Ready Kids... why is this so funny?

[Richo Rosai]

http://www.ready.gov/kids/

I saw this and I just couldn't stop laughing. But then I couldn't figure out why I was laughing. The crappiness of the drawing? The fact that the DHS made it and couldn't do any better? The idea of kids looking at a family of poorly drawn, painfully generic anamorphic lions and being inspired to make a survival kit? Is it just me?

And hey, for an unexpected twist of topicality, could this be the next Chex Quest?

[Vegeta]

I can't find that funny in any way. Yeah, it's strange, how can you find that funny?

[myk]

I don't know about the drawings, but is it really necessary to prepare kids against the new great flood, nuclear war, alien attacks, and gates to hell opening up?

[Richo Rosai]

Vegeta said:

how can you find that funny?

Um, that's what I was asking.

Internal research is leaning toward boredom and procrastination.

But on second thought, no, it's fucking hilarious. He's peering at you from the darkness like a predator, then he leaps out holding a flashlight in this awkward pose, which they then mirrored on the next page. Why does a lion need a flashlight, or a sleeping bag for that matter?

And why would kids need sleeping bags and canteens when terrorists or God terrorized them? Will the cities vanish? Are they going to have to eat those red mushrooms and clean their assholes with those pine cones up there?

[leileilol]

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/kidszone/

this is better, complete with doraemon ripoff

[Jodwin]

Ugh...furries...

[Mindless Rambler]

Jodwin said:

Ugh...furries...

At least it isn't Cryptokids...

http://www.nsa.gov/kids/

[Sharessa]

Ah yes, the Department of Homeland security is teaching kids about terrorism through furries, bad spelling, and misinformation:

Long ago, Native Americans called giant cats, such as lions, tigers, and mountain lions, the lords of the forest, or catamount (which means "cat of the mountains").

First thing I read on there. Yeah, because the native Americans knew what tigers and lions were. I'm also fairly certain "catamount" isn't a native word. And "Cat of the Mountains" and "Lord of the Forest" are fairly different descriptions. Way to confuse the fuck out of kids, government.

[Technician]

Stick it to em Danarchy!

[Inferno]

This is really a wtf type of thing that normally wouldn't be funny.

But it's true, if you think about it for a minute, that if the government is using this god awful excuse of a survival kit to teach kids, its hilarious at how pathetic the whole thing is.

Failure

[GreyGhost]

Doesn't it make you feel good to see tax dollars being spent so wisely! :D

[AirRaid]

People have been using Anthropomorphic animals since, christ, easily the 30s, maybe before, (Hello, Walt Disney) and I hate how only in the last few years have people started yelling "OMFG FURRY" At every single instance of it. What the fuck people, shut the fuck up.

On topic, the way the thing jumps out at you from the bushes is hilarious.

[Kira]

AirRaid said:

People have been using Anthropomorphic animals since, christ, easily the 30s, maybe before, (Hello, Walt Disney)

Since 'The Fables of Jean de la Fontaine' between 1621 and 1695...

[AirRaid]

I was thinking more, like, regularly.

[Jodwin]

AirRaid said:

People have been using Anthropomorphic animals since, christ, easily the 30s, maybe before, (Hello, Walt Disney) and I hate how only in the last few years have people started yelling "OMFG FURRY" At every single instance of it. What the fuck people, shut the fuck up.

It's not about being anthropomorphic animals, but the way they are drawn. These "lions" are far more furry than any Disney characters that I can think of are.

[Sharessa]

Especially since, considering the art quality, it looks like they picked someone at random off of DeviantArt.

[chungy]

AirRaid said:

People have been using Anthropomorphic animals since, christ, easily the 30s, maybe before, (Hello, Walt Disney) and I hate how only in the last few years have people started yelling "OMFG FURRY" At every single instance of it. What the fuck people, shut the fuck up.

Try ancient Greece, and earlier. Furries have been around for a disturbingly long time

[Bank]

I don't understand why companies are still trying to get to kids using traditional animation and squeaky clean concepts. I mean, I love the 80s as much as anyone else, but it's pitifully ineffective on today's overly cynical and technocentric youth. Honestly if they want to prepare us against tragedy or get kids to join the codebreakers, why not have robots and stylish iPhone using snarky talking slim blazer with hoody wearing yuppies telling them how much the cast of Lost likes preparing for disasters and how if Britney Spears knew how to speak in codes KFed would still be there and she'd be looking after her kids.

[AirRaid]

MikeRS said:

Try ancient Greece, and earlier. Furries have been around for a disturbingly long time

Okay look if you really wanna get fucking pedantic, try Ancient Egypt, 2000 BC. I was making a point about modern culture you idiots.

[deathbringer]

Anything that originates from gamers, xchan sites and ranting web-bigots who read filthy perversion into any innocent cartoon is not "culture"

Anyway

"In 1280, "earthquakes" were called "eorthequakynge"."

OMG, essential survival information. I wish i had known that during the quake last night, then i wouldnt have been, uh, woken up. Also what language is that? because it looks strangely like the modern English word with a few extra letters thrown at it

[leileilol]

well that's just like when in 1280, "Doom" was called "deuueugheoeuuoeuoeeaoeum"

[Richo Rosai]

Ha! Of all the important and relevant (to children) information you could list a random one-sentence paragraph about obscure entomology.

Incidentally, google only seems to give 14 pages for +eorthequakynge, half of which are making fun of the Ready Kids site itself...

[scorpion]

leileilol said:

well that's just like when in 1280, "Doom" was called "deuueugheoeuuoeuoeeaoeum"

I still pronounce it that way.

[Csonicgo]

deathbringer said:

Anything that originates from gamers, xchan sites and ranting web-bigots who read filthy perversion into any innocent cartoon is not "culture"

Oh come on now, you expect me to believe that? yeah the last one I agree with, but "gamers"? what do you mean by this?


how did "owned" get popular, anyway?

[VileSlay]

deathbringer said:

"In 1280, "earthquakes" were called "eorthequakynge"."

OMG, essential survival information. I wish i had known that during the quake last night, then i wouldnt have been, uh, woken up. Also what language is that? because it looks strangely like the modern English word with a few extra letters thrown at it

wow, what a horrible way to phonetically spell out a bastardized version of the old english name for earthquake. that site just failed from page one.

[Inferno]

deathbringer said:

"In 1280, "earthquakes" were called "eorthequakynge"."

LOL

[GreyGhost]

I prefer the old english version - it's more descriptive. Like it's been written by someone during a quake. :)

[deathbringer]

but "gamers"? what do you mean by this?

I mean that videogames are NOT a legitimate art form and do NOT deserve to be considered on the same level as films and books, obviously.

Also "Owned" comes from hackers, when you had hacked into somebody's system it was as if you "owned" it yourself (also for the phreaker's Beige boxes, you could use somebody's phone line as if it was yours). And i beleive "w00t" comes from "root", as in if you hacked right into somebody's system you where in thier "root" and could access everything else from there, but not so sure about that one, it could have just been thought up by... well, gamers.