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Well, I have to guess these juxtaposed frames are supposed to highlight some similarity?
I don’t see any. Completely different issues are attempted to be equated by the placement of objects? Why not a third panel with a boy handing a rose to a girl in an airplane?
Its like the idiot politicians/activists complaining of the Mexican Border Wall that they don’t want a wall like in Berlin. You see, all walls are the same, aren’t they?
Same issue: we’re being robbed. Panel 2 is a little subtle though. It’s not Big Oil that’s robbing us. Our own Congress created this mess through constraining supply via limits on drilling, no new refineries, allowing a bazillion special fuel mixes to muddy up distribution, etc.
#1 bobbo, perhaps it would be easier for you to see the connection between the two frames with this caption…
“The changing face of highway robbery”
-or-
“Highway robbery, then and now”
Of course, much of the humor is lost when it has to be explained.
#4–Gary, thanks. I saw that but that fits my wall example.
There is no robbery in the second frame. That frame is the customer seeking out the services/products of the gas station–the free market at work.
So–anyone that sees humor here is just revealing their own privileged “me first” bias in thinking the universe owes them cheap gas.
Whats funny is, it ain’t so.
#5 bobbo, I take it you’re not familiar with the common use of the phrase “highway robbery” in the strictly figurative sense. That’s OK — some people think more literally, and I guess you fall into that category.
Just FYI, GALP is the Portuguese Oil company. It’s profits increased twenty something percent over the last year. Which means two things: first, that gas prices are rising faster than oil prices, and second, that gas prices could be 20% lower and GALP would still be making pornographic profits…
Caption for both: “Your money or your life!!!” – the more things change, the more they stay the same !!!
A joke: “Your money or your life!!!” elicited a long pause from Comedian Jack Benny, and when prodded by the robber, he replied: “I’m thinking about it!!!”
>>some people think more literally, and I
>>guess you fall into that category.
Bobbo is the logic fucking MASTER, the Mister Spock of dvorak dot org slash blog.
The 2008 panel should have a drawing of Nancy Pelosi and her gang of thugs in Congress pointing a gavel toward the driver in a menacing manner.
>>The 2008 panel should have a drawing of Nancy
>>Pelosi and her gang of thugs in Congress
>>pointing a gavel toward the driver in a
>>menacing manner.
Naw, it should have Dick Cheney and his Secret Energy Cabal (with their faces blanked out for National Security Reason) pointing shotguns. Some, at each other. Some, at us.
#6–Gary==yes, I got that too, but that humor also relies on a sense of privilege as if the world were not one of limited resources and that we are now paying the piper for decades of lack of planning and governmental incompetency. But indeed, it has been noted that I too often am too concrete in my thinking.
But–sheep are lead to blame oil companies for greed rather than look to themselves for responsibility.
I think I get it, on many levels. Those that are valid, and those that are not.
#11 Mister Mustard, that’s pretty good. I wonder if energy cabals like that ever pay homage to their fallen heroes, like Ken Lay…
#11 – here is my modified and more realistic version of the cartoon.
http://flickr.com/photos/jbenson2/2555320833/
# 1, 5, 12 bobbo,
I don’t think that a sense of entitlement to resources is to blame, bobbo. I think, more likely people are offended at the growing price of a resource that is not in short supply and soon will be manufacturable. I think that people have the right to be offended when competitive business turns into a cartel.
I certainly hope that this comment isn’t misconstrued as an anti-environmentalist post. I don’t think we should be burning fossil fuels any longer than we have to, I just think that unfairly high gas prices and carbon taxes, hurt the poor much more than the rich.
#7
GALP’s net profit margin:
2006 6.18%
2007 6.22%
1st Q 2008 5.07%
The additional income is not going directly to GALP’s bottom line. So far, they’re not performing as well this year as last year.
Hey, it’s a cartoon, not an explanation of the universe. And it’s hardly the first time any of us have seen it or something very similar.
#16–Noel, you have me on the ropes with your excellent post. Course, I was greatly softened up by the dangerous infidel.
Of course, I too was only trying to emphasize the need ((to take the responsibility to)) conserve.
Still at the edge, I believe the superior philosophy is to make oneself responsible for what happens in life rather than try to find blame in other people. That positions you the best to maximize your own position==regardless of what the actual equities might be.
In a world where cartels are common, why the umbrage over just another cartel that was foreseen if not unavoidable for the last 40 years? Buy an SUV?
I checked the picture out==not an SUV or truck==but certainly a one passenger trip.
Last week we went with 3 other people to an event 20 miles away. I offered to drive for everybody but 5 people took 3 cars “just in case” they were called on the phone and had to leave. Nothing specific==just a will towards an independent lifestyle.
They should put a picture of Mr Mustard in the panel, since he wants gas prices even higher.
If gas is a cartel, then why haven’t prices gone up before?
Wouldn’t the second frame imply full service? When was the last time you saw someone getting full service?
>>When was the last time you saw someone
>>getting full service?
It’s THE LAW in New Jersey. I think they also ban pump-it-yourself service in Oregon also.
>>If gas is a cartel, then why haven’t
>>prices gone up before?
Look in the archives here a t D dot O slash B, Einstein. Or read a newspaper, or a book, or turn on CNBC.
It will all become clear to you, with a little research.
Let’s see..MikeN’s been taken care of..bobbo’s sense of humor has been noted as possibly not top notch before…what to say…
Oh..those numbers. In #17. Poor GALP. Tell you what faTTy, I’ll take 5.07% of 100 billion, and you can have 6.22% of…say..66 billion. It’s ok..I don’t mind taking a backseat to a superior mind….you deserve it.
#26
My point was that the whole story should be told. If you talk about profits without talking about margin, you’re only telling part of the story.
I’m not sure what your point is.
Bah. With the same amount of gas that goes into a Honda Accord, I get over 1,000 miles in mixed/mode driving.
Prius Rocks
Only 2 more years left to pay on it, then it’s going to be a Plug-In Hybrid for less than 5k$.
Toyota recently cut the replacement cost of the HV battery, from 6k$ down to 3,300$. Ten year 100k miles warranty on a new battery.
No magic here, only genius engineering.
Producing a new Prius has a carbon footprint about 1000 gallons more than a typical car.
>>Producing a new Prius has a carbon footprint
>>about 1000 gallons more than a typical car.
Care to provide some evidence for that Lyin’ Mike? Or are you lyin’ again?
btw, the footprint is measured in POUNDS, not gallons.
Pony up a link, son. Otherwise, STFU with your idiocy.
>>for a believer, you ask people too much to
>>give you evidence.
Are you really as daft as you seem?
“if the world were not one of limited resources.” the world is not running out of oil. Over half the oil pumps localy are turned off. The owers have made enough money and do not want to pay more taxes. Plus it will be worth more next year because “WE are running out of oil”
#23
The law states that gas stations must only provide full service? In CA, I believe gas stations are required to have at least one full service pump available for ADA purposes but I honestly cannot remember the last time I saw someone actually purchasing full service.
Mister Mustard, MikeN is right, the extra energy required to make a Prius is equivalent to producing 1,000 gallons of gas.
However, another car with poor mileage, dark ages exhaust system, will produce horrible pollution with that 1,000 gallons.
Whereas the Prius was designed to last decades.
Not just the Prius, Honda & Toyota build quality throughout the car. Most American cars priced the same as a Prius/Accord/Camry focus only on the human space.
The rest of car is vastly inferior.
What’s weird is Mazda. From owners, 50/50 love/hate.
An idea on how cheap standard car technology is, look at a Hyundai Accent. Absolutely no innovation, lousy MPG for it’s size, designed from the ground up to be as cheap as possible.
You can buy two Hyundai Accents for one Prius.
When you factor in TCO over five years, 20k miles driven per year, at 4$/gal gas, and buyback, the Prius is cheaper.
Now, MikeN & Pedro, think on that. Two years ago, people were laughing at Prius owners, when gas as 2$ or 2.50$.
What about in two years from now, when gas is 6$/gal? If not in two years, will be in three years.