« Rob Schneider Joke II: Still Unfunny | Main | Smear & Balanced »
July 18, 2006
Is It Hot In Here, Or Are You Just a Violent Thug?
There were two ways I considered going with my slant on today's strip. Here's the first one:
So do you think Carmen attends private school or public school? She's a conservative, so she's supposed to hate the idea of government-sponsored anything (like universal healthcare) - so she should be in a private school. But then again she's a conservative, so since it's already in place and she likes how it works she's probably going to a public school. Gotta love their logic.
Anywho, either school she's going to really needs to help the little monster with her civics lessons. You see Carmen, there's one very simple lesson you need to be taught: my rights start at the tip of my nose - your rights stop at the end of your fist. So just because you see someone doing something that's legal but you don't like it doesn't mean you can go over to them and punch them in the face. That's why we have something called the "Constitution," but I know how much you and the other neo-cons hate it so much.
Of course today is a follow up to yesterday's strip on flag burning, and the only good thing about it is that it leaves Rob Schneider out of the unfunniness (oh, the irony of Stantis "making fun" of Deuce Bigalow). Apparently Winslow sets an American flag on fire, and Carmen sucker punches him like every good Republican. Hey, at least she's fighting her own battles and not sending other people to do it for her like this entire administration.
So the message is clear: if conservatives/Republicans/neo-cons/Radical Righties don't like something, violence is the answer. You know this is how Stantis really feels - if you burn a symbol like the flag, then I have a right to violently attack you. Does anybody else agree with this? Sounds pretty insane to me, but I accept that it's how a large number of righties feel. Which begs the question: how far does it go? If Stantis is saying that Carmen is justified in punching Winslow for burning the flag, would it be okay to stab him? Shoot him? Kill him? See, that's why our Founding Fathers were so smart - they realized that things like freedom of speech and freedom of religion were the foundation of a free republic. If I don't like someone praying the Spaghetti Monster, is it okay for me to shoot them in the face with a shotgun? Maybe tomorrow (well, two weeks from tomorrow) Stantis can explain where my rights end and his rights begin.
As soon as this stupid issue came up (instead of Congress dealing with things like, oh, I don't know, the war in Iraq, poverty, stem cell research, etc.), I came up with an idea for a new business in case the Congress decided to ignore the First Amendment: a company that makes red, white, and blue flags - with 14 bars and 51 stripes. That way people can burn a different symbol that symbolizes the same thing to violent over-reactionaries and it sends the same message: that too many people on the right are bullies with anger issues. Or heck, maybe I'll just make a flag made out of material that isn't flammable. And let's not get started on what happens when you burn things like bikinis and pieces of paper that have the flag on them. Geez, this issue is more complicated than the war in Iraq. Maybe that's why Congress tackled it - they wanted a REAL challenge.
Wouldn't it be great if Winslow wasn't burning a flag? It could turn out that Winslow was just burning a red and white striped pillow case, so since Carmen brutally attacked him he'll get her arrested for battery and sue her ass. Then an "activist" judge, most likely appointed by a Republican, can throw her ass in jail until she can pay him for his pain and suffering. Nah, Winslow will just end up intimidated and he'll say he's sorry for hating America like all dirty stinky smell liberals.
Here's the second slant:
Awesome! According to Stantis, since he exercises his right to create a crappy, unfunny comic strip that I don't like, that means I get to exercise my right to kick his ass! SCORE!
Comments
The flag burning issue bugs me. Arn't you supposed to burn a flag if it's seen better days?
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't flag burning illegal at one point, but it was struck down because it was "unconstitutional"?
Posted by: Charles Brubaker at July 18, 2006 09:26 AM
You're right on both counts Charles. If a flag is old and tattered it can be disposed of by burning it, and flag burning was determined to be protected by the First Amendment in 1989.
Posted by: The Furnace at July 18, 2006 09:37 AM
As recent as 1989? Hmmm...I wonder if Scott drew an editorial cartoon about the decision...
Posted by: Charles Brubaker at July 18, 2006 09:54 AM
Tried finding a 'toon per Charles' suggestion, but all I found was this pic of Scotty getting drunk:
http://www.mikhaela.net/pictures/aaec2005/aaec2005-Pages/Image6.html
Posted by: FredN. at July 18, 2006 10:09 AM
If he did draw an editorial cartoon about it way back when, I bet it was of Ronald Reagan sucker punching a judge in the face.
Posted by: JB at July 18, 2006 10:10 AM
Carmen goes to a liberal public school, remember? Because she wanted to write about Ann Coulter as the woman she most admired, and the teacher wouldn't let her do that and suggested Hillary Clinton instead. Now, many people would have tried to compromise with Condi Rice, or Lynn Martin, or Olympia Snow, or another accomplished Republican female politician, but if I recall correctly, Carmen decided that her rights had been infringed and hired a trial lawyer on contingency to sue the school.
Or maybe not.
Posted by: Annie at July 18, 2006 10:15 AM
Yeah. Scott commented that Ann Coulter herself wrote to him a fan letter after that ran, and "Prickly City" ended up in a link page on Ann's website (useless fact: "Prickly City" and Coulter's column is syndicated by a same company.)
Posted by: Charles Brubaker at July 18, 2006 10:56 AM
I'm actually finishing up a letter to the Post tonight about this strip. Just discovered your site via Wikipedia.
I have no expectation that they will print my letter but at least I got it off my chest. Would be great to have a parody "response" cartoon where th' little no-neck monsta gets hauled into juvenile court.
Posted by: Brian at July 18, 2006 06:33 PM
Holy crap - there's a link to us from the PC Wikipedia entry?? Awesome!
Brian, please let us know if your letter makes it to the "liberal" WaPo editorial page. Maybe we can get CJo to agree to post it up here as well if you like.
Posted by: The Furnace at July 18, 2006 06:50 PM
Sure thang! Although they may not run it if I put it here beforehand because they say it has to be "exclusive" to the Post. But I'll surely post it here afterwards.
Hell, I laugh at jokes about overly-p.c. attitudes but P.C. is just... wait a minute! I just made the connection. Beam me up Jesus!
Posted by: Brian at July 18, 2006 07:27 PM
Here's the Wiki page on "Prickly City", for a record.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_City
Looks like today's strip is controversial. Over the internet, including this site, some people are pissed that Scott's advocating violence.
Posted by: Charles Brubaker at July 18, 2006 08:17 PM
... yet the Post decided NOT to run Boondocks for at least a week when Aaron decided to have the boys try to get Condi Rice a boyfriend so she would be so militant.
Posted by: Brian at July 18, 2006 08:28 PM
Charles,
Where are some pissed-off people sites? Wanna check em out.
Posted by: Brian at July 18, 2006 08:28 PM
... sorry. Should be "wouldn't be so militant."
(My mom was an English teacher! Argh!)
Posted by: Brian at July 18, 2006 08:30 PM
Brian, just this one, so far:
http://joshreads.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549
Posted by: Charles Brubaker at July 18, 2006 08:42 PM
I also posted about this strip in Darrin Bell's forum and some political forum. I'll put up a link if someone responds to them.
Posted by: Charles Brubaker at July 18, 2006 08:46 PM
Re: the Wiki entry--Marc Heiden added the Shrubville link on 7-13-06, COOL.
Also, Stantits commented on the entry and made/requested changes back in 2005.
Posted by: FredN. at July 18, 2006 09:38 PM
Ah, good. I'm glad that resulted in some traffic. As long as there is a single person who is aware of Prickly City and not aware of Shrubville, there is a problem, as far as I'm concerned.
Also tried to work some Furnace material into the Carmen and Winslow character descriptions.
Posted by: Marc Heiden at July 19, 2006 03:48 AM
Oh, and I know what Scotty is going to say: "See, I really got to you with this strip, that's why you're so upset. This means that I am an excellent cartoonist!" when really, it's just more proof that he's a hack.
Posted by: Annie at July 19, 2006 06:17 AM
Per Wikipedia, it was edited by "the creater of PC" a couple of times. I'm assuming this is Stantits. The IP address for the computer he used to edit it is: 68.159.161.177
Looks like this is just BellSouth's IP, but I'm no computer techie. It'd be cool if it is useful at all.
Posted by: FredN. at July 19, 2006 01:19 PM
