Most weeks the Friday Sprog Blogging post draws on some conversation I have had with my kids that has something to do with science.
This week, knowing I had a Friday Sprog Blogging entry to write, the younger Free-Ride offspring presented me with a drawing — and with the explicit message that the picture speaks for itself.
My requests for further explanation were meant with a look teetering somewhere between, “Stop teasing me! You can see what this is about,” and “Are you not as sharp as I thought you were?”
They grow up so fast, don’t they?
So you all have to help me to work out what’s going on in the picture.
(I’ll assist by translating the spelled-like-it-sounds dialogue into conventionally spelled and punctuated dialogue.)
I’m sure there’s deep social commentary here, but at this point, even getting the surface meaning would be a step forward.
Ant in Rocket: Can you see I’m going to the moon?
Alien: And besides, I’m going to the moon, too. You can’t go. The moon is my house. What are you anyway?
Ant bystander: Pass the chips.
* * * * *
Is this a symbolic critique of U.S. plans to build a moon base? A suggestion than manned space travel is so 20th century?
And what is the significance of that haunting request, “Pass the chips”?
It’s clearly a call for more human interaction in space, less technological control, more manned posts. The computer on the ISS crashed the other day, which could have been disastrous, as it evidently controlled the oxygen and water supplies.
Hence, “pass the chips”, as in “I’ll take a pass on anything controlled by microchips, thank you very much. I prefer my water and air monitored by an actual carbon-based life form.”
You’ve got the makings of a first-class satirist there.
Actually it looks more like the opening salvo to an ant-alien mini-war, which would indeed be entertaining and a potato-chip-munchworthy event. I’d prefer popcorn, myself.
As all mothers know, the only one who can possibly interpret a kid’s drawing is the kid himself/herself. That’s why we devised the simple statement, “Tell me about your drawing.” And if that doesn’t work, a mom will add “Why did you use green here?”–anything to move the explanation along. My kids are older, and I still have many annotated editions of their drawings (because otherwise I know I could never remember what they said the drawing was about). In fact, the main thing I’ve gained from this blog entry is the feeling that I should be able to work the line “Pass the chips” into many conversations in the future. Good luck.
This is obviously a view into the future. The sun is in a period of high solar activity, as evidenced by the large number of visible sunspots. Humans have become extinct and ants are now the dominant species on the planet. But they are in an interstellar war with aliens who have conquered the moon as a launching post for their invasion of Earth. However, the ants have learned of the secret moon base and are launching a preemptive strike. The ant bystander is looking forward to the watching the lone ant take on the green army and says “pass the chips” because that’s what ants like to eat while watching an entertaining program, much like humans eat popcorn at the movies.
I don’t have sprogs of my own, so perhaps I’m not qualified to weigh in. That lack of expertise notwithstanding, I sense some sibling conflict in this. The ant (both in rocket and as bystander – it’s the same ant at two different times) is the younger sprog, the alien is the elder sprog. The ant decides to go to the moon and informs the alien. The alien (green with envy for not thinking of such a great idea first?) steals the ant’s idea and, even worse, claims the moon as his/her own special home – a place where the ant isn’t welcome. Disheartened, the ant gets out of the rocket and, in true couch potato fashion, asks Dr. Free-ride to pass the chips. (No point in doing anything fun if the alien is just going to ruin it.)
I for one welcome our insect overlords.
By gum, Donalbain, you may be onto something! Perhaps “pass the chips” is a reference to Homer Simpson’s potato chip incident on the Space Shuttle, which resulted in Kent Brockman welcoming the above mentioned insect overlords.
I was going to add “Look out! They’re ruffled!”, but thought that it would make me look pathetic.
We have established in the past that the sprogs read the blog, havent we? Won’t younger offspring be miffed that you have told the world you can’t understand the picture?
And will she comment on this thread to let those of us who are too stupid to understand high art what it is about?
Alright, maybe I’m a bit cracked, but I thought there was an obvious interpretation when I saw it: here we have these numerous, crawling creatures, which are bound and determined to take over every bit of the universe they can stand on, and a poor beleaguered alien that is about to be overrun. But it isn’t all these creatures which intend to overrun the universe. Most of them merely observe with little interest and less comprehension.
Or maybe I’m projecting.