Editing 1753: Thumb War

{{comic
| number    = 1753
| date      = October 31, 2016
| title     = Thumb War
| image     = thumb_war.png
| titletext = "Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty--" / "Can't we just read Pat the Bunny?"
}}

==Explanation==
Two small children, one a small [[Black Hat]], sitting among their toys are playing {{w|thumb war}}. This is a common game for children, in which two players hold hands and attempt to pin each other's thumb down. The game is often started with both players chanting "one, two three, four, I declare a thumb war." In some variations, the chant continues counting up by an additional set of four, with a rhyme. Once the opening chant is complete, the game consists of trying to pin the opponent's thumb down. A pinned thumb must be held down for long enough to complete a count of four, or to complete the closing chant, "one, two, three, four, I won the thumb war".

The standard concept is subverted here: Young Black Hat interprets the simulation of hand-to-hand combat with thumbs differently, comparing it with real conflict. He shows this in further lines, invented by himself.

The second rhyme, "finger guns proliferate," is a pun on the {{w|finger gun}} gesture and describes {{w|Small arms trade|small arms proliferation}} - the spread of black-market weapons which often comes with war as captured and smuggled guns make their way into the hands of paramilitary groups. Black Hat transfers this into the "thumb war universe", introducing finger guns into the thumb-to-thumb combat. 

The third rhyme continues the counting until twelve and mentions {{w|Digit (anatomy)|digits}} as in fingers, and states that they cannot protect themselves. This may be implying an imposition of {{w|Gun control|firearms regulation}} or {{w|arms control}} as a response to the small-arms proliferation in the previous verse, or the defenseless nature of noncombatants in war.

In the last line Black Hat states that, even though this thumb war goes on and on, the "thumb U.N.", the thumb war universe equivalent of the {{w|United Nations}} (UN), won't intervene. In real life the UN would try to put an end to a given war by using diplomatic power and has the mandate of using (blue-helmet) peace forces in war zones to put an end to violence and give out a mandate to nations so that they can intervene in some crisis on their own behalf.

The thumb war game in Black Hat's version is instead a quite cynical portrayal of our world, criticizing the "might is right" mentality that is the sad reality of our globe, and the government of the world by the militarily strongest nations.

The other child, who will someday turn into [[Hairy]], meanwhile, is unnerved by all this and wants to stop playing. Since Hairy is just a normal child he is really not interested in Black Hat's realistic version of what a war really is. 

In the title text it seems like Hairy interrupts Black Hat's last rhyme after twenty, and finishes with his own rhyme, with "Bunny" ending in the same sound if you pronounce twenty like "twunny" as in some parts of the world. So it goes like this:
:Black Hat: Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty
:Hairy: Can't we just read Pat the Bunny?
Thus Hairy requests that they do something more appropriate for children, like reading a picture book - specifically, the "touch and feel" book for small children and babies known as {{w|Pat the Bunny}}. It isn't clear what Black Hat would have said if not interrupted, but if twenty was indeed pronounced so as to slant-rhyme with bunny, one possibility is, "I'll annex your entire country," (which could conceivably be followed by, "Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four. You're not sovereign anyone.").

This is the second time a young Black Hat has been used. The first was in [[1139: Rubber and Glue]]. Black Hat has continued to make Hairy uncomfortable even as an adult, for instance in [[1210: I'm So Random]].

==Transcript==
:[Two children are sitting on their knees between a toy truck to the left and five building blocks to the right; three square blocks are stacked in a precarious tower and to the right of the tower there is one more square block which has a rectangular block leaning on it. Both children have lots of hair but the child to the left has a black hat on, so they are possibly young versions of Black Hat and Hairy. They are sitting across from each other with one hand touching the other's hand. Their thumbs can be seen sticking up above their hands.]
:Black Hat: One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war.
:Black Hat: Five, six, seven, eight, finger guns proliferate.
:Black Hat: Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, digits can't protect themselves.
:Black Hat: Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, thumb U.N. won't intervene.
:Hairy: I don't want to play with you anymore.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Kids]]