Goofus and Gallant 2.0 : Etiquette for 2011

Back when life was simpler — which was the Eight Year's Peace between Korea (1953) and VietNam (1961) — there was a magazine found in doctor's offices called Highlights. One of the perennial features was "Goofus and Gallant", a simple depiction of two young boys that communicated universally accepted lessons in good behavior. For instance, the cartoon below contrasts two different versions of telephone (retro-landline) etiquette.

1961 Landline Etiquette with Goofus and Gallant

Legacy Goofus and Gallant Doesn't Work in 2011

As the political scene and public discourse veers into increasingly complex and divisive issues, many people who find themselves in ILP status are challenged to explain contemporary values to their co-associated youngsters.

The original Goofus and Gallant (aka G&G 1.0) content doesn't meet the needs of today's young consumers. In order to meet that need, the legacy G&G cartoons have been digitized and re-purposed as G&G 2.0 to teach more contemporary lessons.

2011: Goofus and Gallant 2.0 with the Robinsons

(Anachronistic clue to obscure Mrs. Robinson cultural reference here.)

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Goofus and Gallant and the G-20

 

Gallant welcomes the G-20 because most of the benefits will accrue to his constituents, while the costs and problems will go to the city. He worries about whether Goofus understands this.

Goofus welcomes the G-20 because he's going to get his picture taken with many important grownups.

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Gallant alerts people to the fact that G20 expenses are exceeding the budget.

Goofus says, I haven't been told about any shortfall, and he likes it when everybody chuckles politely.

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Gallant speaks respectfully to power brokers and looks out for the important details.

Goofus looks out for big airplanes and asks, Is that one from the G-20? Is it?

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Gallant pays attention to what others are talking about.

Goofus likes to make vulgar noises and then ask Who Did That?

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Goofus and Gallant

When I was a kid I read Goofus and Gallant cartoons in Highlights magazine at Dr. Bodkin's office. I accepted them at face value, and as something worth pausing to read while scrambling through the magazine to find the Hidden Pictures puzzle.

Periodically my sister J. would call me "Goofus" in response to something I had done, and while I recognized that I was being p0wned, she was generally right.

I gave a talk last year to a group of college students and tried to use a Goofus-and-Gallant allegory in my presentation, and it fell flat on its face - they had no idea what I was talking about. It was like when people talk to me about the Steeler's wishbone defense; it doesn't mean anything.

The times change, everything except for newspapers evolve, and now Goofus and Gallant 2.0 is online with an interactive web presence. You start off with an intro, a story, and a decision, and then you get mouseover advice from both Goofus and Gallant, and you choose your course of action. There's no cartoon presentation, it's text-based, but it's still Goofus and Gallant.

The cartoon-driven Goofus and Gallant is a cultural touchstone for people of a certain age, Boomer Geezers, and there's been some fun with the artifact. Today on Salon and 2PoliticalJunkies we have Tom Tomorrow's This Modern World, with a new "Then and Now with Goofus and Gallant" which does an excellent job of both sending up the original, and making the author's political point-


I'd like to share some (actual and alternative) Goofus and Gallants.

Actual, Genuine Goofus and Gallant

Alternative Goofus and Gallant

21st Century Goofus and Gallant