantly coming up with long-winded, self-serving and slightly pompous arguments for why he's the centre of the universe and should be able to do whatever he wants without fear of repercussion. They are constantly inconvenienced by his works of "art" which are often impractically large, macabre and mildly-to-moderately destructive. They are forced to put up with him disrupting their jobs and lives because what's going on doesn't happen to interest him personally and therefore can't possibly be of any value to anyone else. They have to watch on every time he chucks a wobbly whenever the universe doesn't treat him fairly, or even if it ''is'' treating him fairly but he merely perceives it to be otherwise simply because it isn't showering him with endless rewards merely for existing. In short, they have to routinely put up with him almost constantly being a massive hyperactive self-centred pain-in-the-ass who frequently runs around leaving chaos in his wake, and unlike us they don't have the option of turning the page or closing the book if ever he starts to grate. It's fine for us to condemn them for not appreciating Calvin's genius; but frankly, if we had to put up with Calvin and his ways for even half the time that the characters who interact with him have to, there is a greater-than-zero chance that we the reader would come to regard him as a rather insufferable little shit as well.

** Also, let's be honest here. We interact with Calvin for the length of time it takes to read three to nine panels of a comic a day, which is what? Five to ten minutes? Sure, under those circumstances Calvin is endearing. In Calvin's world, his parents, teachers and classmates have to interact with him on a frequent basis, over which the personality quirks we find endearing can quickly become insufferable. As for his snowmen, he's definitely got talent, but they're also frequently grotesque, macabre, inconveniencing (at least one of them prevents his dad from being able to drive to work) and generally more of an annoyance they would be to the person seeing it in a comic strip who doesn't have to deal with it. Again, we can appreciate the talent and artistic qualities because we don't have to live with it; for Calvin's parents, it's just another headache their let's-face-it-a-bit-of-a-pain-in-the-ass kid has caused them.

** As above, this is at least partly a result of the fact that the characters around Calvin have to put up with him for much longer than the reader does. The reader finds Calvin charming, his arguments erudite and compelling, his creative endeavours awe-inspiring and inspirational, and so forth, because they only have to put up with them for upwards of five-ten minutes a day if so they choose through the distance and remove provided by viewing his adventures on a sheet of newspaper, the page of a book or the screen of a computer or phone. The other characters, meanwhile, have to deal with Calvin, in person, in their world, on a daily basis. They have to stand there and actually listen to Calvin constantly coming up with long-winded, self-serving and slightly pompous arguments for why he's the centre of the universe and should be able to do whatever he wants without fear of repercussion. They are constantly inconvenienced by his works of "art" which are often impractically large, macabre and mildly-to-moderately destructive. They are forced to put up with him disrupting their jobs and lives because what's going on doesn't happen to interest him personally and therefore can't possibly be of any value to anyone else. They have to watch on every time he chucks a wobbly whenever the universe doesn't treat him fairly, or even if it ''is'' treating him fairly but he merely perceives it to be otherwise simply because it isn't showering him with endless rewards merely for existing. In short, they have to routinely put up with him almost constantly being a massive hyperactive self-centred pain-in-the-ass who frequently runs around leaving chaos in his wake, and unlike us they don't have the option of turning the page or closing the book if ever he starts to grate. It's fine for us to condemn them for not appreciating Calvin's genius; but frankly, if we had to put up with Calvin and his ways for even half the time that the characters who interact with him have to, there is a greater-than-zero chance that we the reader would come to regard him as a rather insufferable little shit as well.

* Something regarding the nature of the comic strip; it seems as though some of the characters (and setting in general) are prone to contradictions in one way, shape or form. To name a few examples, [[TheBully Moe]] is acknowledged as [[HateSink a character you're expected to despise]] because he bullies Calvin yet we're still supposed to consider Hobbes [[DesignatedHero a likable protagonist]] [[MoralDissonance even after he does the same]], who in turn [[DependingOnTheWriter can go from voice of reason to childish bully deliberately getting a rise out of his best friend]] and so much more (see the folder regarding his random personality), Susie doesn't think highly of Calvin for his attitude, misbehaviour and such [[HairTriggerTemper but all it takes is even a failed throw of a snowball or water balloon to send her into a seething rage]] [[DisproportionateRetribution and clobber him to a pulp]] etc. As for the setting, its morality is inconsistent. Calvin, [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist the naughty, impulsive and selfish brat we know and love]], is the only character who ever seems to [[LaserGuidedKarma get his just desserts]], namely when he does something wrong just before bad things happen to him. Meanwhile, Hobbes can [[KarmaHoudini get away with bullying]] [[WithFriendsLikeThese his own friend]] without provocation [[MoralMyopia even though he should comedically suffer as a consequence by the logic of how Calvin is treated]]. Similarly, anyone else can get away with inflicting it upon Calvin (even when he did little to nothing wrong). The question is, was there some sort of deeper meaning or complexity to it that Watterson intended for and I could never quite grasp?

** As above, this is at least partly a result of the fact that the characters around Calvin have to put up with him for much longer than the reader does. The reader finds Calvin charming, his arguments erudite and compelling, his creative endeavours awe-inspiring and inspirational, and so forth, because they only have to put up with them for upwards of five-ten minutes a day if so they choose through the distance and remove provided by viewing his adventures on a sheet of newspaper, the page of a book or the screen of a computer or phone. The other characters, meanwhile, have to deal with Calvin, in person, in their world, on a daily basis. They have to stand there and actually listen to Calvin constantly coming up with long-winded, self-serving and slightly pompous arguments for why he's the centre of the universe and should be able to do whatever he wants without fear of repercussion. They are constantly inconvenienced by his works of "art" which are often impractically large, macabre and mildly-to-moderately destructive. They are forced to put up with him disrupting their jobs and lives because what's going on doesn't happen to interest him personally and therefore can't possibly be of any value to anyone else. They have to watch on every time he chucks a wobbly whenever the universe doesn't treat him fairly, or even if it ''is'' treating him fairly but he merely perceives it to be otherwise simply because it isn't showering him with endless rewards merely for existing. They are forced to deal with the aftermath of what is, to them, a hyperactive child running around wildly leaving mess and chaos in his wake. In short, they have to routinely put up with him almost constantly being a massive self-centred pain-in-the-ass, and unlike us they don't have the option of turning the page or closing the book if ever he starts to grate. It's fine for us to condemn them for not appreciating Calvin's genius; but frankly, if we had to put up with Calvin and his ways for even half the time that the characters who interact with him have to, there is a greater-than-zero chance that we the reader would come to regard him as a rather insufferable little shit as well.

** As above, this is at least partly a result of the fact that the characters around Calvin have to put up with him for many more hours of the day than the reader does. The reader finds Calvin charming, his arguments erudite and compelling, his creative endeavours awe-inspiring and inspirational, and so forth, because they only have to put up with them for upwards of five-ten minutes a day if so they choose through the distance and remove provided by viewing his adventures on a sheet of newspaper, the page of a book or the screen of a computer or phone. The other characters, meanwhile, have to deal with Calvin, in person, in their world, on a daily basis. They have to stand there and actually listen to Calvin constantly coming up with long-winded, self-serving and slightly pompous arguments for why he's the centre of the universe and should be able to do whatever he wants without fear of repercussion. They are constantly inconvenienced by his works of "art" which are often impractically large, macabre and mildly-to-moderately destructive. They are forced to put up with him disrupting their jobs and lives because what's going on doesn't happen to interest him personally and therefore can't possibly be of any value to anyone else. They are forced to deal with the aftermath of what is, to them, a hyperactive child running around wildly leaving mess and chaos in his wake. It's fine for us to condemn them for not appreciating Calvin's genius; but frankly, if we had to put up with Calvin and his ways for even half the time that the characters who interact with him have to, there is a greater-than-zero chance that we the reader would come to regard him as a rather insufferable little shit as well.

** While Calvin cares about random imagination and running around with Hobbes over making friends with other kids, Susie probably cares more about academics and achievements rather than making friends. Besides her schoolwork, she's into everything from piano playing to lacrosse.

** As above, this is at least partly a result of the fact that the characters around Calvin have to put up with him for many more hours of the day than the reader does. The reader finds Calvin charming, his arguments erudite and compelling, his creative endeavours awe-inspiring and inspirational, and so forth, because they only have to put up with them for upwards of five-ten minutes a day if so they choose through the distance and remove provided by viewing his adventures on a sheet of newspaper, the page of a book or the screen of a computer or phone. The other characters, meanwhile, have to deal with Calvin, in person, in their world, on a daily basis. They have to stand there and actually listen to Calvin constantly coming up with long-winded, self-serving and slightly pompous arguments for why he's the centre of the universe and should be able to do whatever he wants without fear of repercussion. They are constantly inconvenienced by his works of "art" which are often impractically large, macabre and mildly-to-moderately destructive. They are forced to put up with him disrupting their jobs and lives because what's going on doesn't happen to interest him personally and therefore can't possibly be of any value to anyone else. It's fine for us to condemn them for not appreciating Calvin's genius; but frankly, if we had to put up with Calvin and his ways for even half the time that the characters who interact with him have to, there is a greater-than-zero chance that we the reader would come to regard him as a rather insufferable little shit as well.

** As above, this is at least partly a result of the fact that the characters around Calvin have to put up with him for many more hours of the day than the reader does. The reader finds Calvin charming, his arguments erudite and compelling, his creative endeavours awe-inspiring and inspirational, and so forth, because they only have to put up with them for upwards of five-ten minutes a day if so they choose through the distance and remove provided by viewing his adventures on a sheet of newspaper, the page of a book or the screen of a computer or phone. The other characters, meanwhile, have to deal with Calvin, in person, in their world, on a daily basis. They have to stand there and actually listen to Calvin constantly coming up with long-winded, self-serving and slightly pompous arguments for why he's the centre of the universe and should be able to do whatever he wants without fear of repercussion. They are constantly inconvenienced by his works of "art" which are often impractically large, macabre and mildly-to-moderately destructive. They are constantly frustrated by him disrupting their jobs and lives because what's happening doesn't happen to interest him personally and therefore can't possibly be of any value to anyone else. It's fine for us to condemn them for not appreciating Calvin's genius; but frankly, if we had to put up with Calvin and his ways for even half the time that the characters who interact with him have to, there is a greater-than-zero chance that we the reader would come to regard him as a rather insufferable little shit as well.

** As above, this is at least partly a result of the fact that the characters around Calvin have to put up with him for many more hours of the day than the reader does. The reader finds Calvin charming, his arguments erudite and compelling, his creative endeavours awe-inspiring and inspirational, and so forth, because they only have to put up with them for upwards of five-ten minutes a day if so they choose through the distance and remove provided by viewing his adventures on a sheet of newspaper, the page of a book or the screen of a computer or phone. The other characters, meanwhile, have to deal with Calvin, in person, in their world, on a daily basis. They have to stand there and actually listen to Calvin constantly coming up with long-winded, self-serving and slightly pompous arguments for why he's the centre of the universe and should be able to do whatever he wants without fear of repercussion. They are constantly inconvenienced by his works of "art" which are often impractically large, macabre and mildly-to-moderately destructive. It's fine for us to condemn them for not appreciating Calvin's genius; but frankly, if we had to put up with Calvin and his ways for even half the time that the characters who interact with him have to, there is a greater-than-zero chance that we the reader would come to regard him as a rather insufferable little shit as well.