The comic above may look familiar. It was originally published in 2008, and it’s long been one of my favorites, so I thought it deserved a fresh view.
Seeing Bigfoot and a space alien at the same moment would be as overwhelming as it would be hilarious. I added to it the popular social phenomenon of offering to take photos of strangers.
Making the offer when there is nothing in it for you is an act of altruism, and giving your phone or camera to a stranger requires trust that they won’t just run away with it. That combination of generosity toward our fellow humans always gives me hope for our species.
Here’s a funny, true story from my life that partially inspired this cartoon:
I was leaving a restaurant one evening many years ago, and a family group of 6 or 8 people was standing outside getting ready to take a picture to commemorate the occasion. A man walked out of the restaurant and generously asked the photographer if she’d like him to take it so she could be in it. She enthusiastically accepted his offer and handed the camera to him.
As he prepared to snap a shot, another person exited the restaurant and asked him the same question. “Would you like me to take that for you, so you can be in it?”
Hilariously, the original impromptu photographer said, “Sure,” handed him the camera, and walked off down the street.
The look of utter confusion on the second volunteer photographer’s face was priceless.
Here are two more of my cartoons that were inspired by that experience.
English (US) · 