squee!
cats vs. dogs: a highly scientific exploration of internet comedy
the internet is truly smiling upon me today, which is why you will find the link section JAM-PACKED with linky business.
for the “highly enriching written portion” of today’s entry, i want to tackle the extremely controversial question on everyone’s minds as the presidential election approaches:
what’s funnier on the internet: dogs or cats?
before i begin, i want to be completely honest with you. i’m not *really* a cat person. i think kitties are ADORABLE and i love to squish them, but after they get big, i’m kinda meh. whereas, even when dogs stop being small and puppy-tastic, they’re still just so friendly and happy and they just WANNA LICK YOU ALL OVER COS THEY WUV YOU! YES THEY DO!
so, yes, i’m biased towards dogs in real life. but i’m also a real scientist, and therefore i can be totally objective in my search for the truth.
First Stage of Research
i compared LOLcats to LOLdogs. dude, is there even a question? lolcats TROUNCE loldogs. of course, one could argue that lolcats has the better writers, but still. it’s the cats who are providing the raw material.
Second Stage of Research
i looked at all of my saved youtube favorites.
number of cat videos: 5 (including winston, my all time favorite)
number of dog videos: 0 (honestly, I AM SHOCKED)
number of baby videos: you don’t even want to know.
Third Stage of Research
i meticulously combed through today’s entries on my favorite blogs and found two references to cat videos and zero references to dog videos.
here are the two cat videos, in order of hilarity:
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KihQpVPo1pM]
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muLIPWjks_M]
basically, after viewing that last video, i knew my study was finished.
Highly Scientific Verdict
on the internet, cats are WAY funnier than dogs.
maybe it’s cos cats takes themselves more seriously; consequently, when they do something silly, like get into a fight with a printer, we find it more amusing than when a dog does the same thing. cos, let’s face it, dogs are ALWAYS doing dumb stuff, so the novelty factor is kinda low. “hey, look at my dog! he thinks the couch cushion is rabbit! isn’t that crazy?!!!” isn’t exactly gonna garner you a ton of views.*
*however, throw in a toddler and you’ve got youtube gold as far as i’m concerned.
Future Frontier for Exploration
videos are one thing, but what happens to *comic strip* dogs and cats when they collide with the internet? obviously, both are entertaining (see: garfield minus garfield and marmaduke explained), but which one is funnier?
well folks, i think that’s enough research for one day.
now i’m gonna go watch that laughing baby video for the sixtieth time.
LINKS
you guys. i have TERRIBLE NEWS. magic island suffered a terrible fire!!! due to an “electrical fire,” which we all know is just a cover-up for some sort of international spy ring conspiracy gone awry. please keep all of those now-homeless magicians in yr thoughts.
in case you haven’t seen it already, tina fey and amy poehler made all of our political dreams come true by apparing as palin and clinton (respectively) on SNL. oh tina fey, why couldn’t you be running vice president in REAL life?!
i just watched this short documentary, “sophie can walk,” about a father who defies all medical wisdom and vows to help his daughter walk within the first year of her life. seriously, WATCH IT IMMEDIATELY. if only for the shot of a baby in a tiny, tiny wheelchair. hilarious and highly squee-able.
if you’re a fan of agatha christie, like me, this news is gonna make you squee!
henri sent me this beautifully-written tribute that sarah hepola wrote for writer david foster wallace, who died over the weekend. i’m ashamed to say that i’m not v. familiar with his work, but jezebel does a good job of introducing him and his incredible, heart-breaking writing here.
this news item reminded me of that buffy ep, where amy’s mom takes on her appearance so she can relive her cheerleading glory days. except that was kinda creepy and cool, whereas in reality, it’s just kind of pathetic.
dude, the changeling looks awesome. and not just cos angelina gets to wear classy retro clothes.
latest “outfits i would kill for” fashion week update: badgley mischka, glammest of the glam. sigh.
book art! yay!
Discussion
11 comments for “cats vs. dogs: a highly scientific exploration of internet comedy”
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I’d read Garfield without Garfield before, but this is the first time I’d seen Marmaduke Explained, and I am glad to have been introduced. Hilarious.
And, no offense, but the cat videos don’t really do it for me. (Although the creepiness of a cat that closes in on you when you’re not looking sounds like a good plot foundation for the next Samuel L Jackson movie)
Personally, part of the reason I like Palin so much is because of how much she reminds me of Tina Fey. (Obviously, I like her for more than that and the Fey/Palin political divide is probably pretty large, but I’d be lying of I said that her Feyosity isn’t a part of the attraction) I can’t stand that they’re making us wait for 30 Rock to start after The Office/Earl. That show can’t start soon enough.
Tina absolutely nailed the Palin impression. I’m fairly certain that the Governor of the Great State of Alaska will get onto SNL at some point in time over the next eight weeks and I’m pretty pumped at seeing her side by side with Tina.
I don’t know how much 30 Rock will keep Tina away from doing impressions on SNL, but I hope she can make it on pretty frequently. It seems like a lot to ask of someone, but we wants it. We needs it.
truth be told, i think we like cat videos better because cats are more like us. They don’t automatically love whatever strokes them on the back. they’re suspicious. you have to earn their love. sometimes they can tell who hates them and they’re hell bent on being with those people. basically cats are just as dysfunctional as people. and so they’re funnier… like we are too.
i lurve cats…
but i love my janie-baby too (my australian shepherd/blue healer mutt).
but zorba’s a bitch (my cat). don’t touch him if you ever come over to my house. lord i love that cat though. and potter. well, he’s just a love bug…
My cats do some pretty darn funny things, especially when they both get going at once. The things they attack or stalk, like a piece of paper, a shoe, a bug, a bag, each other…it’s stinkin’ funny. There have been plenty of times when I wished I had a video camera.
The most recent thing is that Hutch licks Craig’s hair on his head. The cat goes to town and I have no idea why he does this. It’s actually gross, but aren’t gross things funny?!? ha ha.
I love my cats.
http://www.faildogs.com
That’s my contribution to science.
josh, you win the nobel pants. that site is awesome.
Hong Kong Phooey or Heathcliff? Both are cartoons, one is a crime-fighting kung-fu ninja dog that jumps into a filing cabinet. I know, it’s a tough answer.
Cats Don’t Bark. A new animated movie starring the voice of Hilary Swank coming soon to a theater near you or my feelings on the whole Cat vs Dog argument? You decide.
this is a debate of cake vs. pie proportions. but by my calculations dogs win by virtue of their range. cats got no range. dogs win.
you guys are crazy. cats are best. in all ways.
thank you, olivia.
sarah, i agree with your assessment–cats are hilarious because they are so very serious. this is not a GAME, this is YARN. MUST UNTANGLE.
Of course you know my vote..cats all the way!