CARTOON GALLERY
Feel free to read the following comics. Apart from lightening the atmosphere with their quirky humor, they also serve well in portraying varying viewpoints on TEOTWAWKI. They were fine sources of inspiration for us during the course of our project.
We hope that you will find them to be both fun and thought-provoking. Do spend time thinking and appreciating each cartoon! Although everyone will have a different understanding of the comic, we added our personal comments below each comic so that you can gain an understanding of the way we think about and understand them.
Comment:
The global warming threat is widely-known these days. We are already at the point where we cannot afford to delay preventive measures. But is the world really doing all it can to put such measures into action? After all, the consequences of global warming are a long time in the future. Are humans too superficial to see the need for a solution to the problem? And does this superficiality also apply to other TEOTWAWKIs?
Comment:
Some of you might wonder why we never touched on Biblical apocalyptic scenarios. This comic answers the question for us: it's because we can't do anything about them. In fact, with half the group Christian (Thomas and twins), this was one issue we had to resolve early on. As we wanted our website to go beyond usual educational standards and actually prompt readers to
do something, we chose TEOTWAWKIs that were the most relevant, TEOTWAWKIs that we could help prevent. You probably noticed that we didn't include the popular meteor-crashes-into-the-Earth scenario either.
comment:
There is indeed a true need to take action to prevent TEOTWAWKI. However, what sort of attitude should we have as we are solving these problems? Should we be anxious, fearful and hysterical about these problems?
Personalities
Everyone has a different way of looking at TEOTWAWKIs. For instance, we all have different opinions on how severe TEOTWAWKIs are, how far we should go to stop them, who is responsible for TEOTWAWKIs, etc. The "Viewpoint" section aims to portray all the diverse ways to look at TEOTWAWKI.
To add interest and readability, we have come up 12 different TEOTWAWKI Personalities. You'll find that there is a little of each Personality in you... the question is, how much of each?
The Hysterical One- "argh! The sky is falling!"
True, TEOTWAWKIs are dangerous. Yes, they call for immediate solution. But these guys take TEOTWAWKIs a step too far- instead of staying calm and positive about the future, they're panicky and hysterical. They take the possibility of TEOTWAWKIs, and turn them into certainties in their heads. You call such people 'Hysterical Ones'. In the end, you will find that Hysterical Ones aren't able to do much to help themselves. You will find this Personality on-scene in almost all major crises. And with the magnitude of TEOTWAWKI problems, it's not surprising that some people turn Hysterical when dealing with TEOTWAWKI problems. This is the sort of mentality that Comic #3 portrays, in the Comics section. Do try not to become Hysterical!
The Couldn't-Care-Less Person- "bor-ing"
The Couldn't-Care-Less Person is the Personality opposite of the Hysterical One. People of this Personality may know about TEOTWAWKI, but they don't bother to think about it and its repercussions. It is hard to get such people into action, especially since a significant portion of TEOTWAWKIs will occur only in the distant future and thus cannot really kickstart Couldn't-Care-Less people into immediate action. This Personality views TEOTWAWKI as a irrelevant or unimportant. As a direct consequence, it gets just as little work done as the Hysterical One... but the problem here is too much cool, not too little.
The Know-Nothing- "what's global warming?"
Know-Nothings essentially know nothing about TEOTWAWKI. Still, it is better to be a Know-Nothing than a Couldn't-Care-Less Person; The Know-Nothing is often able to learn more if given the chance. Hopefully, after exploring our website, none of our readers will be Know-Nothings.
The Know-It-All- "in layman terms... layman terms... layman terms..."
Know-It-Alls are often portrayed as being snobby or pedantic, but they are in a good position to take action. The more you know, the more easily you can understand and play your part in solving problems. However, being a Know-It-All doesn't mean that you're automatically doing a lot to help prevent TEOTWAWKIs. On the contrary, you still have to actively seek out your role and work towards it. Know-It-Alls, if Responsible enough, can play important roles in teaching others or taking action themselves. However, some Know-It-Alls feel that knowing about TEOTWAWKI is sufficient, and that they do not have to play a part in taking steps to prevent TEOTWAWKI from happening.
The Shirker- "noo i'm too young..."
Some people understand the need for action, but do not want to do anything for TEOTWAWKI. A great many students today fall into this category. Common words are, "I'm too young," or "I don't have the time..." This mindset is built upon both laziness and fear. The truth is, we can all help in our own ways, without doing too much to break our current routines. For example, science-inclined students can take time to find out more about energy technology. Students who are good at writing can explore topics like protecting the environment in their essays. Taking action is by no means an alien process... so don't be held back by awkwardness or discomfort. Don't be a Shirker!
The Responsible One- "it's our world!"
The Responsible One does all he can to help prevent TEOTWAWKIs. He may not know as much as the Know-It-All, but he always tries his best to help out. In times of crisis as well as peace, this Personality is vital in getting things done. The Responsible One should strive to learn more and to understand the viewpoints of others in order to succeed further.
The Learner- "hmm let me find out more about this"
Some people are curious about everything and strive to find out as much as possible about the subject at hand. Such people are called 'Learners'. Learners make the best students because of their open-minded and inquisitive attitude. Also, they, like the Argumentative Person, seek out points of contention in the things they are taught, but unlike the Argumentative Person, the Learner seeks to learn from the questioning process and does not deny information for the sake of an argument. Learners can become very well-placed to take preventive measures against TEOTWAWKI.
The Argumentative Person- "i DON'T think so"
These people enjoy asserting themselves at the expense of others. The problem isn't that they question conventional knowledge (which is a good habit), but that they refuse to accept conventional knowledge just because it is conventional. Argumentative People will dispute TEOTWAWKIs like global warming for the sake of sensationalism. However, do not mix up Argumentative People with people who genuinely wish to bring up points of contention in order to improve or scrap old ways of doing things.
The Exploiter- "pay 10 bucks to look at Yellowstone Supervolcano!"
Exploiters are people who shamelessly use the TEOTWAWKI problem for personal profit. Exploiters see TEOTWAWKI as an opportunity to satisfy their needs or their wishes. This Personality is usually ruled by his own greed or ambition, and will not help prevent TEOTWAWKI unless it lies in his own interests to do so.
The Underprivileged- "someone help me..."
There are vast numbers of Underprivileged people in the world. While most of us have never experienced major discomforts, the Underprivileged have. They have to deal with starvation and lack of shelter in their daily lives. They are too embroiled in their own problems to actively help to prevent TEOTWAWKI, but they do not help because they cannot, not because they are not willing to. To the Underprivileged person, concepts like economic crisis are distant and far less important than finding food to eat. It is imperative for the better-off to understand the Underprivileged's plight and to extend help whenever possible.
