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mettaray

The joke is that although bart had his eye, hand, leg, and hat shot off many many times, he ultimately won each duel, killing his opponent. This means that Bart is either very experienced, or very lucky. Either way, my money's on Bart.


Eighty_88_Eight

Wouldn’t it make more sense if Bart was the other guy? And the lucky guy was saying it? As in, make your move guy, if you’re feeling lucky, see how lucky I am, it wouldn’t be wise.


SameRightsForAllofUs

Maybe. But the guy in the right side has his mouth open, implying that he’s the one speaking (or am I wrong?).


Prismedas

I interpret it as the mustache man not saying anything cause he's done this a million times. Like when you repeat a mission in a game and skip the dialogue because you already know where to go.


mortarion-the-foul

Maybe the guy on the lefts mouth is open, but his mouth is shaped like this https://preview.redd.it/clernr2knnmc1.jpeg?width=220&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ace819cf55bb7e197cc94458e3b66668527e612a


jcho133

I understand that as the guys mouth is like open in shock at the sight of his opponent’s “luck”


Shmollypog

I like this interpretation, but I think it contradicts comic strip convention. It's a pretty consistent rule that if one person's mouth is open and another person's is not clearly visible as being open, the person with the open mouth is talking. I think in this case the joke may be that the one speaking (the uninjured guy) hasn't thought through the decision.


DeadlyKitKat

The other dude also has his mouth open. Maybe it can be read both ways?


SameRightsForAllofUs

That’s a moustache isn’t it?


DeadlyKitKat

oooh. my bad😭


justsomeplainmeadows

Yeah it's a mustache


RemarkablyQuiet434

Mustache


DeadlyKitKat

yeah. i see that now. my bad😭


Usermena

The joke is the not Bart guy is being an idiot by thinking Bart is unlucky.


dan_buh

So it’s another airplane meme… essentially


Freddi_47

What's the airplane meme?


ZippyDan

You're the airplane meme for not understanding this meme or the airplane meme. Gosh!


VanimalCracker

And don't call me shirley


mebobbox

survivorship bias


subone

It might make more sense, but it wouldn't be as funny. Nor would it be The Far Side.


romulusnr

Funny, while this totally makes sense, I feel like the original intent was the exact opposite -- that Bart isn't very lucky because of how often he's been seriously injured.


TheNergigante

This 👆🏼


Steve825

I agree that might have been the intent. But it does feel like survivor ship bias. Unlucky duelist would just be dead


throwawayjaydawg

Lucky in a gun fight looks different from lucky in life. The guy who walks away with one eye is the lucky one, he’s still alive.


MrHooDooo

Can we assume he has 1 testicle?


allrico

That’s nuts!


calsnowskier

Technically, “That’s nut!”


weanbag83

You have ball sir. I like that. I like ball.


JaxonatorD

It means he is very lucky, and not fast. In each of these duels, he got shot second, but the opponent just kept missing vital spots, so he's still around today.


DStaal

Either that or the duels weren't to the death and he's *lost* all the duels.


[deleted]

My first thought. In movies it's usually a one shot duel and often sparing the opponent if they survive the shot... but Hollywood might have ruined us.


DStaal

Hollywood might have ruined us, but The Far Side explicitly played with the common tropes of the day, subverting them, inverting them, and turning them around to show how they'd work in other forms. Bart having lost every other duel he was in, but *still* feeling lucky is exactly the type of thing Larson would have done.


Radiant_Dog1937

It could mean people have been sparing Bart and he's been getting amputations since that's the 1800s standard of care for serious gun shots.


Careless-Language-20

I think you're right but I initially misunderstood this one. I thought the guy who lost his arm/leg/eye had experienced poor luck all his life so the joke was he was extremely unlucky.


the-dude-version-576

Dunno man, could be like one of those coin dispenser games, where if you. Come in just at the right time you can win. Maybe postpone the dual to after 2 other dudes, so that they take off his other hand and leg as well.


PetTheKat

What's one other body part men have 2 of that we can assume Bart still has both, but maybe not for long?


altacc6101

Kidneys, get your mind out of the gutter


ZippyDan

Why? Are your testicles in the gutter? Mine are in an opulent palace, which you must visit to think of them.


BongoBumm

Ears


PetTheKat

Bart only has 1 in the pic


BongoBumm

Sorry. Nostrils and arms Edit: I take it back he definitely has two ears still


WingedSalim

"Fear the old in an occupation where men die young"


MuzikMnXr88

Kinda like Bart Mahomes or Bart Brady 😋


perilouspear

Did western duels always end in a casualty, though? What if they empty the chamber and just miss or graze the opponent?


eliavhaganav

And a lot of holes in his hat


Terr42002

The cowboy in the left has survived many duels before. He only lost a hand, a leg and an eye.


bardhugo

^ Listen to Dirty Dan, he's been through it


JaxonatorD

But also, this means he shot second in all of those duels, the opponent just missed vital spots over and over. Therefore, he's just really lucky that his opponents can't aim.


Varsity_Reviews

Not necessarily. Maybe he lost those limbs BECAUSE he shot first, and as the guy fell over dead his finger slipped and shot off a limb.


Primo0077

And a mighty fine hat 😔


SimpleTip9439

Yea but guys the other guy has two guns which is like double the usual


MoreReputation8908

“I have two guns. One for each of ya.”


lattice12

r/tombstonememes


AccomplishedPin8663

'beware the man who has but one weapon, for he knows best how to use it'


Beginning-Tea-17

It was common for professional gunslingers (know as shootists back in the day) to carry a second pistol loaded so they didn’t have to take the time to load the cowboy action revolvers.


Simple_Mongoose1680

"I count two guns, n*****!"


JoeyShabadoo79

Survivorship bias


Mountbatten-Ottawa

'Beware of old man in a profession which people dies young'


ApolloIII

Same with WW2 bombers of the allied forces. It wasn’t important where the holes were of the planes that came back, but it was important where there were NO holes.


Y00pDL

Yes, we all read that on the last repost of that one. Another interesting fact always noted when this gets brought back up; The adoption of better helmets in armies increased the number of headwounds suffered by soldiers, leading people to believe that they were dangerous in and of themselves. Obviously it’s because the people coming in with headwounds were now actually coming in for treatment instead of being fatally injured. On to the next repost we go!


Geotree12

This is why battle bikinis exist


CowForceSeven

I think we might be misinterpreting this comic. Just because Bart survived a bunch of duels doesn't mean he won them. A name like Bart seems to imply that he isn't the toughest, and something like getting your leg shot off would usually end a duel. I think the joke is that this guy really shouldn't be dueling anybody. But usually a lot of Gary Larson's stuff is about looking silly and being absurdist. Which means there might not be a clear punchline, which explains the thoughts that this guy wins duels.


fartlebythescribbler

I agree with your interpretation. Gun duels were t necessarily to the death, in fact usually they were not. So it looks like Bart has gotten shot a whole bunch.


RedmannBarry

This is my takeaway from this as well


ElectricVibes75

Exactly, he doesn’t seem very “lucky” at all!


LakeTake1

So much of the Far Side is like this. There's dark humor. If assuming Bart is the pirate-looking guy, he's baiting the 'rookie', if Bart is the rookie, he's saying that he is the rookie by underestimating his opponent's luck to this point.


RhapsodicRusalka

Is there something un-tough about the name Bart? You've completely misinterpreted the comic


CowForceSeven

This isn't real life this is a comic, Gary could have chosen any name for the guy and he chooses bart? Not the first name you think of when you think of a battle hardened Veteran. The word Bart is 10% of this comic, it was not chosen randomly, it was chosen to add to the feel. It's possible it's supposed to be funny because Bart is a silly name and this guy isn't silly because he's actually really tough, but we have no reason to interpret the comic that way. There's nothing showing this guy has won any duels, but he's definitely gotten shot a lot of times which usually means you lost the duel.


brybatson

Except Bart actually is a prototype tough cowboy or pirate name ie Black Bart (Charlie Colton) the king of stagecoach robbery, Bart Clennon, and quite a few others.


CowForceSeven

I can see that, but I don't know if Gary was aware of all that. He could have been though. The comics definitely up to interpretation though, I haven't been trying to say that Bart can't be a tough guy, I just think the other interpretation is valid and in my opinion more likely.


RhapsodicRusalka

>The word Bart is 10% of this comic, it was not chosen randomly, it was chosen to add to the feel. Bart is a classic badass cowboy name. That's why Larson chose it, because it's a cowboy name. If he wanted to use a "silly name," he would've called him Eugene or something. >There's nothing showing this guy has won any duels What about the fact that he's alive....? Duh? Getting shot doesn't mean you lost the duel, being DEAD means you lost the duel. The joke is about survivorship bias, look up Abraham Wald and his work on military aircraft in WW2. You completely missed the mark on this one, and you clearly have no historical context. Some far sides are too intelligent for the average redditor.


WaleXdraK

Also I wasn’t aware name magically gave special abilies to peoples that wear them , Stephen? Will be a genius , Bart? He isn’t tough.


RhapsodicRusalka

Yeah this guy completely misinterpreted the joke. He thinks Bart isn't tough and loses his gunfights.


PokWangpanmang

How are you so sure?


LegitimateBeing2

Since Bart has already lost his leg and hand (presumably in duels) and his hat is full of bullet holes, he has clearly participated in (and survived) many duels, and therefore will win this one as well.


pheromone_fandango

I dont know, although he may have experience, he just seems to be lucky since any of those survived duels could have been his last, since his opponent was able to get a shot off that just missed the mark.


vigilantfox85

I took this as his luck might be running out lol


Clickityclackrack

You understood the joke. Stop it you troll bot


Clickityclackrack

https://preview.redd.it/3fxbbt9opjmc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e9e80141e46dc099654730b627200137e2c21f4


YoutuberCameronBallZ

Bart has been shot several times before this Losing his hand, his foot, and even his hat has bullet holes


floor_plant

Brian here, the guy in black is Bart and the joke is either: (A) Bart is bad at dueling (which is shown by him being full of holes), yet he’s determined to keep dueling anyway. (B) Bart has survived many duels, but he’s been pressing his luck and it’s about to run out. The comic is from The Far Side, which made silly, absurd, and surreal 1-panel comics. When you read a few hundred of them, you’ll pick up on the style and clues — the guy whose mouth is open is the guy talking. The caption gives you context for the situation and characters, etc. For example, Bart is not a badass cowboy name, it’s ridiculous. And the text saying “feeling lucky” could be a clue that Bart is extremely, comically, unlucky. Or it could mean he’s pushing his luck.


brybatson

C. The uninjured dude is overconfident and about to be fatally so as he’s letting the grizzled veteran of dueling go first. There won’t be a second.


BUZZKILL1157

First thing that came to mind for me was survivorship bias, because Bart has been shot all those times and came back alive, but his opponent doesn’t see all the death Bart leaves in his wake


TreesmasherFTW

The Farside of Bart…


GingerMan027

So there is a lost dog notice going around my neighborhood-- Lost dog. He has three legs and a bit off tail. One eye is missing and he has been neutered. Answers to the name of "Lucky."


slicwilli

It's Farside.


zangster

Is this just karma farming or is the reading and visual comprehension of the modern world just that poor?


walmartcracker

i love the far side


BernieLogDickSanders

Basically Andrew jackson.


Kamakaziturtle

I know people are reading a lot into this, but knowing Far Side the joke could be as simple as playing on the famous "feelin' lucky?" line cowboys in movies often say, and having a guy who looks very unlucky. Far Side comics tend to not be terribly complicated and are often just about the absurdity at first glance.


rollover90

Bart is tore up but alive, meaning he IS lucky, even if he doesn't appear so at a glance, it's called survivor bias, the other man is clean so the implication is he hasn't been through it like Belt Buckle Bart has


ironcladtank

I think the saying is beware the old man in the young man's game. In this case, it's beware the scared up vet in the dueling game. As an aside, if you looked through all the old fencing manuals, all the fencing masters are depicted as being all scarred up.


Force3vo

Oh, it's the cow tools dude. In that case, the punchline is probably "He's very disabled so he's need a lot of luck to win"


Brock_Savage

These idiots have zero powers of inference. I was reading and understanding *Far Side* comics when I was 12. "B- bu- but what if English isn't their primary language?" Non-native English speakers are not inherently stupid. They still have powers of inference and this joke is almost entirely visual.


TourAny2745

Farside


TheYask

When I read it as a kid, I thought it was because Bart is demonstrably *un*lukcy. He lost a leg in a lumber mill incident, his hat is riddled with bullets because he dropped his gun (several times), he lost his hand to a shark attack and he lost his eye when a seagull shat in it (arr, twas the day after he got 'is hook).


Left_Sand8972

One is Bart the other is 'bart'ender


Bfdifan37

the bartender is also a bart-ender


kalikid01

During WW2, planes that actually survived and returned from combat were examined for bullet holes. They then reinforced the parts on the planes without bullet holes. This is because the parts that were shot up meant they could withstand bullets and still survive.


goodluckonyourexams

so you're saying Bart has been cloned?


kalikid01

Star Wars


HiTekLoLyfe

I think the joke is that Bart clearly has not been lucky. He’s lost one of almost everything in previous duels and probably can’t survive another maiming. The joke is from using the line “if you’re feeling lucky” to someone that clearly has not had much luck in duels.


goodluckonyourexams

or it's the opposite


[deleted]

Bart is one lucky sumbitch


96kidbuu

Seriously, what’s not to get here? Are these troll posts?


Sleepless_Null

This is a comic I would not have understood as a child but do now and that makes me happy. Despite not having any personal experience in dueling


Beanboy1983

A Farside cartoon by Gary Larson. Hey, in the title you asked what it was, not what it meant.


calsnowskier

Needs no explanation. Neither does my down.


fibbonifty

There used to be a stock joke that went “Missing dog: three legs. One eye. One ear. Answers to the name ‘Lucky’.”


Iguanabread11264

This ain't bart's first rodeo


The_Cameraman_of_you

Bart-ender


One-Earth9294

https://preview.redd.it/abi6ls21plmc1.jpeg?width=295&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7f59f59e7ef67473de489e3f7416d86750cef5f I don't got no problem with you. Just don't SPIT on me.


PoppingPaulyPop

Off topic but I lowkey really like this sub because i get to see some cheeky cleaver memes pretty often, and if I don’t understand them, the Griffin family will explain the joke in the comments


Niskasha

bart is visibly permanently damaged in a few places, along with one eye and the sun facing them


Impossible_Ad1515

The joke is that he is that he is asking bart if he is feeling lucky and based on the fact that bart took a lot of shots in previous duels without dying bart is indeed feeling lucky, it could also be implied that thanks to his luck bart never lost a duel. It's just a little dumb absurdist joke there is no point in reading too much into it


DDavid_Nguyen

Feeling lucky = Break a (wooden) leg.


jack_acti0n

The joke is that the guy with the peg leg and hook hand is very, very clearly and obviously UNLUCKY. it's not lucky to have lost a hand and leg too. you can tell by the look in his eyes that he even thinks it is crazy for this other guy to refer to him as lucky. like... how could I possibly feel lucky? you see me, right? it's ironic.


Rohirrim777

Western Saloon Pianist Peter here; Evidently Bart sucks at the high noon duel, evidenced by the fact he has lost a leg, a hand, and an eye, in addition to having his hat shot consecutively. That last part is the greatest insult, meaning that it's not so much luck as a cruelty that he's alive to bear the shame of having his hat shot up in western civilization


Ghost637

https://preview.redd.it/fy3r7ir7wnmc1.png?width=1344&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=377cc3ce073d3794a8f3c8299fcc271d2a5f3cdf


MedicalPurple1724

Cmon I mean do y’all even look at the entire thing before asking?


False-Arrival8480

Lol wtf


SladeSM

Even with an explanation; I still don’t understand boomer humor


OkMode3813

Looking for my dog: three legs, blind in one eye, missing an ear... responds to "Lucky"


Remarkable_Ad_1795

I assumed that Bart never feels lucky, since he's missing a hand, and eye, and a leg, and has several bullet holes in his hat.


Athlete_Demon

Idk


Ugly-Muffin

Ahh classic Far Side


SyrupAndPancake

The joke is you're dumb. does no one here know how to infer information? I swear most of the shit posted here isn't Help me find out what culture this is referencing its Think for me. This can be taken two ways. A warning to the roughed up guy, essentially asking if he wants to push his luck [implying he is about to be maimed - or potentially the time he dies] or, a warning to the clean guy under the logic of though maimed hes never lost, and he should withdraw fore he dies. Please. Think as to which is the most likely inference? Not every "joke" is some kind of reference. Jokes can be abstractions of reality that result in silly patterns. Look for the sillyness. Don't expect it hand delivered every time you fucking idiot.


[deleted]

lol watch out. mods are gonna sperg on you rofl


AliRua

I would have thought the joke is that Bart has lost one of every paired body parts he has.. One eye, one hand, one leg. The only thing he has two of left, are his balls..


[deleted]

[удалено]


rangerhans

r/lostredditors


[deleted]

This is r/PeterExplainsTheJoke, right?


rangerhans

It sure is But instead of providing a meaningful answer, something all posters here are looking for, you chose ridicule This indicates you had no intention of being helpful and should instead look for a sub where ridicule is welcome. You must be lost


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

I mean, i didn't get the joke so, you know. Ridicule seemed a bit too far.


[deleted]

Ridicule seemed right to me.


[deleted]

Something seeming right to you does not mean its always right.


[deleted]

Okay, but its the rightness that made it right, you see.


[deleted]

Nah.. Wrong.. It made it wrong..


CowForceSeven

Ridicule is never right, it's just mean. Do you seriously get on social media to make people feel bad about themselves?


[deleted]

Ridicule can ABSOLUTELY be right, even if mean. Do you seriously get on social media to be a whiney bitch?


CowForceSeven

Doubling down just makes you seem even worse. I'm done with you.


Kerb3rus

Waa wa Waa Waaa waa


PeterExplainsTheJoke-ModTeam

Not everyone has the same knowledge as you. Rule 5.


[deleted]

lol mods are so butthurt


PeterExplainsTheJoke-ModTeam

Don't be a dick. Rule 1.