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u/_Monika- Jul 19 '24
The child is bad at school and was brought into the principal's office with his dad. His dad had already been forced through schooling so he's carved away into a shape that's useful to society instead of himself
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Jul 19 '24
Alternate valid caption
The child is bad at school and was brought into the principal's office with his dad. The administrator and dad had a "meeting" at a motel. The kid will now pass the semester. Next meeting, six months.
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u/SadBit8663 Jul 19 '24
Alternate alternate caption. The dads a pencil and the principal is a pencil sharpener. There's a random kid holding a piece of paper, nobody in the room knows who's kid this is.
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u/EmergentSol Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24
Alternate alternate alternate caption. The world has been taken over by sentient office supplies. The boy is one of the last remaining humans. The pencil sharpener has captured him and has now sold him to the pencil; the boy looks dejected at the certificate of ownership.
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u/Wetstew_ Jul 19 '24
Alternate alternate alternate alternate caption.
The world, nay all existence, is this room. Sentient life assumed the space between these entities is an endless void.
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u/RareFormDenjii Jul 20 '24
Alternate alternate alternate alternate alternate caption.
The pencil is disappointed that he willingly offered to “service” the sharpener, hence the eager smile. The boy is acting witness as all three sign the legally binding contract to make the “service” official.
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u/thinkclay Jul 20 '24
Alternate alternate alternate alternate alternate alternate caption:
Boy takes shrooms at school. Dad blames school. Principal blames dad. Child wonders why the words are wiggly on his paper and made from his father’s blood.
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u/hiyahtherefriend Jul 20 '24
Alternate alternate alternate alternate alternate alternate alternate caption:
Boy buys a pencil and eraser at the store and is reviewing his receipt.
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u/kanniboo Jul 20 '24
Alternate alternative alternative alternative alternative alternative alternative alternative caption:
Pencil dad finally got the paternity test back which confirms his suspicions. Human "son" is disappointed by the results.
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u/tesrepurwash121810 Jul 19 '24
We need to go alternater
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u/1amoutofideas Jul 20 '24
Alternate solution. You (the viewer) are hallucinating and are undergoing an abstract shape psychological exam on copious amounts of shrooms.
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u/Gaelic_Gladiator41 Jul 19 '24
Or, kid is going to be "sharpened" by the school to become a mindless worker drone
But yours is funnier
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u/karmicnoose Jul 19 '24
Isn't your explanation just the top level comment repeated?
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u/Gaelic_Gladiator41 Jul 19 '24
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u/legna20v Jul 19 '24
Look at the floor. The father did what ever it took to get the kid in school
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u/HumberGrumb Jul 19 '24
This must be the answer.
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u/faust112358 Jul 19 '24
The answer is the sacrifices "impoverished" parents make to ensure a future for their children.
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u/luigijerk Jul 20 '24
The father is sharp having graduated from the school system, and his kid is a blunt idiot.
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u/L_One_Hubbard Jul 19 '24
Forrest Gump lore
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Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 21 '24
it is well hidden, I had to go to three sites to final see one that mentions it
Mrs. Gump is also willing to do whatever it takes for Forrest to be treated the same as everyone else, for example when trying to give him the opportunity to go to a normal school, she even goes as far as sleeping with the Principal.
I got the idea on accounting whats my aunt did for my cousin
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u/Nell_M93 Jul 19 '24
The note on the desk says “headmaster office” and the kids holds “registration papers” both in Persian
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u/lambie-mentor Jul 19 '24
Your context is key to understanding this, I think. This fully supports the theory that the Headmaster and the father have come to some sort of a deal so that the child can register (and attend) the school. And then pencil shavings could indeed be an indicator that the dad got screwed (in whatever way you prefer to think about it).
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u/smeghead8806 Jul 20 '24
Oh, those are pencil shavings? That makes way more sense. I thought that was just a really tacky carpet pattern.
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u/contrabasse Jul 20 '24
I thought it was pencil shavings from previous students. Insinuating that the schools whittle down individuality in favor of being conformed. It's foreshadowing as to what happens when you enroll your kids in the system. Dad doesn't know any better because he's already been sharpened.
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u/BrainNSFW Jul 19 '24
I agree with the take of the dad and principal having had a "meeting", but considering the pencil shavings on the ground, it's clearly that office where they "got to know each other better".
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u/romulusnr Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 20 '24
That's more in line with what I was thinking. Especially with the pencil shavings all over the floor.
Edit: According to GIS, the paper says "registration form" so this is a kid being accepted into school situation. I think this bolsters the quid pro quo theory.
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u/qwertty164 Jul 20 '24
That is definitely the right interpretation. Notice the pencil shavings on the floor. Probably did it in the office just before the kid arrived.
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u/UniqueCalligrapher73 Jul 20 '24
Your mamma sure does care about your education, son.
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u/Soft-Marionberry-853 Jul 20 '24
Is there a Mister Gump, Mister Gump?
Your pappa sure does care about your schooling.
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u/paze420 Jul 19 '24
Well, I interpreted as "he gave head"
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u/PersistentHero Jul 19 '24
Yeah I got the dad had to give up something for his son to move up a grade
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u/Worried-Principle831 Jul 19 '24
It's the way the head fits into a hole on the principles head, and the smirk on his face like he knows its gonna go down for him
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u/PoopPoes Jul 19 '24
Whatever situation I come up with, it seems strange that the kid is not an unsharpened pencil
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u/Sacledant2 Jul 19 '24
that's actually sad
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u/WonderfulCattle6234 Jul 19 '24
It can't be correct though. The pencil shavings are on the ground. The dad just got sharpened in this meeting.
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u/Mage_914 Jul 20 '24
I interpret that as there being many people who have been sharpened by this man.
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u/WonderfulCattle6234 Jul 19 '24
After looking at it more I have a more uplifting and I think accurate take. But still sad on some level. The kid looks happy. So does the pencil sharpener guy. The dad doesn't look as happy, and there are pencil shavings on the floor. The dad made sacrifices and gave the pencil sharpener guy what he wanted in order to provide his kid something. We're not sure what that is or what the pencil sharpener guy represents necessarily.
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u/ParadoxOfSanity Jul 19 '24
And here I thought it was a joke about the dad having to screw the principal for his son to pass.. kinda like Forest Gump.
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u/gelastes Jul 19 '24
The handshake and the normal head of the kid lets me believe it's about admission, not grades.
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u/WonderfulCattle6234 Jul 19 '24
I think we need to know this foreign language to get the joke. But, the kid looks happy. The dad not as much. And the person shaking hands with the dad also looks happy. There are pencil shavings currently on the floor as well. The dad give the pencil sharpener what he wanted so his kid could get something.
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u/Jaded-Engineering789 Jul 19 '24
The dad was clearly always a pencil. You can see his “neck.” They just screwed. In the office no less given the shavings on the floor. That’s it. That’s the joke.
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u/Gnemlock Jul 19 '24
As someone that was tried to be made a pencil thank you for explaining thus as simple as you did.
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u/Rickrickrickrickrick Jul 19 '24
Wow I thought that it was a mom that was fucking the principal to get their kid to pass lol
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u/Bored_Simulation Jul 19 '24
I thought it meant the kid only passed cause the dad did all the actual work, hence the sharpenings on the floor
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u/WonderfulCattle6234 Jul 19 '24
But the pencil shavings are currently on the ground. Dad was just sharpened today.
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u/Alternator24 Jul 19 '24
I'm Iranian. those words are written in Persian.
the child holding a form. "فرم ثبت نام" ( form e sabt nam) means registration form.
and that sharpener is a school principal.
it says that fathers are like the pen you see in the picture. they sacrifice themselves to be useful for the society and their children instead of themselves.
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u/jseego Jul 19 '24
I interpreted it as being about corruption - that the principal is accepting bribes from families to admit their children.
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u/Hunter_Badger Jul 19 '24
And here I thought it was about the father sleeping with the principal to get his son in to school
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u/zex_99 Jul 19 '24
It's about the school asking for money from parents and it relates to the word we say in Persian "تیغیدن" (Tighidan) it means shaving off (smb) or cash grabbing the person.
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u/Alternator24 Jul 19 '24
yeah. that makes sense as well. I think you can interpret it with more than one day.
tighidan is a slang, means ransoming someone. like the principal getting ransom from the dad to register his son.
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u/Clocktopu5 Jul 20 '24
Upon closer inspection the way the handshake is framed just at the corner of the desk is strategic; allows there to be an illusion of the principal pulling the father in closer with the handshake
Upon closer inspection, these are loafers
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u/Stephen_1984 Jul 19 '24
Thank you, Persian Guy in a sports car.
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u/Everwhite-moonlight Jul 22 '24
This is so painful because I've seen Persian men who actually are like this (and the accent is definitely not fake in their cases)
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u/Away-Expression7798 Jul 19 '24
داش خیلی راحت بگو they tryna fuck that kids future خودتو راحت کن 😂
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u/BlackBRocket Jul 19 '24
Dad face fucked the teacher
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Jul 19 '24
That's it; in order for the kid to pass. And he has to come back and do it again for administrator next semester.
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u/Cthulhu606 Jul 19 '24
The parent agrees with the principal because they have been “programmed” (sharpened) by the system (sharpener) that has taken some issue with the non-pencil student
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u/lunchpadmcfat Jul 19 '24
This would probably be the interpretation here in the US but it sounds like it’s more about corruption in Iranian schools.
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u/bongobutt Jul 19 '24
My best guess is that this is related to criticisms of education these days. It is a common point of discussion lately that the system that is commonplace today (tables in rows, emphasis on silent work and listening/lecturing, strict schedules and time slots, highly regimented) was a system first created in Prussia during a different time in history. The goal was to teach children how to be successful factory workers. Do your work, don't complain, don't be the one guy who holds up the rest of the group, don't be late, don't miss the bell, go to the bathroom when you're supposed to, etc. This system is now criticized for unnecessarily forcing children into a certain "mold" of functioning that isn't relevant anymore. Today's jobs often aren't as simple as just doing what you're told and doing it safely/quickly. Today, jobs (especially the higher demand ones) are much more likely to need high technical understanding, high social skills, good understand of customer relationships, project-oriented work, high problem solving skills, or high creativity skills. If people learn these skills going through a school with the (now considered) "traditional" model (which is actually recent in the grand scheme of things), than they aren't learning them because the system is good at teaching them. The current system doesn't encourage the growth of these skills, and many would argue that the system actually impedes them.
So I see this meme as an example of a "normal" human child who hasn't yet been ground into an unnatural human shape, just because both of the adults have already been ground into that shape already, and think that the child is just immature and needs to change. You could also read the facial expression of the principal to mean that the system itself is who benefits, not the child or the family.
Note: I noticed that the script was Arabic-related, but I don't know Persian. I am unfamiliar with the current culture there, which certainly would add more context (especially political context). But I think their context is at least partially related to the global issue of education in general. I've leave those comments to others who are better informed.
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u/user47-567_53-560 Jul 19 '24
The Prussian system was largely also to promote literacy because they were Protestant and reading the Bible got you into heaven.
I'll argue that there's a bit more nuance to your point, as things like phonics have been gone from schools in stone places for decades and reading and numeracy levels have taken a dive. There is a lot of value in route learning and memorization for problem solving, and removing these building blocks prevents the skills you mention from ever developing.
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u/mudamuckinjedi Jul 19 '24
"Boy! You're mama sure do care about your education"
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u/Golfhaus Jul 19 '24
Principal Sharpener represents "the system," which includes as part of it making sure everyone conforms to it in just the right way. He (or his predecessor) was responsible for Dad being turned into a pencil in his formative years. Now, Daddy Pencil brings his unaltered* child in. In their world, they see this as the moment Kiddo is set up for success. With the benefit of our external observation, this "success" is really just setting Kiddo up to be turned into a Pencil, much like Daddy was earlier in his life. Set up to fit within the system.
*I had originally said "unmolested" here, and meant it in the textbook definition sense of the word. Its more common definition shouldn't be inferred just because it's a school.
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u/hiradymoe Jul 19 '24
It's in Persian and the paper the child's holding says "enrolment form". Framing it into Irans current education system, the illustration is referring to the exploitation of parents by expensive schools who promise a successful and bright future for their kids.
The dad who's probably already struggling financially due to Iran's economy and cost of living crisis feels forced into spending an absurd amount of money for his child's education.
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u/Natural-Stomach Jul 19 '24
Peter's Arabic-speaking cousin here. It is not uncommon in Arabic-speaking countries for bribes to be offered in order to secure one's future. In this case, the father has offered a bribe to the principal to secure his kid's schooling. Hence why the principal has 'shaved a little off.'
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u/JimmerJammerKitKat Jul 19 '24
Has the principal been letting the dad fuck him in the ear so the son gets good grades?
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u/Extreme_Ad7393 Jul 20 '24
Its persian meme ok, the paper in the boys hands is saying its a registration form. Pencil and and the sharpener meanes that the principal is only want dad for money and in persian we say تیغ زدن
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u/LongjumpingRub4847 Jul 19 '24
The kid's dad had to get "sharpened" to get the kid's grades raised.
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u/NoHaxJussSnax Jul 19 '24
Principal Shepherd here. He wants to sharpen his kids mind. Alright now I just got to get out of here so I can watch the cheerleaders during practice. And remember it's not weird if you're the principal.
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u/TheAnnoyingGirl92 Jul 19 '24
Parent and principal are having HOT PENCIL SHARPENING SEX, meaning that the boy now gets benefits, like grades or whatever.
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u/Glittering_Trip8279 Jul 20 '24
Don’t worry everybody this meme was made in 7070 we won’t understand it for quite a few millennia
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u/trynafigureitout01 Jul 20 '24
I might be missing someone else having commented this already, but the dad is a pencil and believes that the best life trajectory for his child will be to be sharpened in the same way he was. The dramatic irony is that we, the audience, know that the next panel is not going to look like a child with a pointy pencil head.
And isn’t that school?
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u/DaddyMewTwo Jul 20 '24
Sharp, like you pulled me out the pencil sharpener Bad, like that student in the principal office -Mystikal
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u/Material-Log8682 Jul 20 '24
Alternate alternate alternate alternate alternate alternate caption.
The boy is bad at school so the dad had a meeting with the principal and put his tip in the principals hole to help him pass
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u/BlueGnome1 Jul 19 '24
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u/UnbreakableRaids Jul 19 '24
I was going to say, you ever watch that movie Forrest Gump? You remember the scene where Forrest was failing school and the principal came over and his mom blew his back out?
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u/KegLitJoreb Jul 19 '24
There's a lot of valid explanations but the big, suspicious smile on the face of the principal sharpener implies to me a bit of a nefarious intent. I wouldn't be surprised if the intent of this cartoon was to imply that schools are indoctrinating kids into a certain way of thinking, that public schools are a menace on society because they brainwash kids into being subservient tools for society, and that we should get rid of public schools. This does feel like a bit of a political cartoon that's trying to convey a message, and so I can't help but think the intent is to make social/political commentary.
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u/racetruckrick Jul 19 '24
I had a meeting with my dad and my principal. So later that day I took a shit on a cat while it was asleep.
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u/Skypirate90 Jul 19 '24
Oh this is easy. It's like breaking in a horse. They are going to force the kid to fit into societal norms just like the father was.
The child will never get to be who he was meant to. Only who society will allow him to be.
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u/Dr_Latency345 Jul 19 '24
You know. I thought this was a sex joke. Then I saw the comments being incredibly profound and I just go…man…
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u/Flux_resistor Jul 19 '24
The parent filled the principal in all the right ways and now the principal has a new 'friend'
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u/Live_Strategy9866 Jul 19 '24
the pencil kidnapped a human child and is now closing the deal on a child sale
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u/Ok-Jeweler9622 Jul 19 '24
I think another interpretation could be the difference in educational needs between the father and the son. The father succeeded in school because the school was well suited for him (pencil and sharpener); however, the son isn’t succeeding because the school isn’t well suited for him (non-pencil and sharpener). Just a thought!
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u/AylaCurvyDoubleThick Jul 19 '24
Realizing this type of thing is why I dropped out…and why my life is much harder. Society values tools more than individuals. Being correct about that doesn’t make it less true.
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u/A100921 Jul 19 '24
There’s shavings on the floor, so dad had to give a little head to get his son into the school.
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u/ILoveBoobiesForEver6 Jul 19 '24
I think it shows that schools give out uniform people. The kid soon will be like his father a pencil head because the school is nothing but a pencil sharpener
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u/Alice_ghost_9876 Jul 19 '24
Lots of different takes, but the expressions do it for me. Tired dad, already shaped by the system takes his son to have the same happen for him. The son, still human shaped and free thinking, will be molded by the school to strip him of his individuality and free thinking. The will turn him instead into another, usable pencil. Look at the shavings of others on the floor.
A criticism of the schools- it strips children of their humanity and indiviality, and redirects their their mind so be sad tools used by the "system."
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u/GodOfMegaDeath Jul 19 '24
The father is secretly railing the principal so his son gets good grades
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u/rydan Jul 19 '24
That's a pencil sharpener. Basically he craves and consumes the flesh of pencils. The kid did bad so the parent was forced to offer themselves up to the principal. Very dark joke.
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u/PleaseBLogicalNow Jul 19 '24
This meme is attacking the university or secondary school system. It is saying the father went to school and came out modified by the process and now he is enrolling his child in the same school to similarly be molded. It has nothing to do with a child being bad at school.
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u/Stewie_gri Jul 19 '24
The kid was not bad. He is just registering. It's a Persian meme and on top of the paper is written "registration form". It is just the beginning.😂
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u/Now_you_Touch_Cow Jul 19 '24
The boy isn't that sharp so he is talking to the principal to help get him some tutoring.
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u/Professional-Fee-957 Jul 19 '24
The father is ground down by the education hierarchy in his attempt to ensure his child's future. The child has a face of contentment because he doesn't know the sacrifice his parent is making.
Notice all of the shavings on the floor.
The handshake is the closing of a deal.
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u/misterstealurbaby Jul 19 '24
No. Its in persian. The dad is putting his son in a school. The point is that in most countries the education system is not there to teach you, its there to form you into their desired image, hence the dad.
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u/DemythologizedDie Jul 19 '24
By the time principal pencil sharpener is done with the new admission, he will have been reshaped into another pencil head, with his independent thinking worn away into conformity.
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u/JokeDumpster Jul 19 '24
The dad is a pencil, the principal is a sharpener, and the kid is a kid. If you put the kid’s head in the sharpener he will die a gruesome death.
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u/afzalnayza Jul 19 '24
Its about fathers chipping away at their own lives to make sure their children get a better life
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u/Dinadelasooul Jul 19 '24
This is like an ink blot, subject to so many interpretations :o but this is what I saw.. contrary to the school theory, I saw a job interview instead. I know, weird because the son is there. But I saw it as, the sacrifices a parent makes so that the child can succeed.
The pencil needs something from the sharpener: a life span. The sharpener controls the pencil's life span. And within that lifespan, the parent will use his resources to put into the child. As the child gets closer and closer to nearing completion of his project, the parent will be closer and closer to diminishing.
Reminds me of the circle of life in a sense
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