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March 18, 2006
Waffler
Ugh.
Stantis is just as sloppy writing his strips as he is drawing them.
This week's "topical" take on the Dubai Port scandal is a great example, and it's summed up perfectly today. Winslow is against Belgium taking over port security in Prickly City because they're "sorta French," and Carmen says that makes him "Belgiumphobic."
How does thee confuse me, let me count the ways...
- What do we have against Belgium? Nothing. Has anyone even thought about them in the past few decades? Unless you're a college student backpacking across Europe, I doubt you could care less about Belgians.
The UAE, on the other hand 1) worked with the Taliban 2) was home of several of the 9/11 hijackers and 3) refuses to acknowledge that Israel exists. Oh, and they're a Muslim country in the Middle East, a part of the world we've been conditioned to hate thanks to our President and his friends.
- While I understand why Winslow is against the port deal (most Democrats were, along with most Republicans - outside of John McCain and Joe Lieberman), why is he against them because they're French? Remember, the French warned us against going to war with Iraq. The lousy stinky smelly liberals LIKE France. Maybe that's why you shouldn't have chosen "France Lite," Scooter.
I'll tell you what happened - Stantis wanted to use Luxembourg as the punchline. Then he looked at a map and saw that they didn't have ports. But Belgium does, and hey - they've got Brussels! Brussel sprouts! That's funny! Um, not really - unless you're 5.
- Is Stantis really accusing Winslow and the Democrats of being racist? After his conservative party spent the past four years demonizing everyone from the Middle East, he has the nerve to say anyone opposing this port deal - with a country, not a company, that has terrorist ties - is doing so based on their race? How offensive is that? It's even more offensive knowing that the Republicans opposed this just as strongly as Democrats, and it had nothing to do with race. Wow Scoots, you're really scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
But overall my biggest complaint with today's strip, and Prickly City in general (outside of being unfunny), is that Stantis simply doesn't understand his own characters. But then that shouldn't be any surprise, since he apparently doesn't understand politics either.
Comments
Wow, the characters are really all over the board this week. Earlier in the week, it's established that Belgium is getting the ports, and Winslow comments that it's a good thing France and the U.S. are allies. Carmen gives him a dirty look, and Winslow backs down. Yesterday, it's CARMEN who's complaining about the port outsourcing to an unreliable ally, but today she's chastising Winslow for being prejudiced. Is it that hard to keep your characters consistant?
Posted by: Mysterio at March 18, 2006 06:47 PM
Heads up. Toby reads to Scott one of the letters I sent him in the latest podcast.
Also, Scott goes on a HUGE rant on the whole port deal and how the president screwed up so much, that Stantis admits he's pissed off with the Prez.
Posted by: Charles Brubaker at March 18, 2006 10:30 PM
I'll have to be in the majority on this one... the
inconsistency was just horrible this week. It's painful.
Haha, I was wondering if that was your letter on the podcast, Charles. I got an email this week from Wthecoyote. Looks like he sent a mass email to all his Arizona readers, asking them to let a local newspaper that we enjoy the strip. Must've got my state from when I sent for that Winslow sticker (THAT I NEVER GOT).
Posted by: JB at March 18, 2006 11:40 PM
I'm pretty sure I designed that map in grade school. Good find!
Posted by: j kendall at March 21, 2006 02:20 PM
