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Calvin and Hobbes @lemmy.world

MrSebSin @sh.itjust.works

10mo ago

18 April 1987

explainlikeimcalvin @lemm.ee

threelonmusketeers @sh.itjust.works

10mo ago

18 April 1987

45 0

32 comments

Man, this one is going to be so confusing for younger generations who have no idea what "Sears" and "k-mart" are
- I am not American and have never been anywhere close to either of these stores and have no fucking idea what a blue light special or whatever is.
  The good thing about comedy though is that anyone with half a brain can understand the context clues and laugh. The joke isn't about k-mart or sears.
  
  K-mart was a store that wal-mart essentially ran out of business because they sold the same type of stuff, but managed to do it cheaper.
  Back in like the 70's and 80's the store would have a blue flashing light on a rolling cart that the6 would park in an isle where the "blue light special" sale was. It was a goofy thing.
  They also had a thing called "lay-a-way" where you picked out stuff to buy but couldn't pay for. They'd bag up all your stuff and keep it stored away in a room while you came in and made payments on it until it was all paid for, then they'd give you your stuff. Strange times.
  
  Very true lol
- To be fair, they are still around in a heck of a lot of places.
  As old abandoned building husks slowly deteriorating in a very late-stage-dystopia sort of way.
  
  I think K-mart still exists, in Australia (I think run by a different company), and to a lesser extent in the rest of the world.
  Sears is full on dead, though.

This has long been one of my favorites
- It's a thing of beauty!
  I've been enjoying Calvin & Hobbs since they were originally published, yet, this is the very first time I've seen this episode.

For those who weren't around back then, K-Marts literally had a blue rotating light (like what you would imagine on top of a really old police car) up on a rolling cart, and it would get parked in an isle to mark where "the blue light special" sale was.
- Thanks Dad, I was too zoomer to understand
- One of the most bizarre feelings is when things that used to be commonplace are explained to the youts like museum pieces.
  "Now, this is what we used to call a ditto machine. It used chemicals to make good smelling purple copies of things!"
  "These metal rods were called 'rabbit ears'. You needed to position them juuuust right to watch a live broadcast!"
  "It was common for people to have a small circular scar, usually somewhere on their arm, from a smallpox inoculation. But if the scar had a spiral pattern, it came from a playing around with a car cigarette lighter!"
  
  I had an old car with crank windows. A kid asked me what they were for. Got a kick out of that one.
- parked in an isle
  People had to actually swim there? Rough times.
  
  Lol. Ok, my bad. "aisle"
- ..which was the style at the time..
  
  News headline: "old man yells at cloud"

Does the fediverse have any Explain Like I'm Calvin communities?
- There is an explainlikeimcalvin community on lemm.ee
  Edit: it's empty at the moment
  
  Instance agnostic link: !explainlikeimcalvin@lemm.ee
  I guess we should start posting there.
- I really miss r/shittyaskscience on Reddit.
  
  !shittyaskscience@lemm.ee
  Be the change you want to see in the world. Post a question there and see what happens!
- If you actually need explanation:
  Sears: think Walmart but without a grocery section LONG before Walmart. Used to be catalogue only. Big box warehouse basically
  K-Mart is cheap, shitty Target, basically. Always felt that way to me, anyway.
  So the joke is that most normal babies come in a kit from the Sears catalogue (or box store) but Calvin was a cheap, Store-Brand deal that's almost as good for half the price!
  
  Explain like I'm Calvin is a community like Explain Like I'm Five. Only instead of providing a simple easy to understand explanation, it's explained in a silly nonsensical (and incorrect) way. Much like how Calvin's dad often explains things to Calvin.

I always thought that if I were to ever have kids I would have been a dad like Calvin's.
- Well, it'd be great fun for you and your (sometimes imaginary) friends, but it'd make you an awful parent that completely sells off the trust relationship with your child for a few giggles. Ask me how I know. Don't take Calvin and Hobbes as actual parenting advice.
  
  Calvin's dad says the things parents think about saying to their kids sometimes, but the good ones don't actually say them out loud.

Honestly, I'm just not sure why Calvin would get upset

What is sears? What is k marht?
- Sears was a department store. K-Mart was like a Walmart but shittier.

Lay away is actually a lot better that credit

32 comments