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"Basilisk, good job on the fight club case. Here's your gold detective's badge!"

1 (1.9%)

Roko Basilisk P.I. (with May as her capable and tough receptionist)

15 (28.8%)

Asking Elliott (stammering and blushing) if The Secret Bakery has any open jobs working with b... b... bread

7 (13.5%)

The Kirouac Option - She quits, buys a bike and rides off to find herself

1 (1.9%)

SpookyBot makes a personal appearence to tell her about ways she can make a difference

9 (17.3%)

May personally pleas with her to stick with the force because they need some good cops

5 (9.6%)

Bubbles (clued in by May) gives her the 'one good Synthetic' speech

6 (11.5%)

A prolonged whodunnit story guest-starring Clinton, Melon and Emily

4 (7.7%)

Door security at The Horrible Revelation (which morphs into the prolonged whodunnit arc)

4 (7.7%)

Other (please specify in a comment)

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 49

[BenRG]

I think that it's pretty clear that Jeph is planning to do something with the character of Roko but the question is what? I think that it's still pretty much up in the air, even for Patreon members.

As for me...? From Jeph's Twitter I think that it is pretty clear that he's planning to have Roko quit the force eventually but the question is what she will go onto do next. As mad as it is, I can't help but like the idea of her becoming a private detective working the stranger aspects of the Synthetic subculture (AI families, partnerships, businesses and betrayal). Maybe Punchbot may hire her to verify some details uncovered in an audit? Maybe there is room in Northampton for an android version of Jessica Jones?

[OldGoat]

As much fun as Roko as agency principal and May as her office minion would be, I hope Jeph doesn't take it there.  It could easily take on a life of its own and demand its own spin-off strip - something I don't think he wants to tackle again.  I'm thinkin' we'll see May going to Bubbles saying, "ShitohdearwhathaveIdone?" and Bubbs dissuading Roko from badge tossing, at least not just yet.

It will get Roko to thinking, though.  A humanoid AI's basic survival needs are pretty minimal - a secure place to sit or stand while recharging with room for storing such clothing as she chooses to wear and maybe her own broadband access pretty would much cover the lower two levels of Maslow's hierarchy.   From what we've seen she seems to be pretty frugal.  If she's drawing a state trooper's salary she has disposable income she's probably been socking away (her occasional splurge on a fresh hot cross bun or loaf of pumpernickel just wouldn't be that extravagant), so she could hold out a long time on her savings alone. 

Roko'll realize she has the option of quitting any time she damn well feels like it, and all she has to do is figure out something interesting to do instead.

[L_Circe]

So, uh, it seems that strip 3636 and 3836 have gotten switched around. So, we get to see angry Hannelore face, and then, if you navigate in the archive to find the actual 3836, you'll get to see angry Basilisk face.

[Neko_Ali]

Wait, have we ever seen Hanners and Roko in the same room together? Confirmed, Roko is Hanner's remote controlled anthro body! It's the only explanation.

[Carl-E]

...I don't get it. 

What's she so upset about? 



Edit: Never mind, I get it.  It's the next morning, and she doesn't want to have people automatically worry that she might actually be the vindictive type. 


The mere fact that she had to say that to May is what's pissing her off about the job. 






That, and O'Mally. 

[Toe]

So, uh, it seems that strip 3636 and 3836 have gotten switched around. So, we get to see angry Hannelore face, and then, if you navigate in the archive to find the actual 3836, you'll get to see angry Basilisk face.

If anyone needs a link: https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3636

[BenRG]

I've already got the feeling that this week's strips are not going to be enjoyable and I may even bow out for a while because the political opinions that are going to be openly and shamelessly be presented as objective fact will just make me mad at Jeph. I should have realised things were going this way when Jeph said on Twitter that he started feeling bad about Roko being a cop when he started liking her.

If I'm right about where this is going, this strip isn't a good starting place for it. We'e seen no reason to believe that Roko's particular branch of the police service is corrupt yet she suddenly flips out. We needed a specific on-screen reason to be given, not just this assumption that 'aLl cOpZ is baAad loL'. What did she see (likely on the screen) that made her start thinking about not being vindictive? What was so bad that she'd rather leave her community to the bad cops and thugs than be involved in it?

[cybersmurf]

So, uh, it seems that strip 3636 and 3836 have gotten switched around. So, we get to see angry Hannelore face, and then, if you navigate in the archive to find the actual 3836, you'll get to see angry Basilisk face.

If anyone needs a link: https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3636

I was wondering why I got a 404 on that strip.


Of AI police can't find someone, does that get operational code 404?

[Shjade]

Edit: Never mind, I get it.  It's the next morning, and she doesn't want to have people automatically worry that she might actually be the vindictive type. 

It took me a second, too, but yeah. The realization that the job she's in is so distant from what that job should be that people expect abuse of authority to come with the territory is pretty damning.

[comicalArchitect]

This has nothing to do with tonight's strip or any recent strip, but I just thought of the name "Questionable Clinton" to refer to the new-ish branch of the comic forming around the Secret Bakery, and I'm inordinately happy with it.

[pwhodges]

I've already got the feeling that this week's strips are not going to be enjoyable and I may even bow out for a while because the political opinions that are going to be openly and shamelessly be presented as objective fact will just make me mad at Jeph.

It may just be a matter of reminding yourself that neither the average nor the worst case in policing is the same on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

[shanejayell]

I'm sorta hoping Roko quits more for 'this just isn't what I want to DO' reasons than the usual 'cops are scum, I quit...' reason.

[Shjade]

We'e seen no reason to believe that Roko's particular branch of the police service is corrupt yet she suddenly flips out. We needed a specific on-screen reason to be given, not just this assumption that 'aLl cOpZ is baAad loL'. What did she see (likely on the screen) that made her start thinking about not being vindictive? What was so bad that she'd rather leave her community to the bad cops and thugs than be involved in it?

Didn't her original attempt to bust the robot fighting ring end with Corpse Witch basically telling her "I have your boss on speed dial, this will go badly for you if you try to make something of it?"

Edit: It's a more subtle threat than I recalled, but it's still pretty clearly indicating the local PD enforces the law rather selectively.

[citizenfive]

We'e seen no reason to believe that Roko's particular branch of the police service is corrupt yet she suddenly flips out. We needed a specific on-screen reason to be given, not just this assumption that 'aLl cOpZ is baAad loL'. What did she see (likely on the screen) that made her start thinking about not being vindictive? What was so bad that she'd rather leave her community to the bad cops and thugs than be involved in it?

Didn't her original attempt to bust the robot fighting ring end with Corpse Witch basically telling her "I have your boss on speed dial, this will go badly for you if you try to make something of it?"

Edit: It's a more subtle threat than I recalled, but it's still pretty clearly indicating the local PD enforces the law rather selectively.

I got the impression that Corpse Witch was full of crap though and never had any more leverage than just being extremely manipulative and bluffing.

[JoeCovenant]

I am so glad this thread exists...
I was sitting here thinking something was terribly wrong when I opened up the page to find.... T..T....Taffy!!!! (Tillly)
Then thought "Oh - no new comics then?"

But thats a helluva jump from standing on the street with May to a "Sod, this - I'm off" moment.
(I don't even know if I understand why that particular phrase has caused Roko's "Bugger it, I'm out" reaction...?)

[MrNumbers]

I for one welcome our new cop rhetoric, and I'll be binge reading Black Against Empire again this week to have something more eloquent to say at the end of it.

Just found out my grandfather on my Dad's side this week was a highly corrupt, on the take officer. My grandfather on the other side was the head detective of a large portion of NSW and, while more sympathetic, I'm also very aware of his politics. Big proponent of gay = pedophile policing.

I know the human sides of these people, who think they're doing good, but... Goddamn does that much unchecked institutional power and violent enforcement scare the crap out of me

[BenRG]

I got the impression that Corpse Witch was full of crap though and never had any more leverage than just being extremely manipulative and bluffing.

I got the impression that, on the day Bubbles was freed from Corpse Witch's control, she had been planning to order Bubbles to murder Roko. She was talking about 'that robot cop' sniffing around too much but Bubbles never gave her the chance to finish her sentence before threatening to crush her head.

[Jakk Frost]

I've already got the feeling that this week's strips are not going to be enjoyable and I may even bow out for a while because the political opinions that are going to be openly and shamelessly be presented as objective fact will just make me mad at Jeph.

It may just be a matter of reminding yourself that neither the average nor the worst case in policing is the same on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

I think it's more of a problem of treating the "worst case" as if it were the norm, a trend far too rampant in today's society.  (Like the "all cops are bad" narrative.)

[Freelance_Physicist]

There's another possibility besides quitting: transfer to Internal Affairs and go after the actual vindictive cops.

[gopher]

I've already got the feeling that this week's strips are not going to be enjoyable and I may even bow out for a while because the political opinions that are going to be openly and shamelessly be presented as objective fact will just make me mad at Jeph.

It may just be a matter of reminding yourself that neither the average nor the worst case in policing is the same on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

I think it's more of a problem of treating the "worst case" as if it were the norm, a trend far too rampant in today's society.  (Like the "all cops are bad" narrative.)

Not all cops are bad, but all cops allow bad cops to continue. The Blue Wall of Silence is very real.

[dsvella]

Throwing in my 2 pence.

I have personally been in the position when the "bubble" of your working life is burst because a third party has highlighted the issues you unconsciously ignored or had gotten used to.

I am expecting this to be a kind of "soul searching" for Roko as a lot of variables need to be considered here.

My hope is that Roko makes the decision for her own reasons and to improve he quality of life.

[LastChans]

Okay. Made an account just to comment on today's (QC #3836) comic. At first, I thought the comic was just to move the current plot along, but then I may have imagined a punchline? Again, made an account to see if anyone touched upon this and no one hasn't, so I suppose I guess I'll explain the joke that was (wasn't?) made.

Panel #3 (bottom left): this is a typesetting joke right? Because my reaction to that terrible pun/joke was totally Panel #4

Also: Italics is totally the vindictive type. Looks so backstabby.

[TheEvilDog]

I am so glad this thread exists...
I was sitting here thinking something was terribly wrong when I opened up the page to find.... T..T....Taffy!!!! (Tillly)
Then thought "Oh - no new comics then?"

But thats a helluva jump from standing on the street with May to a "Sod, this - I'm off" moment.
(I don't even know if I understand why that particular phrase has caused Roko's "Bugger it, I'm out" reaction...?)

Funnily enough, I had read the comic, exited the page and came back to find Hanner!Mom being fanned by the Robohorse, so that was a WTF? moment for me.

And regards to understanding the phrase, I think its Roko twigging that she had to say to someone "she's not a vindictive cop". To a parolee, no less. To an idealist like Roko seems to be, where the cops are supposed to be the ones who serve the public and who the public should always feel safe around, the fact that she had to clarify that she wasn't the vindictive kind made her realise that May, and possibly others, are terrified of her and the police. That's enough of a realisation to break someone, especially someone whose only crime has been a little too dogged in her job and whose only vice is liking the smell of bread.

[Case]

<snip>

Panel #3 (bottom left): this is a typesetting joke right? Because my reaction to that terrible pun/joke was totally Panel #4

Also: Italics is totally the vindictive type. Looks so backstabby.

I can't help but feel you might be on to something - I don't know the first thing about typesetting, let alone typesetting puns (so if this was one, it totally went over my head) - but the "Roko realizes she had to explain she's not the vindictive type, which makes her ask some hard questions about her job"-explanation doesn't feel right to me.

Not that it isn't possible, but it feels like ... too complicated, too much lateral thinking required? 

And she's already been asking uncomfortable questions about her job in COD, the day before?
 

[Is it cold in here?]

Okay. Made an account just to comment on today's (QC #3836) comic. At first, I thought the comic was just to move the current plot along, but then I may have imagined a punchline? Again, made an account to see if anyone touched upon this and no one hasn't, so I suppose I guess I'll explain the joke that was (wasn't?) made.

Panel #3 (bottom left): this is a typesetting joke right? Because my reaction to that terrible pun/joke was totally Panel #4

Also: Italics is totally the vindictive type. Looks so backstabby.

Welcome, new person who is a font of wisdom!

[JoeCovenant]

I am so glad this thread exists...
I was sitting here thinking something was terribly wrong when I opened up the page to find.... T..T....Taffy!!!! (Tillly)
Then thought "Oh - no new comics then?"

But thats a helluva jump from standing on the street with May to a "Sod, this - I'm off" moment.
(I don't even know if I understand why that particular phrase has caused Roko's "Bugger it, I'm out" reaction...?)

Funnily enough, I had read the comic, exited the page and came back to find Hanner!Mom being fanned by the Robohorse, so that was a WTF? moment for me.

And regards to understanding the phrase, I think its Roko twigging that she had to say to someone "she's not a vindictive cop". To a parolee, no less. To an idealist like Roko seems to be, where the cops are supposed to be the ones who serve the public and who the public should always feel safe around, the fact that she had to clarify that she wasn't the vindictive kind made her realise that May, and possibly others, are terrified of her and the police. That's enough of a realisation to break someone, especially someone whose only crime has been a little too dogged in her job and whose only vice is liking the smell of bread.

Hmm...
Whereas I understand your reasoning, personally, I would think the exact opposite (where I Roko).
It's either that or Jeph is suggesting that NOT being a vindictive cop is something 'other' than the norm.

And if that IS the case, then my take on Roko is, she would make bloody sure that perception ended... but not by leaving. (!?)

It's an odd one, certainly...

[dutchrvl]

I am so glad this thread exists...
I was sitting here thinking something was terribly wrong when I opened up the page to find.... T..T....Taffy!!!! (Tillly)
Then thought "Oh - no new comics then?"

But thats a helluva jump from standing on the street with May to a "Sod, this - I'm off" moment.
(I don't even know if I understand why that particular phrase has caused Roko's "Bugger it, I'm out" reaction...?)

Funnily enough, I had read the comic, exited the page and came back to find Hanner!Mom being fanned by the Robohorse, so that was a WTF? moment for me.

And regards to understanding the phrase, I think its Roko twigging that she had to say to someone "she's not a vindictive cop". To a parolee, no less. To an idealist like Roko seems to be, where the cops are supposed to be the ones who serve the public and who the public should always feel safe around, the fact that she had to clarify that she wasn't the vindictive kind made her realise that May, and possibly others, are terrified of her and the police. That's enough of a realisation to break someone, especially someone whose only crime has been a little too dogged in her job and whose only vice is liking the smell of bread.

Hmm...
Whereas I understand your reasoning, personally, I would think the exact opposite (where I Roko).
It's either that or Jeph is suggesting that NOT being a vindictive cop is something 'other' than the norm.

And if that IS the case, then my take on Roko is, she would make bloody sure that perception ended... but not by leaving. (!?)

It's an odd one, certainly...

Yeah, I'm with you on this one too. Unless Jeph has a different explanation in mind (one that nobody here has offered yet), the decision to quit based on a realization that people fear/don't trust cops in general seems a bit of a leap to me.

By the way, is it me, or does Jeph seems to be inserting more current societal issues into QC lately? I know he has done so on occasion in the past as well, but it seems more prevalent in the past year or so of QC, with (white/rich/male) privilege and police/judicial system issues.
Not a criticism at all (in fact it makes for interesting discussions here), but wondering if it's just me or if others got the same impression.
 

[Is it cold in here?]

She could be ego-fragile. There are plenty of people who would be shaken by the realization that they were assumed to be vindictive jerks simply because of their job.

Someone that easily shaken is poorly suited for a law enforcement job in the first place.

[jwhouk]

Those people generally don't make it through the Academy in the first place.

[Tova]

She could be ego-fragile. There are plenty of people who would be shaken by the realization that they were assumed to be vindictive jerks simply because of their job.

Is that "ego-fragile?" Being shaken by someone presuming you possess a stereotypical characteristic?

[ImVeryAngryItsNotButter]

and whose only vice is liking the smell of bread.

Yes... the, uh, smell. That's it.

[Shjade]

I think it's more of a problem of treating the "worst case" as if it were the norm, a trend far too rampant in today's society.  (Like the "all cops are bad" narrative.)

Assuming cops are bad is safer than assuming they're going to treat you fairly. Only one of those two outcomes is likely to get you beaten, strangled, or shot, after all.

Edit:

Those people generally don't make it through the Academy in the first place.

Have you been paying any attention to the kinds of people who made headlines on the job after making it through the Academy?

I think your idea of their standards is optimistic, at best.

[Is it cold in here?]

She could be ego-fragile. There are plenty of people who would be shaken by the realization that they were assumed to be vindictive jerks simply because of their job.

Is that "ego-fragile?" Being shaken by someone presuming you possess a stereotypical characteristic?

There's probably a better word for it. I worried about whether it was the right word as I wrote it.

[jwhouk]

Those people generally don't make it through the Academy in the first place.

Have you been paying any attention to the kinds of people who made headlines on the job after making it through the Academy?

I think your idea of their standards is optimistic, at best.

I was talking about someone similar to Roko.

I'm all too aware of those who want to be SuperCop.

[Cornelius]

Glad to see today's comic up as usual.

I know I said I can understand where she's coming from, but on the other hand, as my colleague keeps saying, quand les dégoûtés partent, il ne reste que les dégoûtants. When the disgusted leave, there's only the disgusting left.
Still, it's a personal choice. I do believe one person can make a difference, even if it's only to motivate others to stay and try, but ultimately, it's up to every individual to see whether they can still meaningfully try to continue, or whether it's starting to break them.

[brasca]

As much as I think it’s a mistake for a good police officer to quit having rewatched The Wire lately I can understand.

[MrNumbers]

Sad Irish RoboCop.

It's very hard for individuals to fix systems from within, because systems have within them the material conditions that caused the breakages in the first place. Permanent change involves changing either the entire incentive structure of the system, or the entire context of the society in which it operates.

Police are encouraged to put property above people, be classist and racist and dehumanize sections of society to make it easier to perform those job duties, see the entire population outside their organisation as either predators or victims - that's a big one I picked up talking to the ones in my family - and to have a higher level of institutional power and credibility than the general population, as well as the only part of society that is allowed to use violence as a tool.

So what does that mean?

It means there are plenty of people attracted to the force for the right reasons, and those powers are necessary for their role to function at all. State power needs to be enforced  with legitimized violence. But it also means you get a ton of "bad cops" because those previous incentives basically make you become that person, contextually.

And it means that a modern police force cannot exist without making the conditions with which "bad cops" are created and thrive.

You can't "weed out the bad cops" any more than you can have omelettes without eggs.

Personally I'd like to see much more investment in community policing efforts while keeping the detective forces and an empowered internal investigations system as a start.

[BenRG]

The more I read this strip, the more I realise that the end objective of this arc was to remove Roko from the police but that Jeph was casting around for any reason that stands up to examination. I'm not sure that he managed to get that objective entirely. Instead you get one of those awkward strips that happen in many comics that deal with controversial issues that read like they've been copied and pasted from a campaign leaflet from an extreme-wing political group. I'm not saying that I could do better, only that this is how the strip feels to me.

As for my view of the police? My view is that they are needed and any scenario that removes them from the equation also needs to remove some very serious ingrained problems in human society and psychology to avoid an outcome of anarchy and disaster.

[MrNumbers]

[cybersmurf]

Oh no, Mistah J dropped a bomb!
Well, maybe it's just a cherry bomb.

It seems AIs get the more... enunciated character traits. "Going Commie on us"? It's a weird expression in this situation, but hey we saw O'Malley like... twice? before this arc. Maybe he is the AI embodiment of the cold war era.


The Roko Basilisk we know until yet? The somewhat optimistic (maybe the wrong word, since it's more like Rose tinted glasses) cop with a - to a degree - questionable record, and the bread lover.
Maybe JJ wants to introduce another independent AI regular to the strip, especially since Bubble is somewhat bound to Faye now.

[Tova]

Roko is goin' Commie because the system is broken DON'T @ ME

[JoeCovenant]

... DON'T @ ME

I've started seeing this around...
Not sure I totally understand what it means...?

(Or is it simply, don't tweet about this and include me as a direct recipient?)

[BenRG]

It seems AIs get the more... enunciated character traits. "Going Commie on us"? It's a weird expression in this situation, but hey we saw O'Malley like... twice? before this arc. Maybe he is the AI embodiment of the cold war era.

By choice or exposure, O'Malley seems to wish to embody the stereotypical traits of a Bostonian Irish Cop (tm). This includes the assumption that any view other than 'status quo' is intrinsically 'Commie' or whatever the current appellation for those who don't like the status quo may be.

Basically, Jeph writes O'Malley as the stereotype of the 'cynical veteran copper'. Like all stereotypes, he's best interpreted as mainly the comic relief rather than any serious attempt to write a nuanced character. Unlike Roko, who is genuinely sweet in that she asks O'Malley to 'look after himself' as she leaves. One wonders if the only reason she went drinking with him was in the belief that she could stop him from over-indulging and damaging himself (not realising that she is a lightweight compared to him).

... DON'T @ ME

I've started seeing this around...
Not sure I totally understand what it means...?

It means that the author of the post is uninterested in debating the issue they raised. Generally I take it as meaning that they know that a lot of people will agree or disagree, vehemently, and they have no interest in seeing the thread cluttered up with the resulting firestorm.


EDIT
Fixed typo

[Walrus Mustashe]

... DON'T @ ME

I've started seeing this around...
Not sure I totally understand what it means...?

It means that the author of the post is uninterested in debating the issue they raised. Generally I take it as meaning that they know that a lot of people will agree or disagree, vehemently, and they have no interest in seeing the thread cluttered up with the resulting firestorm.

EDIT
Fixed typo

More accurately, it is a way to state a controversial opinion without wanting to receive controversial opinions in return.

[cybersmurf]

It seems AIs get the more... enunciated character traits. "Going Commie on us"? It's a weird expression in this situation, but hey we saw O'Malley like... twice? before this arc. Maybe he is the AI embodiment of the cold war era.

By choice or exposure, O'Malley seems to wish to embody the stereotypical traits of a Bostonian Irish Cop (tm). This includes the assumption that any view other than 'status quo' is intrinsically 'Commie' or whatever the current appellation for those who don't like the status quo may be.

Basically, Jeph writes O'Malley as the stereotype of the 'cynical veteran copper'. Like all stereotypes, he's best interpreted as mainly the comic relief rather than any serious attempt to write a nuanced character. Unlike Roko, who is genuinely sweet in that she asks O'Malley to 'look after himself' as she leaves. One wonders if the only reason she went drinking with him was in the belief that she could stop him from over-indulging and damaging himself (not realising that she is a lightweight compared to him).

Stereotypical. That's the word I was looking for. Why didn't I find it?
I've got the feeling JJ likes to write side-/support-character AIs quite stereotypical. Which is OK, since it's common practice, since they often serve a special purpose.

I wonder whether AIs think they have to fit certain clichés/stereotypes?

[JimC]

You can look at history or even round the world today and find plenty of examples of societies without functional central authority or law enforcement. You'll have to try a little harder to find any that are nice places to live.

[Corrected catastrophic typo - s/with/without functional central authority]

[BenRG]

You can look at history or even round the world today and find plenty of examples of societies with functional central authority or law enforcement. You'll have to try a little harder to find any that are nice places to live.

On the other hand, it is easy to find places without functional central authority or law enforcement that are not nice places to live. Indeed, countries with functional central authority tend to have to provide huge amounts of financial and human support to them!

Or, to put it another way: Whilst any social collective where authority structures exist necessarily seem to breed corruption, injustice and abuse by those authority structures, areas without authority structures tend to also breed injustice and abuse, often on catastrophically greater scales.

[zzyzx]

I have a friend who was a cop in the southeaat. An out lesbian, concerned about social issues, willing to both call out her fellow officers both in person and online and question her own actions when called out, she did a ton of good for her community. Officers like that leaving does not help, especially when the reason is just a vague unease about how others might think about you.

[heyjames4]

O'Malley's badge looks comically oversized and its funny to me.

[TheEvilDog]

I have a friend who was a cop in the southeaat. An out lesbian, concerned about social issues, willing to both call out her fellow officers both in person and online and question her own actions when called out, she did a ton of good for her community. Officers like that leaving does not help, especially when the reason is just a vague unease about how others might think about you.

On the other hand, when the system seems intent on breeding the "bad ones" and never punish them, then one might feel that the best thing they can do is get away from the system. You can't change the system from the inside, so its better to do good elsewhere.