I probably single out Jeff Koterba more than his fair share in my bitterly jealous professional criticism of other cartoonists, but I recently saw this cartoon and solicited opinions from people on what they thought it meant (because I was stumped).
In this space used to be a cartoon. On the left, there are two girls with caps and gowns on, with one saying “And what happens when we flip the tassel to the other side?” Then on the right, a bunch of graduates are (presumably deliberately) flying through the air. No explanation given.
Or you can see the cartoon here.
Here are some of the responses:
“It means they are reaching for the moon but even if they miss they will land among the stars!!!”
“I think it means they are leaving the state after they graduate.
Or it’s Hillary Clinton and she’s a witch that can fly without the use of a broomstick.”
“It’s fairly obvious that the people on the right are either angels or ghosts. So it must mean that your life is over once you graduate from college.”
“It means if you graduate … you get to soar above all the poor poverty-stricken people living in Lexington.”
“The cartoon says that college degrees give you superpowers, for which the tassles are the source. He might also be advocating drug use.”
“What happens when you flip the tassel to the other side? You set off the catapult you’re standing on, obviously.”