I gave up watching TV more than 15 years ago, and quit reading newspapers some years earlier. (After Bill Watterson retired, what was the point?) But here at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire, we are not totally uninformed. We listen to NPR (National Panda Radio), read The New Yorker* and the Atlantic Magazine. But our favorite source for Nooz Pandas Can Use is the NPR show, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.
* sometimes we even read the articles.
Yesterday, as I was driving around in the cubvertable, one Wait, Wait… segment related a story about how the state of New York was considering (or had already) outlawed the practice of taking selfies with tigers. Now, this story raised many questions, that we felt were not adequately addressed on the show. (We thought about going back and listening to the podcast to see if we had our facts straight, but then we thought, hey! We’re pandas! Since when have we concerned ourself with the facts?)
First, are tiger selfies really such a big problem? and what about enforcement of the new statute? Are they going to staff zoos and other places that tigers congregate to make sure no one takes a selfie with the tigers. Do the tigers get any say in this?
Needless to say, The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire has not shirked their responsibility to fully explore this issue.
Much better to take a selfie with pandas!
Don’t forget to check out pandas around the web!
Kirby Larson’s Kirby’s Lane: Friday June 13, 2014
June 9th on Cordelia Calls it Quits, and
June 11th on Cordelia’s Mom, Still
Pandamorphosis was reviewed by Henry Nicholls, author of The Way of the Panda, on his Animal Magic blog at The Guardian.
Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda
I am laughing so hard tears are rolling down my face, both at NYS (where did this come from? and even more at your cartoon. There were two jerks in Brooklyn Bridge Park the other night trying to take selfies with the opera singers who were doing a concert there. My husband walked up to them and told them that they were getting the “a..hole of the year awards”. They slunk off.
maybe all selfies should be outlawed, or at least selfies that annoy other people…oh wait, that would be all of them.
Huzzah for your husband! maybe we need tigers to patrol the grounds of public events.
Lemmie try this again…laughing my head off at this, both NYS and your cartoon. Love NPR and Wait wait a weekly treat! Years ago there was a memoir by Alexander King called “may this house be safe from tigers” which is what a friend of his used to say when he visited. finally king asked him about it, and the guy said well you haven’t seen any tigers here have you?
Wait, Wait is a treat I wait, wait for (ha ha) all week. I love the little pandas trying to take a selfie. Sometimes I laugh so hard when I am drawing that I have to be careful not to snort onto the paper. Glad this one made you laugh so hard. It’s what I live for.
snort!
actually, if I would get to be a “celebrity guest contestant” on “Wait, Wait”, my life would be complete.
LOL!! How cute are those pandas? I love the shocked panda and then the two of them running off – soooo funny!!
Those tiger fangs are awesome – they remind me of another creature 🙂
I love the 2 pandas running off, too! Really, I can’t make stuff this funny up out of my head. Thank goodness for Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.
My own tiny tiger (aka Mehitabel) thought it was good that a cat got the better of the pandas for once. She would like that to happen more often.
What do we have to do to have Wait Wait acknowledge you?? Hm…perhaps the Cublanta Twinkies, Princess Pinky, Mr. Wu and their parents should all begin a write-in campaign??
Go for it!
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Um… I have a selfie with a tiger. Granted there is a big pane of glass between us!!
personally, if there is a big sheet of glass behind you, I think it’s OK. Don’t know if they will arrest you if you cross into NY State.
Guess I’ll find out when I do my Chautauqua wine trail tour this fall?? But I needed proof that Bugara and I exchange head-boops when I visit with him 🙂
Just keep that glass btween you! And a fake nose/glasses/mustache ensemble will probably keep the officials from recognizing you! #WordToTheWise