Humanity is incredibly weird and paradoxical, with us showing a collective lack of understanding of ourselves much of the time. Gary Larson frequently takes aim at that with The Far Side, drawing up hilarious bite-sized comic strips readers can frequently appreciate by pointing out the funny truths about human nature. True to Larson's style, he can even convey this with non-human animals, as seen all across its 15-year run. But The Far Side's funniest comics can sometimes also be just the most true, observing the many flaws or absurdities of humanity while keeping these observations loaded with levity, so it never feels like it goes too far.
Larson's legendary comic strip thus explores bullying and social pressure to conform, humanity's frequently troubling sense of self-preservation, and intrusive thoughts winning battles of the mind. While some of the best of The Far Side has frequently explored potentially humbling or modestly relatable strips like "Midvale School of the Gifted", others expose practically universal truths about the human experience, even if not displayed by creatures resembling humans at all. That's the magic of The Far Side, in that it adds just enough whimsical perspective to make something truly weird, hilarious, and entertainingly true.
There's something to be said about maintaining a professional image while working a job in psychology, especially when dealing with patients undergoing any number of sources of mental distress. But there's never a shortage of jokes suggesting that mask slips when they're "jotting notes" as their patients speak. Doodles of places they wish they could be, mental notes for anything they need to do before they get home, anything would be perfectly unprofessional in the place of a proper diagnosis.
But for this poor patient, the doctor has concluded, in the broadest layman's terms, that there's no sugarcoating or label necessary. It's hardly a helpful diagnosis, and will likely not help the patient in any way whatsoever. But at that moment, the therapist gives in with his intrusive thoughts to say what many might think but not dare put into writing.
Good stories and a life worth living sometimes make the presence of conflict vital, as something to overcome or persist in spite of their presence. For humans, that is the case of jerks, treated as a twisted spice of life in that they inject just the wrong sort of variety into everyday life. A world without jerks can certainly be a wonderful place, but it begs the question whether humanity have a reason to push and rise above its limitations without them. It's hard to imagine a reality without jerks, and whether such a world would indeed be much blander, but they're here now, and show no sign of going away.
An early example of The Far Side's tendency to poke fun at humanity's flaws while acknowledging classic and relatable experiences, particularly for bespectacled people, glasses-wearers can readily relate to finding out firsthand how much damage their eyewear can take.
They'll also, potentially, be stubborn or slow-moving about when they might need a new pair. As embarrassing as it may sound, walking straight into a wall is surprisingly common despite being given prescription gear to prevent these exact things from happening. Given the pile of destroyed glasses to the left, it appears these testers have a long day ahead of them before they settle on the most durable pair.
The Far Side's tendency to go to dark places is well-documented, and even in its earliest year alone, Gary Larson released a mountain of macabre gems.
Sensitivity about one's appearance is a classic example of a relatable human experience, this time reflected in beavers as they share in a round of jeers and taunts toward their peer who sadly has no buck teeth. The lack of subtlety certainly evokes more of an elementary or high school vibe, though, with the bully beavers zeroing directly in on the most noticeable difference. If anything, the funniest bit about this is just the sheer lack of creativity in their insults. But maybe don't put too much stock in that beaver's woodcutting work anytime soon.
Everybody gets a little bit on edge when driving, and the last thing anyone needs in a highway driving situation is for somebody to merge onto the left lane and continue to putter on. The idea of putting them in a special room in Hell alongside terrorists, homicidal maniacs, and other presumable images of classically horrible people is a hilarious touch. For what it's worth, another spot similar to this should go to people dumping a bag full of change at the checkout counter, expecting the cashier to sort what's there for them.
Mocking the human tendency to lean into mischief at any chance given, the idea of rubber bands being brand new, and not immediately turning one's hands into rubber band shooters, feel utterly incompatible. It doesn't matter what line of work one might be in, or whether someone else might even get mildly hurt. People will see the potential for fun at the expense of others and be presented with the option to have that instantly. For the scientist on the right, he simply had to know per the scientific method. It's his job, after all.
When in trouble, humanity activates their fight-or-flight mechanism just as any animal would. But by anthropomorphizing a pair of bears under the gun in this strip from The Far Side, Larson mocks how quickly people will turn on one another. The most tragic bit about this is that the nervously smiling bear is perfectly happy to sell their friend down the river as they look on, utterly unaware of the hunter's rifle potentially being pointed at them next. The worst part for that scapegoating bear is, there's no guarantee, even after the first shot is taken, that they'll be safe. But they'll happily take those odds and make their getaway from there.
