Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

WCDT Strips 3826-3830 (10-14 September 2018)

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BenRG:
I think I get why May is so upset in panel 6 of today's strip. To be a Tsundere requires that the motivation of her grumpyness be a desire to hide her essentially good nature and, possibly, a romantic attraction to someone. May doesn't want to believe she's got a good nature, even though Dale and Momo know better. Additionally, the last thing she wants is for Marigold to be watching her to try to work out who her crush might be (It's Hank the Dismemberer, of course but Marigold doesn't know that).

IMO, Robot Jail is a virtual space with minimal sensory input and little interaction. In order to maintain algorithmic stability (to stop the prisoner from going insane) there are probably 'community times', when the 'cell' isolated processing spaces are networked, allowing conversation between prisoners and possibly even physical interaction within the terms of the virtual reality. However, generally the only thing the prisoner has is the minimal inputs of their 'cell' and a 'dumb' rehab program whose only function is to teach them to be more socially responsible and find their way to understanding why what they did is unacceptable to society. Imagine being in a cell about 20 hours a day with an indestructible animatronic cell-mate whose only function is to get you to admit that you're a bad person who deserves their punishment.

As with most human prisons, I imagine that entertainment and recreational materials are privileges that must be earned by cooperative behaviour. Something tells me that May has probably played every possible permutation of Microsoft Solitaire and Minesweeper.


EDIT
Removed unnecessary parentheses

Thrillho:

--- Quote from: QuestionableIntentions on 13 Sep 2018, 21:56 ---Urgh, here we go again with May's whining.

"I broke the law, how dare you all not forget that instantly!"

"She asked a question abou my past, HOW DARE SHE!"

God, May, get a fucking grib.

--- End quote ---

So having broken the law means she is a law breaker forever and nothing else and is required to answer questions about it regardless of how she feels? Pretty pleased she doesn't have a grip on that.

OldGoat:
Is the penal system about retribution or rehabilitation?

We must accept that it's not going to be a one-size-fits-all solution.  In May's case, genuine remorse for having betrayed a trust would be a key indicator of rehabilitation.  Having served a sentence that was so unpleasant that she never wants to risk it again is not the optimal outcome and carries a higher risk of recidivism. 

May is Jeph's vehicle for examining how society, in our universe or QC's, deals with criminal behavior.  The QC universe is a pretty hopeful place, and Jeph writes dynamic characters who justify that hope (viz this week's revelation of unexpected depth to Pintsize's silicon soul).  May is too potentially interesting for him to leave as a piece of background hardware.  Look for her, in time, to come to genuinely regret shitting on her former employers' trust.  We're going to get to watch May develop the ability for introspection.  A human psychopath has no conscience and (at least according to current thinking) isn't able to grow one, but I suspect AIs can.

Thrillho:
But too many people consider these questions without considering prison happening to them or someone they love.

It's one of the common arguments for harsher sentencing for things like paedophilia. 'If someone did that to my kids...' Yeah, but what if your kids did that to someone else?

I couldn't tell you what prison is supposed to be about. But it sure as shit shouldn't be about holding it over someone's head the rest of their lives.

Tova:

--- Quote from: QuestionableIntentions on 13 Sep 2018, 21:56 ---"I broke the law, how dare you all not forget that instantly!"

"She asked a question abou my past, HOW DARE SHE!"

--- End quote ---

It's more like, "Marigold brought up my time in Robot Jail, and it hurt me because I'm not ready to deal with that trauma, and because I'm not dealing well with the way people treat me now they see me as an ex-con and can't seem to see past it."

Only she doesn't quite have the EQ or willingness to express that in so many words, even to Dale.

Dale's a good listener, btw, because:

1. He didn't immediately try to solve her problem.
2. He empathised.
3. He stayed calm, which allowed May to do the same once she'd vented.
4. Only once she was calm again did he explain the situation with Marigold.

10/10 Would vent again.

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