Ray Bradbury Is Another Example

[eskemp]

Sheesh, me and my pet peeves. Anyway, here's another one:

Okay, so apparently Calvin & Hobbes are occasionally being used as the poster kids for Banality. The idea is that you do something like a stuffed tiger thrown out in the trash, or a comic book where Calvin stops seeing Hobbes as alive, or some such. It's terrible and heartwrenching and oh-so-

Comments

[eskemp]

The only thing I remember Watterson saying about Calvin as he might grow up was "I bet Calvin's going to have some trouble getting dates in high school." (This was an editorial comment on one of the "Calvin grosses out Susie at lunchtime again" strips.) Part of that is, yeah, he's building a reputation - but at the same time, it's also acknowledging that he's probably still going to be Calvin, and Calvin will probably be an interesting guy as he grows up (one way or another

[nearside]

The cartoon in question speaks more to me of people's cruelty than banality, but that's probably the "metaplot" behind the strip's creation. That strip is meant to hurt people, so I try not to give it much thought.

I like what you're talking about with Calvin as an adult, passing on Wonder almost virally, perhaps as others would pass on Banality. Perhaps Banality, in terms of C:tD could be classified as the opposite of whatever Calvin had going on in the comics.

[mattboggan]

So Changeling: The Dreaming was a game about imagination and not meant for people with none.

[eskemp]

Hmm. That's one way of looking at it, though I think people with no imagination whatsoever aren't likely to trigger on the game in the first place. (Or even roleplaying games, for that matter

[mattboggan]

In my view of things, people who adhere to dogma (in whatever form) lack imagination. It's easy to adhere to dogma, it eases the difficulty of thinking by yourself, of being creative. Dogma is Banality