Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT strips 3931-3935 (4th to 8th February 2019)
neurocase:
I'm a little confused by all this talk of "othering" people. Ethnic backgrounds differ. Countries with similar ethnic backgrounds differ, even if not identifiably (as in people from two countries might look similar, but their countries are very different from each other culturally). Why is noticing that someone is different immediately make you a racist asshole? Isn't the whole beauty of human existence the fact that we're all so different, but have so many threads linking us at the same time? Why is pretending that everyone is exactly the same helpful?
Shjade:
--- Quote from: neurocase on 08 Feb 2019, 01:00 ---I feel like Renee got offended a panel too early. Papalymo overstepped his bounds after that for sure, but just asking where someone is from as casually as that seems a little early to get combative without any context.
He's still a massive dick, I just don't get why Renee was already exclaiming with boldface emphasis type before he actually showed his hand.
--- End quote ---
As an aside from all the in-depth explanations re: why this interaction was inappropriate given above, I'd just like to point out one thing in response to this comment: all we get to have from the comic are stop-motion visuals and text. It's easy to forget that, in the QC-verse, there's body language and tone going on that we have to infer from what we're reading, and it may not always be obvious enough to glean.
It's possible something in the way Peter asked that first question - which, on its own, could have been innocuous - that immediately threw a red flag for Renee as to his intent behind the words themselves, thus her potentially preemptive attempt to derail his line of inquiry.
Edit: as for the post directly above, there is a significant difference between noticing, appreciating, and keeping aware of ethnic/cultural differences between people, and actively drawing attention to those differences by way of suggesting someone else is not the norm/does not fit in by suggesting they are not where they belong, which is one of the many potential readings of asking where someone is from in that it suggests they don't look/act like they could possibly be "from" where they currently are. As in: "I'm cool with you being here, but you clearly don't belong like I do."
You don't have to pretend everyone is the same to avoid "noticing" someone is different in a way that makes them the Out Group.
pwhodges:
--- Quote from: badbum61 on 07 Feb 2019, 21:38 ---Lebanese? With a name like Brunhilde? Wouldn't have picked that!
--- End quote ---
She's from Lawrence, not Lebanon, though. But I agree that Brunhilde's a pretty distinctive name anywhere.
--- Quote ---Guess it explains the eyebrows, though...
--- End quote ---
Not really. And in any case you shouldn't say that any more than you would follow Peter in suggesting that it explained her skin colour.
oddtail:
--- Quote from: neurocase on 08 Feb 2019, 02:23 ---I'm a little confused by all this talk of "othering" people. Ethnic backgrounds differ. Countries with similar ethnic backgrounds differ, even if not identifiably (as in people from two countries might look similar, but their countries are very different from each other culturally). Why is noticing that someone is different immediately make you a racist asshole? Isn't the whole beauty of human existence the fact that we're all so different, but have so many threads linking us at the same time? Why is pretending that everyone is exactly the same helpful?
--- End quote ---
Because:
1) it's up to the person who differs to celebrate their differences. I'm out as sort-of-kind-of-bisexual, but I know plenty of bi people who don't want to discuss such matters with just about anyone. I am comfortable with my nationality, and I've joked about it, and I've had American friends make "polack" jokes in my presence. But if someone commented on my nationality, even in neutral or positive terms, unduly? I'd be probably a little miffed.
2) When people bring up differences, it's often to harm someone.
3) Even when they don't want to harm someone, they have privilege (often to troubling extents) and that often shows. In other words, when a person belonging to the dominant/majority group addresses that fact, it's often at the very least awkward and uncomfortable, because they don't know what they're talking about. And, notably, they often treat their perspective as the default or valid or important one, even unconsciously.
4) When a white person brings up race, or a straight person brings up homosexuality, they do it on their own terms. They engage with something they do not otherwise HAVE to engage with. A POC or a lesbian or an immigrant doesn't get to pick and choose when and how they engage with their minority status. That's why they should be the ones to do the framing and take the initiative.
And yes, I'm aware of the staggering irony of writing 4) as a white, mostly straight, mostly cis dude. Since I've about run out of the little I know about othering and discrimination, because I've only experienced it in extremely minor ways...
...I think I'll let peple who, unlike me, know what the f'k they're talking about take it from here.
neurocase:
So the default behavior is to treat everyone as a grey blob? Still seems strange to me, but I'll accept it's just something that I can't understand since I'm white, and move on.
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