Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

WCDT Strips 3231 - 3235 (30th May to 3rd June 2016)

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oddtail:

--- Quote from: chaospersonified on 31 May 2016, 22:07 ---This forum often makes me realize just how different cultures are across the world. Threats of violence aren't exactly rare, the joke being they'd never actually do anything. Not so funny until you know the person making the threats, I'll admit.

Example: I took a miss, the first chance I had to kiss a girl. Her father was on the porch cleaning his guns, with a devilish glint in his eye. At the time, I was terrified. Now I get that's just his sense of humor. He's hardly the only one in the area to do this kind of thing.

Call it bad jokes, I wouldn't disagree. I'd disagree that you have a right to SAY that as an objective fact, because humor's subjective, but that's just arguing semantics. Doesn't really matter, the fact is that's just how it is in my town. And not how it is in anyone else's, which is the main thing I've realized, since this isn't the first time I've noticed this.

--- End quote ---

Yeah, but... in this particular case, the joke is made by the author of the comic, not by the character. There's nothing about the context of the conversation that indicates the threats were anything but serious and/or overreacting to a sudden scary development. I think that's different than someone jokingly threatening somebody.

Heck, I've made threats of violence as jokes on occasion. When I'm mildly annoyed by my wife's antics, one of my go-to responses is "honey, I love you, but I'm gonna murder you to death and any court will acquit me" or variations thereof.

I'll give you that there are cultural differences regarding what's acceptable and what is not, but in this case, I think the situation is not about humor. I mean, from the reader's point of view, yes, but not in-story, if that makes any sense.

BenRG:
I think people are missing a significant point here: We are not supposed to laugh at Renee's threats because the threats are funny. We are supposed to laugh at Renee for behaving that way. She, like the original characterisation of Faye, is meant to be a grotesque - A character with such an extreme character flaw (or several) that she seems ridiculous, even though she considers herself credible and correct in her behaviour. It is the extreme and other characters' response to it that's the joke.

Jeph has shown how Faye's aggression is ultimately a shield over her vulnerabilities and has never done her any good. Maybe we'll also see Renee finding that her tendency to jump down people's throats is screwing her up and that the indulgence of it she got from her co-workers at TSB is no indication of it being acceptance. Hell, with Padma gone to the Big City to care for her grandmother and thus not around to cover for her, Jim may have finally tired of her schtick and fired her.

Stepping through to an in-universe perspective, I do give Renee a lot of leeway right now. She's just been 'phoned by her sweet but not-entirely-worldly friend Brun from a stranger's phone to inform her (in her uniquely dry, matter-of-fact way) that her home and workplace have burned down and that some guy who she's only just met is 'helping' her. Renee is probably nearly hysterical with fear for Brun right now and a massive over-reaction towards a stranger whose motives and actions are unknown is completely understandable.

oddtail:
@BenRG: that's more or less what I meant when I said "the joke is made by the author of the comic, not the character". So yeah, you're of course absolutely right.

Granted, I still don't find the bit even remotely funny (I think Faye's comedic penchant for violence worked WAY better, for several reasons), but eh. Humour's subjective anyway.

RMc:
sweet but not-entirely-worldly friend Brun

Sweet? She berated him and threatened him with a harpoon. In most jurisdictions, that's a misdemeanor, at least.

No, Brun's just another horribly, horribly broken character, the kind that this comic accumulates. Sigh.

hakko504:

--- Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 01 Jun 2016, 00:15 ---I vaguely remember Hannelore saying she couldn't handle having a roommate.

OK, 1586.

She's made a lot of progress since then.

Brun might not be the right person for the position though.

--- End quote ---
Hannelore also had some reservations about Marigold as a roomie in 2826

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