the family debacle
By Todd Stadler · Monday, November 19, 2001 3:19pm
Bil Keane, you have gone too far this time!
Like many people my age, I enjoy reading Family Circus. Not because it is funny, and not because I find it delivers poignant messages about life suitable for putting on the fridge. No.
I read it because it's so hackneyed and maudlin that it seems almost self-satirizing.
And then along comes a strip like the one from last Sunday (free registration required to see the cartoon, sorry).
I suppose it's meant to be a heartwarming strip for Thanksgiving, with an enduring message about the simple joys of family during the holidays.
But can anybody possibly read it like that?
I mean, come on! For one thing, I have long struggled with the whole "Granddad's ghost" character. I know he is supposed to be a touching reminder of the afterlife in some vaguely Christian way, but he only serves to upset me.
If indeed he is in heaven, why is he so interested in the goings-on of the earth below? Are the eternal pleasures of being in the presence of God not enough for him? Are we supposed to believe that the souls of the dead would rather watch television than worship their savior?
But even accepting this ham-fisted device, I am no happier with this strip.
For one thing, Granddad has gone from being a mere warmth-inducing spirit to actually appearing to Dolly, distracting her from prayer, no less.
And moreover, this supposed family-friendly patriarch is now avoiding the family at their Thanksgiving meal, eschewing their loving community for a stupid football game. What a nice message that is.
You can practically read Granddad's thought bubble: "When I was alive, I was forced to eat that crummy food and talk to all those blasted kids. But now that I am dead, I can finally watch my beloved football in peace! I'm so glad I'm dead."
Family entertainment, my foot.
So does anybody actually read this strip anymore, then, or are we all going through the motions of reading it as much as Bil is in drawing it? Just wondering.