3230: Overton

2026-04-08T19:59:27Z

216.31.227.130: Added appropriate strike-through to transcript.

{{comic
| number = 3230
| date = April 8, 2026
| title = Overton
| image = overton_2x.png
| imagesize = 242x268px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I think I accidentally installed an Overton window in my bedroom. A few months ago, the sun wasn't in my face in the morning, but now it is.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by JOSEPH PAUL OVERTON, BACK FROM THE DEAD. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Joseph Paul Overton}} was a political scientist who created the concept of the {{w|Overton Window}}, which is the range of subjects that are politically appropriate to raise during a period of time. The first set of dates, 1960 and 2003, are the years that Joseph Paul Overton was born and died.

It is common for political commentators to state that the overton window has "moved," meaning that the standard for which political positions are "moderate" or "extreme" changes, and in either direction. In the comic, the "Overton window" instead refers to the time span in which Joseph Paul Overton was alive. Overton's gravestone has the dates repeatedly crossed out as the Overton window moves.

The title text refers to the seasonal movement of sunlight, where the sun's path rises and sets further north or south over months, known as seasonal sun path changes. This shift, caused by Earth's tilt, moves between the summer solstice (highest/northernmost arc) and winter solstice (lowest/southernmost arc.) However, the character in the text believes that this natural phenomenon was instead just a special Overton window, referencing it's 'passing' of things within it. (Of course, [[2332|this could actually be a real object.]])

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[A gravestone is shown on some grass, bearing the name Joseph Paul Overton as its inscription; all of the years except the last one are crossed out, and all except the first have the dates themselves in red.]

<s>1960</s> - <s>2003</s>

<s>1965</s> - <s>2011</s>

<s>1973</s> - <s>2018</s>

1982 -

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

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3230: Overton