Does Not Illustrate: Obfuscating Insanity

A man in a mushroom hat talks about a rock. How does that entail "pretending to be crazy"?

Previous thread. I'll go Keep Until Better Image Suggested, since there's definitely insanity but the clothes and beard suggest he's intelligent. It's a very weak keep, but the image isn't harming the page.

I think he's got a sharp look in his eyes, actually. Could just mean further insanity, but I wouldn't discount something else.

Keep Until Better Image Suggested.

edited 30th Sep '12 8:16:17 AM by AnotherDuck

Actually, I can't see any insanity there.

Agreed.

Here I disagree. I think he looks sufficiently out there to at least illustrate insanity.

How exactly?

The mushroom hat?

edited 30th Sep '12 8:32:32 AM by Telcontar

A character speaking about a rock like some sort of a relic, wearing a mushroom and tacky clothes, and an almost as tacky chair tells me the artist wants him to look insane.

Very weak for me. There are just too many reasons for that.

I think it is (usually, but especially here) important to consider the caption: "Is it a magic rock?" "Not that I know of."

Which...adds absolutely nothing.

Please phrase your response in the form of a question.

"What do you think that adds?" It adds that the rock is not magic. It would be less insane if it was not just a rock.

edited 1st Oct '12 10:38:54 AM by rodneyAnonymous

Either way, even if it's weak, is it misleading and thus actively harms the page? Otherwise there's no reason to pull it. I've also not seen any suggestions for a better image.

I can see the crazy (and I think the caption definitely adds to that effect), but not the pretending. "Has a beard and a robe and therefore looks intelligent" is not something I can agree with. Looks simply loony to me.

I'm not even sure it means the guy in the image is insane. Consider:

"This was your father's rock."
"Is it a magic rock?"
"Not that I know of. We're not even sure why your father was obsessed with it. Still, he left it to you in his will, so... here you are."

Being unfamiliar with the source material, there's not really a whole lot that says it couldn't have immediately gone in that direction, making the old man perfectly sane. (The mushroom hat, while unusual to us, could just be the normal fashion in-context.)

Better than nothing, however? Yes.

edited 1st Oct '12 12:16:13 PM by ShadowHog

I didn't mean that settles it, just that it's supporting evidence. There are several scenarios where that's not insane if you don't know whether the rock is magic, but fewer if you know it's not.

Instead of debating whether or not the current image is either completely bad or acceptable until we get a new one, how about we look for a new one that's actually good?

This discussion reminded me of an old doodle I did in high school.

Will this do?

That's a vast improvement over the current.

That's very good; definitely prefer to the current. I am also slightly worried about your sanity now.

What can I say? Boring classes drive me to . . . let's call it whimsy.

Would've preferred something from an actual work, but that is pretty fantastic.

Well, if you like, you could call it a troper work.

Also, I forgot my suggestion for a caption: "Works every time."

@Malchus: Love that one. Definitely better than the current one.