HUMBLE CITY, UTAH-- Humor is usually a godsend, because laughter heals the soul. But not so in Humble City, where the collective works of Gary Larson, creator of the humorous cartoon series The Far Side, have been banned. The residents of this pious city routinely organize book burnings, where they can cleanse the community of material considered heretical and unwholesome.
These residents burn several of Gary Larson's The Far Side books at this burning.
"These irreligious illustrations should not be allowed to be seen by our impressionable children," said Maggie Runyan, concerned church-going parent, referring to the collections of one-panelled comic drawings that once appeared daily in thousands of newspapers. "God did not intend for cows to talk or walk on two feet, and our youngsters should be spared having to see this flagrant flaunting of a preverse Nature that subverts rather than serves mankind."
Mrs. Runyan was shocked that the comics convey an evolutionist attitude, often depicting prehistoric man in foolish, blasphemous situations.
"The whole premise of Mr. Larson's material is ridiculous," said Albert Michaels, a Humble City resident. "How can anyone possibly lose a giant squid, and then find it at the local dog pound? And what about those dogs driving around in cars? At least with Peanuts you know [Snoopy] is only fighting the Red Baron in his head."
Not everyone agrees with the city-sponsored book burnings, held twice a year at the "Old-Time Christian Revival, Hymn-Singing and Book-Burning" festivals at Greenway park, just across from City Hall.
"What these people are doing is censorship," said Kyle Barnett, a local citizen and The Far Side fan. "This is an abuse of free speech, and it's wrong. Now if they were burning Dilbert books, it'd be a different story."
"They're fearmongering," said another resident, who asked for anonymity for fear of reprisals. "They're afraid that one day they'll come home and find their dogs and cats sitting around the dinner table playing poker."
Support for the ban and the burnings is strong and most citizens have been convinced that Larson's provocative hand-drawn images are profane and recidivistic.
"God is portrayed as a gameshow-playing, planet-collecting prankster," said Ethel Moresby. "Is that right? No. And Hell is not a place where lemonade is served, and the condemned souls are free to tease the Devil by tampering with the thermostat. These comics are blasphemous and should be condemned to fire."
"He who destroys a good book, kills Reason itself, and kills the Image of God, as it were," preached Kyle. "And they'd also kill the image of God like in that one funny Far Side comic... the one where God is wearing oven mitts and He's baking the Earth in a cooking pan."
This is blown way out of proportion. Did you look at the chops, chin and mid-drifts on that bunch? This is just a simple case of a bunch of friends firing up the grill (oversize of course) for a mid afternoon snack.
Corvette Store
(O/T) Has Censorship gone mad?
