As you can see, friction between the young and older people is as old as History itself but the cartoon is a funny take even if it’s inaccurate. Knocking people’s codpieces while wearing those funky shoes that can be several times the length of one’s feet might have happened. When it came to the shoes, laws were passed limiting how far the wearer could go. I figured Physics solved it. Lastly, you be asking, what the heck is ∂ is from the second panel. It’s a alternate/old way of “spelling” the sound we English speakers make for th in words such as “that,” “this” or “other.”