Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT Strips 3806-3810 (13-17 August 2018)
BlueFatima:
--- Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 14 Aug 2018, 10:14 ---
--- Quote from: BenRG on 14 Aug 2018, 04:38 ---
--- Quote from: Annemoon on 14 Aug 2018, 04:34 ---But my more general problem, is that I feel that the comic story line itself seems to acknowledge it as strong 'carelessness' from Faye, which I feel uncomfortable with.
--- End quote ---
I have to agree with this. Jeph seems to have started from the base concept of "Sam gets hurt because Faye is careless" and written backwards from there. That isn't a bad way to create narrative but, in this particular case, he doesn't seem to have been quite able to tell the story smoothly. It has the same feeling of being forced and awkward that I got from the Tilly & Hanners arc around the new year.
What makes reading these strips really strange is that even the characters seem to be aware that the plot is a bit forced. They're awkward in delivering their lines and keep on pausing at weird points as if they're saying in their heads: "Who the hell wrote this script?"
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Ben, is is the plot or the dialog you're objecting to?
'Cause to me what happened is the natural result of the ingredients reacting with each other. Faye offering Sam a development opportunity, Sam doing something reckless in a workshop -- surprising it hasn't happened before! Jim's reacting like a parent whose kid got injured.
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We've seen Jim be a reactive parent in the past. He happens to air on the side of a protective parent. I don't think he's ridiculously protective, but I would consider it slightly problematic...a realistic human flaw that could impede him down the road as a parent as Sam discovers more independence and acts like a typical teen. I don't fault him for that. I've been there myself (though not with injuries—more with bullying). It's tricky to find a balance.
I don't feel Faye is an irresponsible person in this arc either. She made a very human mistake and learned from it. She even owned up to it on her end by talking Jim afterwards and accepting he was not happy with her. That takes serious 'nads.
Aside from yesterday's strip, I don't find any of this story to be uncomfortable, but maybe that's because my daughter is approaching Sam's age. I've been around a lot of different kids and other parents/teachers at this point, and yeah, I will judge others' choices with children to a degree (if nothing else—to rethink how I do things), but I'm used to other parents and teachers making very different judgement calls with kids than I would make, and I see that the kids can still turn out to be amazing people who benefited from their relationship with those adults. This includes my own. I try to remember the cool turtle dad from Finding Nemo.
Another cool thing about this story is Jim is trying hard on his end to fight his overprotectiveness, and that also shows growth on his end—which is pretty cool considering he is a minor character.
RMc:
Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude.
Women can say anything they want in this strip. If a man talked to a woman that way on QC, the Hannelore fangirls would burn down the entire internet.
UghIncels:
--- Quote from: RMc on 14 Aug 2018, 16:56 ---Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude.
Women can say anything they want in this strip. If a man talked to a woman that way on QC, the Hannelore fangirls would burn down the entire internet.
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Excellent insight. I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter so that I may avoid your mistakes.
Tova:
I have my quibbles with recent comics, but characterisation is not one of them.
--- Quote from: RMc on 14 Aug 2018, 16:56 ---Can't believe she just straight-up calls him a twit O_o That's awfully rude.
Women can say anything they want in this strip. If a man talked to a woman that way on QC, the Hannelore fangirls would burn down the entire internet.
--- End quote ---
I doubt that a man calling a woman a twit in QC would provoke anything more confrontational than this very post.
War Sparrow:
To all of those comparing Sam using a power tool in the shop to their own experiences in school, or with mechanically inclined parents-I find the comparison flawed. For those tracking the geographical data, I'm from rural Canada.
If Sam had been enrolled in a mechanical or woodworking class, Jim would have at least been subconsciously prepared for her to be injured in some way. It's a class for learning how to use tools, and Sam is..Sam. He might have been angry or scared, of course, cause it's his kid, but still-he would have likely been expecting it. He might have also have been more receptive if Faye or Sam asked him if she could learn to use power tools under Faye's supervision. (Although I will grant that sometimes it's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission)
But Sam wasn't in a class. Sam was in her adult friend's shop- a friend Jim trusted to keep his child intact. Maybe he should have factored in the siren song of power tools, but he didn't. And Sam got hurt, no matter how minor. Jim is allowed to be angry at the person who should have been watching her. He should also be reasonable about that anger, which he is, as much as possible.
I like this arc. It's a group of people doing the best they can under the circumstances, and everyone is learning. Faye's learning that apprentices can and will do illogical things, Sam's learning actions have consequences, and Jim's learning that his little girl is growing up.
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