Once you’re finished reading Seamus Rothsteinwitzberg’s socio-economic criticism on the plight of the female characters in Wes Anderson’s films that come out in years that end with an even number on the New Yorker‘s website, here’s something fun to do instead.
In the classic Seinfeld episode, “The Cartoon” (written by former-Six Feet Under writer/current Girls producer Bruce Eric Kaplan), Elaine submits a caption for a New Yorker cartoon, one that she later realizes she subconsciously lifted from Ziggy. (Oh, Elaine, will you ever win?) The picture shows a pig at a complaint department, and the caption reads, “I wish I were taller.” It’s better than Jerry’s “I can’t find my receipt, my place is a sty,” but nowhere near as good as Kramer’s “My wife is a slut.” Now that’s a complaint.
Now the New Yorker is giving you a chance to caption the photo yourself — if they like your entry, it’ll be published in the magazine. Like Elaine, I’ve been staring at that damn pig for hours now and I’m shooting mental blanks. At one point I thought having the caption be from the POV of that distracted woman on the escalator was comedy gold. It was not. But I want us to win this thing, though, and by “us” I mean the editors who will steal your good ideas. Because all I got is, “I’m curly, you’re straight, what’s the problem?” So…go.
