This comic aligns well with Chapter 5: Communication Theory, particularly in terms of the concepts of theory, audience reception, and appropriateness. In this comic, Calvin answers the phone and pretends to be a pizza place, confusing the caller. He then hangs up and explains he enjoys making people’s days “a little more surreal.” The humor lies in Calvin deliberately distorting the caller’s expectations, playing with the basic structure of communication for his own amusement. In communication studies, a theory helps explain how and why communication works the way it does. Calvin’s interaction challenges traditional expectations of conversational appropriateness, where there are usually shared social rules guiding how people respond to one another. The humor stems from violating those expectations. Additionally, the comic emphasizes audience reception, how messages are received and interpreted by listeners. The caller expected a straightforward interaction, but instead received a surreal, confusing one. This twist highlights how communication is not only about what is said, but also about how it’s understood and interpreted by others, depending on their assumptions and context. This reminds me of moments where humor or sarcasm didn’t land as intended, either I misread someone’s tone, or they misread mine. I tend to encounter this with my mom. I sometimes struggle to maintain a balanced tone, and I come across as irritated or angry. I try to work on it and consider my words and body language before I speak. I’ve also had conversations where my intention was playful, but it wasn’t received that way. Calvin’s comic shows that even simple interactions can carry unexpected meaning depending on audience perception, and that communication is a dynamic process shaped by both speaker and receiver.