Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT 2887-2891 (2-6 February 2015)
Technetium:
--- Quote from: lepetitfromage on 06 Feb 2015, 08:20 ---
--- Quote from: Technetium on 06 Feb 2015, 08:08 ---Why would her brother explode with that kind of over-protection if the characters live in a world where everyone is accepting?
--- End quote ---
Because this particular group of friends is an open-minded, generally respectful group with decent morals. We don't see the assholes because they don't hang out with them- doesn't mean they don't exist.
--- End quote ---
Yeah but come, life doesn't work like that. If it were that easy you could just tell every trans person "don't hang out with transphobic people and your problems are all solved." It's great that the main cast here is all open-minded but they will still inadvertently encounter close-minded people in their lives.
Also, I argue that it would make for a more compelling story where close-minded characters exist, are seen interacting with the rest of the characters, and learn to change how they see the people that they had previously been bigoted against. There's something kind of ironic about saying that you refuse to communicate with someone else that isn't as open-minded as you are.
--- Quote from: jheartney on 06 Feb 2015, 08:23 ---
--- Quote from: Technetium on 06 Feb 2015, 08:08 ---That said, I like this comic and a happy ending like this can be nice in a kind of sugary way, I just wish sometimes the comic would approach these issues in a more challenging way.
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We just had a harrowing story arc with depression, heartbreak, alcoholism and a self-destructive slide into near-death. And you think Jeph should go darker?
--- End quote ---
I think he handles the alcoholism issues fairly well, or at least better than the trans issues, I'll give him that. Although it's really not that dark of a story, as Faye immediately has friends that want to help her recover and she has pretty much zero denial after waking up in the hospital, while in real life many alcoholics are literally on their own because nobody cares if they live or die, and they don't even want to listen to the ones that do care, and they drink away the remainder of their lives because of that. Yes, personal experience here...
efrumttr:
--- Quote from: jheartney on 06 Feb 2015, 08:23 ---
--- Quote from: Technetium on 06 Feb 2015, 08:08 ---That said, I like this comic and a happy ending like this can be nice in a kind of sugary way, I just wish sometimes the comic would approach these issues in a more challenging way.
--- End quote ---
We just had a harrowing story arc with depression, heartbreak, alcoholism and a self-destructive slide into near-death. And you think Jeph should go darker?
--- End quote ---
I think you missed his point competely. Think about it like this: why did Jeph create Claire? Why did he introduce a transgender character into the comic? Just because? If that's the case, then okay. But if Jeph is trying to send a larger message about trans acceptance or to raise awareness of transgender issues (which I at least think it's obvious that he is), then to portray Claire's life as we've seen it so far is more questionable. No, we don't need super dark comics where super bad things happen to Claire. But this is what I was trying to put my finger on in my post yesterday: it's been too easy. It's not representative of what life is like for the majority of transgender people. The question then arises as to whether that's helpful to his larger goals, because if people who don't have any experience with transgender people or the transgender community read this comic, they don't even get a hint of those issues.
St.Clair:
--- Quote from: Technetium on 06 Feb 2015, 08:53 ---Yeah but come, life doesn't work like that.
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Heaven forbid we should seek something other (and/or 'better') than life and gritty realism in our fiction.
When you sit down to a meal with friends and/or family, do you take time to remind them that, you know, many people around the world are starving and miserable and homeless and at risk of getting killed, raped, maimed, etc etc? To put the occasion in the proper perspective.
efrumttr:
--- Quote from: St.Clair on 06 Feb 2015, 09:01 ---
--- Quote from: Technetium on 06 Feb 2015, 08:53 ---Yeah but come, life doesn't work like that.
--- End quote ---
When you sit down to a meal with friends and/or family, do you take time to remind them that, you know, many people around the world are starving and miserable and homeless and at risk of getting killed, raped, maimed, etc etc? To put the occasion in the proper perspective.
--- End quote ---
What the hell? Nobody in this thread is saying anything close to that.
Zebediah:
There is a place for aspirational stories as well as realistic stories. Look, we all know the world sucks. But every once in a while it's nice to be reminded that the world doesn't have to suck and could, in fact, be made to suck less than it does. Because if we can't imagine the world being a better place, it never will be.
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