Board 8 > ITT the best line in cartoon history

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WhoopsyDaisy
08/25/11 2:31:00 PM
#1:


"Don't you think it's more likely the entire world grew?"
-Patrick Star, after being shrunk by a shrink ray.

Your first instinct is to go "ha ha, oh Patrick. Of course you and SpongeBob shrunk." For most viewers, that's where their processing of this line ends. Patrick has a misplaced confidence in his inflection that's more than enough to carry the naive interpretation and make it funny.

But then you realize that you're calling shrinking two objects more ridiculous than growing everything else. You're saying that one impossible thing is more impossible than another impossible thing. You have a laugh at yourself because you realize that you just bought into cartoon logic as fact.

But then you realize that Patrick was actually right. Or at least, not particularly wrong. The notion of size only really has a definition in terms of other things. All the ray did was change the ratio of the size of SpongeBob and Patrick to that of the rest of the universe. From SpongeBob and Patrick's point of view, are they any smaller? Does it take SpongeBob less time to move his arm from one side of his body to another? Does Patrick all of a sudden feel lighter? No, of course not. Because of the fact that size is a strictly relative measure, Patrick's retort to SpongeBob's claim that the two of them shrunk is actually valid.

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senorhousemouse
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Some_Character
08/25/11 2:34:00 PM
#2:


Expected

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SomeC - sheer explosives since meeting that crazy hobo.
BlAcK TuRtLe grabbed the Guru victory, slow but steady.
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SovietOmega
08/25/11 2:36:00 PM
#3:


WhoopsyDaisy posted...
"Don't you think it's more likely the entire world grew?"
-Patrick Star, after being shrunk by a shrink ray.

Your first instinct is to go "ha ha, oh Patrick. Of course you and SpongeBob shrunk." For most viewers, that's where their processing of this line ends. Patrick has a misplaced confidence in his inflection that's more than enough to carry the naive interpretation and make it funny.

But then you realize that you're calling shrinking two objects more ridiculous than growing everything else. You're saying that one impossible thing is more impossible than another impossible thing. You have a laugh at yourself because you realize that you just bought into cartoon logic as fact.

But then you realize that Patrick was actually right. Or at least, not particularly wrong. The notion of size only really has a definition in terms of other things. All the ray did was change the ratio of the size of SpongeBob and Patrick to that of the rest of the universe. From SpongeBob and Patrick's point of view, are they any smaller? Does it take SpongeBob less time to move his arm from one side of his body to another? Does Patrick all of a sudden feel lighter? No, of course not. Because of the fact that size is a strictly relative measure, Patrick's retort to SpongeBob's claim that the two of them shrunk is actually valid.


When dealing with impossibilities occam's razor helps determine which impossibilities are more likely based on complexity. Is it more likely two people have shrunk or everything else grew? On involves two changes, the other near infinite.

As for the ratio, they would be dead in seconds because they would not be able to breathe the 'huge' air molecules.

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There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out
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Mega Mana
08/25/11 2:42:00 PM
#4:



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Forceful_Dragon
08/25/11 2:42:00 PM
#5:


TBH if something gets shot with a ray of some kind It makes more sense to think that the 2 things being shot are changed rather than everything else in the world that was NOT shot.

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Eff_Dee
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