Cartoon Etiquette

For those of you who have not been trained in the proper care of a cartoonist's ego, here is a good way not to converse with a cartoonist when you meet one of us at a party:

You: "OK, explain the cartoon you had in the paper today because I didn't get it at all."

Cartoonist: "Uh, do you mean the one about Autism?"

You: "I thought it said Activism. I didn't really look at it very carefully. But go on."

Cartoonist: "Well, there is a rise in the rates of autism in recent years and..."

You: "What was that circus all about?"

Cartoonist: "Do you mean the playground? It was meant to represent healthy childhood and the pregnant couple was pondering the chasm of autism that they feared might lie between them and the healthy child they hoped for."

You: "They were pregnant? See, I didn't get that all. I asked Ron and he didn't get that at all, either. HEY RON, HE SAYS THE COUPLE WAS PREGNANT. See, we didn't get that at all."

Here is a conversation that will make a cartoonist very happy at a party:

You: "Loved your cartoon today."

Cartoonist: "Thanks. Great cheese log, huh?"