Not explicitly, but implicitly. The purpose of the comic was to provide humor, but the environment it was created in also affected the composition of the comic. Our interpretation is from the perspective of those immersed in the current environment instead. The demographics of doctors and veterinarians in 2023 are not the same as they were at the release of this particular Garfield.
Firemen and Policemen are now Firefighters and Police Officers, partially because we now know we can’t assume a person’s gender based on their career. The comic slightly loses fluidity and ease of understanding as society progresses. It’s funny, but it did not age very well.
It took me a minute too, it’s easier to understand if you pretend it’s 1978 and doctors and vets are almost exclusively male.
It only works as a punchline if the vet is male since Garfield is male. It has nothing to do with the demographics of doctors and/or vets.
Not explicitly, but implicitly. The purpose of the comic was to provide humor, but the environment it was created in also affected the composition of the comic. Our interpretation is from the perspective of those immersed in the current environment instead. The demographics of doctors and veterinarians in 2023 are not the same as they were at the release of this particular Garfield. Firemen and Policemen are now Firefighters and Police Officers, partially because we now know we can’t assume a person’s gender based on their career. The comic slightly loses fluidity and ease of understanding as society progresses. It’s funny, but it did not age very well.