How to Become a Slightly Warped Cartoonist: Part 5

In yesterday’s post I created a list of ten terms I’d heard in the news and showed how I came up with ideas for the first seven using free association while gag writing.

Today I’m going to generate ideas for the remaining three terms using antonyms (opposite definitions) and carrying ideas to extreme and absurd conclusions.

Term #7: Global Warming

What’s the opposite of global warming? Global Cooling? Nuclear winter? Most people are anti-global warming. The opposite of that would be pro-global warming. Who would be pro-global warming? Someone who’s cold.

Tweak it and I can sell it to a construction magazine,

and a moped magazine

Who would be pro-nuclear winter? Someone who likes snow. Who likes snow? Skiers.

Term #8 Casual Friday

What would the opposite of casual Friday be? Formal Friday. People wearing suits to an office? No. That’s not funny. But if it’s a place where they don’t usually dress up, now that might be funny.

I modified it and sold it to a science magazine.

Being a cartoonist, I dress pretty casually all the time. Frequently I’m in a bathrobe. Can’t get much more casual than that. Or can you? Take the concept to an extreme & absurd conclusion.

Word #9: Workaholics

What’s an extreme workaholic? Someone who works while on vacation? Someone who works while on vacation on a beach? Aha! Someone who works while on vacation on a beach AND dresses for Formal Friday.

What’s the opposite of a workaholic? Somebody who’s unemployed. That’s not funny. Somebody who works, but hardly works. Somebody who hardly works in a place where everyone else is full of energy? Full of atomic energy? Aha! The opposite of that would be …

Term #10: Free-Range Farm Animals

What would extreme free-range cows be? Just how free would they be to range? Would they be allowed to range in the ranch house? Would they be allowed to eat in the house?

Would they be allowed to sleep in the house?

More and more people are raising chickens in cities. What would a free-range chicken in the city be? Aha! Eating beef from non-free-range cows.

Tomorrow’s post will be about creating cartoons using figures from history.

Came in the Middle of the Series? Go to Part 1

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