Editing 1635: Birdsong
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | The comic shows [[Cueball]] walking | + | The comic shows [[Cueball]] walking along singing with a bird in the background; Cueball is apparently enjoying the perfect morning and the birdsong. In the next panel, it becomes apparent that the bird is actually singing the words to the song "{{w|Smooth (song)|Smooth}}" ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Whgn_iE5uc official video]) by {{w|Santana (band)|Santana}} featuring {{w|Rob Thomas (musician)|Rob Thomas}}. The bird's singing begins to annoy Cueball, so he chases the bird with a net and attempts to catch it. The bird continues with its song. |
− | The | + | The comic is a play on the words 'bird' and 'song'. Birds, of course, don't actually sing: the sounds they make are territorial challenges, mating cries, etc. But in Western cultural traditions, particularly the pastoral one, imagining these sounds as 'song' is part of seeing nature as beautiful and harmonious. Ironically, the fact that this bird is really singing urban pop music, is perceived by Cueball to be an intrusion. Playing pastoral music to 'reprogram' the bird is of course an even more unnatural intervention - all with the purpose of restoring the pastoral naturalness of the morning. |
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− | The | + | The title text of "reprogramming" the bird by placing it in a box also refers to {{w|B. F. Skinner|B.F. Skinner}} and his development of {{w|Programmed learning|programmed learning}} through his theories of operant conditioning and behaviorism in psychology. By famously using birds in so-called Skinner boxes, he conditioned birds to respond to certain stimuli and expect rewards for particular behaviors, leading to an understanding of many impulsive behaviors in humans like addiction. Cueball apparently hopes to "correct" the bird and its song through this method. |
− | + | Several types of birds can mimic odd and unusual sounds, particularly the {{w|Lyrebird|lyrebird}} of Australia, known to reproduce all types of sounds from chainsaws, barking dogs, and certainly music. | |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:Cueball (singing): The sun is shining, the birds are singing— | :Cueball (singing): The sun is shining, the birds are singing— | ||
− | :[Cueball stops and looks up when the bird above him starts to sing using human language | + | :[Cueball stops and looks up when the bird above him starts to sing using human language, four notes are floating around the text. The text of the bird's song is in ''italic text'' to indicate this.] |
:Bird (singing): ''Got the kind of lovin' that can be so smooth, yeah'' | :Bird (singing): ''Got the kind of lovin' that can be so smooth, yeah'' | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Animals]] | ||
[[Category:Music]] | [[Category:Music]] | ||
[[Category:Songs]] | [[Category:Songs]] | ||
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