What's the joke here? Do you have any feelings about it?

-- GregOrr - 09 Apr 2009

In a vacuum, I think this is kinda funny. It's got this "Gee, it was that simple all along" vibe that's good for a chuckle.

Relating it to the class, the first thought that springs to mind is obviously to cast Prof. Moglen in the role of the flying penguin and us pupils as the landlocked crowd. You'd probably have to switch the words to something like "All you need to do is figure out exactly what you want to do and exactly how to do it" though.

So I guess next you'd want to ask yourself how you think the penguins on the ground feel. Maybe they're inspired that something that seems impossible was accomplished with such a basic premise. Or maybe the obviousness/simplicity of the advice in both cases works against itself somewhat because it invites a sort of "well, duh" response that disinclines them to really follow suit. Depends on the state of mind you're in when you look at it.

-- JustinChung - 10 Apr 2009

Thanks, Justin, I like your answer. Anyone see it differently?

-- GregOrr - 11 Apr 2009

I think the joke relates to the traditional cliche: If you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Traditionally, we constrain ourselves to laws of physics, but the cartoon demonstrates that it was just a matter of effort to get these blubbery, aero-un-dynamic penguins to fly.

I actually was reminded of the Obama article where Barack's former classmates were amazed that they were in the same place that they had always been and that Obama had (almost all-of-a sudden) become this extremely powerful, important person. It was as if he was flying and they were still sitting on the ground. To me, it all relates back to the traditional group mentality. If everyone is satisfied with the limitations that society places on us, then society will remain stagnant. But if some of us make the effort for social change (or change in the legal profession), then we might actually achieve things we always thought impossible.

-- LaurenRosenberg - 11 Apr 2009

My wife's friend had a similar interpretation, Lauren, but she resented the sentiment. It struck her as patronizing and unrealistic - penguins are blubbery and aero-un-dynamic, and it's ridiculous to suggest they could fly if only they tried harder! (She's a lawyer struggling at a less-than-elite firm.)

There are a few other interpretations, including the one I suspect was actually intended by the cartoonist.

-- GregOrr - 12 Apr 2009

My reaction was along the lines of "wow, simplicity is best," or something vaguely resembling Occam's razor. Similar to Justin, I was amused at how something so simple could solve a problem so profound. For the split-second between seeing a flying penguin and reading what he was saying, I expected some physics mumbo-jumbo, which would also have made me laugh.

I didn't initially make the connection to our class, but I like Justin's characterizations. But wouldn't that imply that Eben is doing something impossible? In my mind, the next frame of the cartoon is the flying penguin belly-flopping into the sea with his comrades laughing in delight - perhaps my physics background is just over-analyzing a simple cartoon.

-- KeithEdelman - 12 Apr 2009