Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT: 2593-2597 (09-13 December 2013) Weekly Comics Discussion Thread
Derec:
Honestly, the past strip seems a bit of a reflection of Marigold's situation in miniature. Sure, rationally, the hug shouldn't bother Hannelore, but isn't it predictable that it initially would, particularly for an AI?
Marigold was pretty much a jerk, but I think it's a bit more than just social awkwardness. I've been a bit offput for a while at just how paternalistic the other characters have been getting toward Marigold. I honestly think Jeph is sprinkling hints at this by having so many instances of characters saying, "Yep, they're totally going to bang!", etc. Is Marigold immature? I think so. Yet I still don't know how you expect people to react when you tell them, "I know what's best for you", and manipulate things around them so *quickly*.
The last date was yesterday. From Marigold's point of view: (1) she got some teasing for dancing after the date (2) today, she was hoping to see Dale, but (3) got forced into an uncomfortable situation by Hannelore assuming what's best for her and (4) panicked and ran home to someone else who knows what's best for her.
That last statement of Momo's isn't neutral. Saying "I could, but I will not." feels like a similar, but lower degree, form of Marigold's response. It's saying "I have the power to make it work out, but I want you to do it for your own good." rather than just explaining that it's a terrible idea because it's a terrible foundation for a relationship. I feel like she's gotten insensitized to legitimately awkward situations. I see echos of it in todays' strip, where she honestly looked annoyed that Hannelore might have briefly failed to process she's a robot.
Lastly, this is why I hate plots where a group of friends decide "A and B should be together, let's make it happen!". I've been the A in that, and it's really annoying for an introspective person. You have to sort out your own feelings with the combined fact that now you know that someone besides the two of you has already constructed this narrative before you know what you want. That's entirely the situation where I'd be apt to think that if this is so important to them, why don't they handle it.
Summation: Marigold was a jerk, but I honestly think it's more the release of acute pressure she's feeling from everyone else rather than a general thing.
DSL:
I think ZoeB's comment might be clearer to more if it's understood to mean (and as I think she meant; please correct me if necessary): "allowed to forget your status as 'other.'"
We all like to think we're apart from the crowd in some way that makes us special, but that's voluntary.
But when the decision is made for you that you can never be, even if you want to be, part of the crowd -- that's hurtful. Sometimes it's deadly.
Tulpa:
--- Quote from: dranorter on 13 Dec 2013, 00:42 ---I think Hanners should probably be freaked out about a robot hugging her. They might be a little cleaner than humans but they still touch stuff and move all over the place. They would just get dirty in a different way.
--- End quote ---
Beat me to it. Figured I should read back to see if anyone else mentioned that. I doubt robots shower daily or even wash their hands often.
toffee-skye:
--- Quote from: Method of Madness on 13 Dec 2013, 05:39 ---YOU'RE ALL INDIVIDUALS!
--- End quote ---
i'm not.
i like to think Hanners is okay with hugging robots because unless they get extremely dirty (e.g. when FROGLORD was introduced) their dermal/outside coating on the chassis is like those self-cleaning windows. so whilst Hanners knows they're dirty, they're dirty in a way that will sooner rather than later be recitified.
Miglow:
--- Quote from: Tulpa on 13 Dec 2013, 07:59 ---
--- Quote from: dranorter on 13 Dec 2013, 00:42 ---I think Hanners should probably be freaked out about a robot hugging her. They might be a little cleaner than humans but they still touch stuff and move all over the place. They would just get dirty in a different way.
--- End quote ---
Beat me to it. Figured I should read back to see if anyone else mentioned that. I doubt robots shower daily or even wash their hands often.
--- End quote ---
There's a difference though. Bacteria and germs can actually live on and thrive on human skin, where there's available moisture a nutrients. A robot chassis is only as dirty as what it has been in contact with, and even then many microbes won't survive that long.
Anyhow, I think Hannelore is freaked out about the hugging because she just doesn't deal with interpersonal touching very often to begin with. She could be hugged by her dad who just went through 5 levels of decontamination and still be freaked out, because she just isn't used to having that sort of contact (assuming the hug was a surprise, like the one Momo gave).
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