美国国家公共电台 NPR--A decade on, the creator of 'This is fine' wants to put the famous dog to rest

A decade on, the creator of 'This is fine' wants to put the famous dog to rest

Transcript¹

KC Green just marked the 10th anniversary of his 2013 comic strip that spawned² the "This is fine" meme. He reflects on the smiling dog's popularity. (Story first aired on ATC on Jan. 23, 2023.)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This is fine - that's a three-word catchphrase. It's come to mean things are not fine because of a meme that uses those words. Maybe you've seen this. There's a smiling cartoon dog sitting at a table, sipping³ his coffee as the room around him goes up in flames. This is fine, the dog assures himself. It's been 10 years since its creator put out the comic strip that bred this meme. NPR's Emma Bowman spoke⁴ with the artist who now says the dog's days might be numbered.

EMMA BOWMAN, BYLINE⁵: To give you an idea of how mainstream⁶ this meme has become over the past decade, look to Congress. Republican Senator Richard Burr referenced it back in 2018 to describe Russian interference in American politics.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RICHARD BURR: Some feel that we as a society are sitting in a burning room, calmly drinking a cup of coffee, telling ourselves, this is fine. That's not fine.

BOWMAN: So why does KC Green, the webcomic artist behind the meme, think the comic has resonated with so many people for so many years? Because of its simplicity⁷, he says.

KC GREEN: I made it vague on purpose, you know? So like any good piece of art, people interpret it how they want to.

BOWMAN: He first published the work in 2013 as part of his comic strip series "Gunshow." A year later, the comic's top two frames went viral.

GREEN: I remember it first being used on Instagram meme accounts saying, like, when finals week starts, this is fine. Then it just sort of snowballed from there.

BOWMAN: From the beginning, the dog character - Question Hound is his name - has been a conduit for the artist's own thoughts and feelings. Green was 25 and focusing on his mental health when he drew the famed "On Fire" strip.

GREEN: I was just like, is this OK? Am I doing good? Am I supposed to ignore everything else? It kind of feels like you just have to ignore all of the insanity⁸ around you like a burning house. And the comic just ended up writing itself after that.

BOWMAN: But these days, he says he's all about fighting the fire.

GREEN: I've still gotten plenty of people say - telling me they've gotten comfort from that dog. And being seen in that way is helpful. But working past it, not just accepting it but working past it, trying to grow from it - that is my jam.

BOWMAN: The meme's success has made the artist enough money to allow him to keep drawing for a living. The dog was animated¹⁰ for a handful of Adult Swim ads. A Question Hound plushie continues to sell out. There's even a this is fine Funko Pop. But 10 years on, Green is ready for a new chapter. He wrapped "Gunshow" years ago, but Question Hound lives on in his comic "Funny Online Animals." In its current storyline, the dog has disappeared into the woods in a crazed state. Green has designs for an eerie¹¹ noir turn.

GREEN: I think after that, I might lay him to rest for a while. I mean, people still post with or without me using the character or not in my own comics. So it's for my own sanity⁹, I suppose.

BOWMAN: Either way, the dog remains¹² immortal¹³ in memedom, helping¹⁴ the rest of us feel a little less crazy.

Emma Bowman, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

3 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

7 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

8 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

9 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

10 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

11 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 immortal   

adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的

参考例句：

• The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
• The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。