An almost-synchronicity pair from Andréa.
The dog in the Off The Mark could be a boxer, but Grimmy is documented as “a yellow bull terrier”. He’s certainly not old enough to have been in the real, original so-called “Boxer Rebellion” — nobody reading this could be — so this must be referencing the recent famous fashion turn against a certain style of men’s undershorts … mustn’t it?
Comics I Don't Understand 
Speaking of boxer shorts . . .
Maybe it’s just following this line of logic: Boxer Rebellion is something people have vaguely heard of ==> Boxers are people who fight each other, like Rocky ==> Boxer is a kind of dog ==> A dog might get a medal for fighting in a/the Boxer Rebellion
I think SingBill has provided a pretty convincing account of the factors in the Mother Goose and Grimm. Still, it’s a little disappointing to see no connection at all to the historical events that provided that name.
For the Off the Mark it’s the common phrase {and story) of Pandora’s Box, with the word morphed into Boxer, and her dog drawn as a boxer breed (I guess). It seems like a weak analogy though to have the dog barfing as a correlate to opening the box. We not too long ago had a thread on the Pandora story, but for this version we don’t need to wrestle with what it means to find Hope still left behind.
How can anybody be ignorant of the Boxer Rebellion? It was an important reaction of the Chinese against foreign invaders who had humiliated China and divided it into spheres of influence. The western powers further humiliated China after putting down the rebellion. That period still influences Chinese attitudes toward the West today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Rebellion
How can anyone be ignorant of the North-West Rebellion? How can anyone be ignorant of differential calculus? How can anyone be ignorant of covalent bonding? How can anyone be ignorant of Esperanto? It’s because they weren’t told about these things. And for many people, they really have little practical use for that knowledge. And for those of us of a certain age, there was no Internet to look up stuff we might have vaguely heard of. There was school and the library and we’d just have to muddle through.
Are boxer dogs known for bad breath? I don’t think he’s barfing.
Dogs in general are known for bad breath, I thought. And nasty gas too. Agree that it doesn’t look like vomit.
You don’t need to be a boxer to fight in something called a “Boxer Rebellion”, even if that does refer to some sort of dog rebellion. Most fights contain far more varied combatants than just the main opposing parties.
I think SingaporeBill has it, but I don’t think the second part of the logic chain is part of it.
“Dogs in general are known for bad breath,. . . ”
Only if there are dental or health issues.
Or what they have eaten recently.
“I think SingBill has provided a pretty convincing account of the factors in the Mother Goose and Grimm. ”
Yes but…. in all honesty, I wouldn’t have thought any of it was a stretch for a comic strip joke. Much as it pains me, Peter’s made what I think is a perfect valid and reasonable and logical joke (although by no means an inspired joke).
” It seems like a weak analogy though to have the dog barfing as a correlate to opening the box.”
The dogs not barfing. How just has foul doggy breath as doggies are all wont to have. So Pandora’s Box contains evils, Pandora’s Boxer contains … evil breath.
“How can anyone be ignorant of …? It’s because they weren’t told about these things. ”
But we were told of the Boxer Rebellion! Or, at least, we are aware it is a familiar phrase. And as boxers are dogs and grimm is a dog, Grimm claiming to get a medal for fighting in the Boxer Rebellion is a valid joke. That the Boxer Rebellion occured over 100 years ago or 100,000 years ago is utterly irrelevant, isn’t it?
“Are boxer dogs known for bad breath?”
No. It’s only relevant that dogs are perceived in general to have bad breath.
“Only if there are dental or health issues.”
Doesn’t matter about the practicality are actuality of the issue. For the purpose of an accepted trope, dogs having bad breath is a recognizable occurrence.
I just HAVE to reference this: “Dog Breath, In The Year of The Plague” https://youtu.be/qkk6zTscrKA
SingaporeBill & David Steele – I know people who lived through the 1960s and 70s – were never stoned, were old enough to know what was going on – and remember nothing about same.
I am not sure that Robert’s sister and her husband remember that what WWI and II, Korean War and Viet Nam War (and they were definitely of an age to remember things during the last listed) were or when they were.
And since we started reenacting it amazes us how many people of our ages do not remember anything about the American Revolution other than (maybe) there was someone named George Washington. One of the big reenacting jokes – which is unfortunately true – it is not uncommon for families to do reenacting together and they will bring children and babies dressed in period style clothing. People have been known to look at a baby and say “Oh, did they have them back then also?” Generally then they think about what they just said, turn red and run away. (There is also the “Is that a real baby?” comment.)
Addendum – and I hope this coming Boxing day we will be again interpreting an 18th century house at a local restored village at their Candlelights Night event. Missed it soooooo much last December – but any event which can have upwards of 2000 – 3000 people a night walking through the houses, even if they limit the people coming through at a time was too crowded for us.
Just to throw in a cat’s Pandora’s box comic . . .
