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[Mavadotar]

Well, hopefully Femto was never named Griffith...

[Is it cold in here?]

Well, hopefully Femto was never named Griffith...

Welcome, new person!

Once again I am missing a cultural reference.

[cesium133]

Well, hopefully Femto was never named Griffith...

Welcome, new person!

Once again I am missing a cultural reference.

(no, I don't get the reference either)

[sitnspin]

It really is a poorly designed system.

Sorry, no poll.

[sitnspin]

Damn, messed up the date.

<mod>sorted.</mod>

[BenRG]

Yes, thank you, Femto, we got that the first time! Although I suppose they might feel a bit miffed at being excluded from the conversation.

Yeah, in the end, funding is the thing. If no-one is interested in supplying the green, then nothing new will happen and this has been the case for some time. However, in this case, I wonder if it may be a blessing in disguise. I'm sure the guys and gals at Munroe are all wonderful people but something tells me that Landon's idea of sensible design decisions are not always in line with their label! May might not have been too happy with what came out of the design process.

Actually, it might be interesting to know why Munroe are running at a deficit. I think it might be somehow connected for why Roko asked for their help.

[hedgie]

Perhaps Punchbot could help them get their finances in order.

[QuestionableIntentions]

Landon seems rather scatter brained for such an important position. Did he get it because of family nepotism?

Also, is he human? I could totally see him as the Avatar of a large scale AI that doesn't exactly think like other AIs.

[sitnspin]

Many a tech company, especially those started and run by a single techwiz with "big ideas", run at a deficit.

Every tech genius needs a practically-minded partner to guide and reel them in.

[DaiJB]

Landon is a total propeller-head and I like him already 

[oddtail]

I mean... money *is* a poorly-designed system for the twenty-first century.

*the Internationale starts playing in the background*

We technically have enough resources to go around, not just to cover extremely basic needs, but most needs related to health, safety and basic accomodations of everyone. And we'd presumably have more resources to go in the QC-verse than in the real world.

Money is a resource that made a lot of sense when it was first conceived of, in times of extreme scarcity. We're not exactly post-scarcity, but much of modern scarcity is manufactured and artificial, and serves the needs of an increasingly small number of people.

So this guy, goofy as his reaction is, is not exactly wrong.

[Mavadotar]

Thank you, looong time lurker that finally decided to jump in. It is a reference to the manga Berserk, wherin (quarter century old spoiler alert) mercenary leader Griffith decides to sacrifice all of his his friends and subordinates in absolutely hellish fashion in order to be reborn as what is effectively a demon lord named Femto.

[Gyrre]

I mean... money *is* a poorly-designed system for the twenty-first century.

*the Internationale starts playing in the background*

We technically have enough resources to go around, not just to cover extremely basic needs, but most needs related to health, safety and basic accomodations of everyone. And we'd presumably have more resources to go in the QC-verse than in the real world.

Money is a resource that made a lot of sense when it was first conceived of, in times of extreme scarcity. We're not exactly post-scarcity, but much of modern scarcity is manufactured and artificial, and serves the needs of an increasingly small number of people.

So this guy, goofy as his reaction is, is not exactly wrong.

But if we did that, people who think they're intrinsically better than everyone else[1] don't have a way to screw over the rest of the population through the hoarding of wealth and supplies.

[1] They usually still argue 'genetics' and they all often marry each other through much more careful inbreeding than they used to.

[St.Clair]

For comparison

[chris73]

Have to admit I never thought I'd see the day this comic skewers socialism and sjws in general

Its quite refreshing

[oddtail]

Have to admit I never thought I'd see the day this comic skewers socialism and sjws in general

Its quite refreshing

Care to elaborate? I don't read that this way at all. Where's the skewering? Heck, where's socialism and SJWs? There's a guy who's well-meaning, but has no firm grasp on the concept of money. If that automatically registers as either "socialist" or "SJW" to you, then I'm honestly fascinated to hear your thought process here, because I'm not connecting those particular dots.

Or are you referring to something else?

[sitnspin]

Have to admit I never thought I'd see the day this comic skewers socialism and sjws in general

Its quite refreshing

That is certainly an odd take on the comic. It was specifically saying capitalism is a broken system. I too would like to know how you came to your conclusion.

[chris73]

Sure. Episode 4299 Roko talks about using the SJ angle and then we see her real intentions in the next panel which neatly sums up a lot of SJWs in that they talk about things like peaceful protesting but the real aim is loot, burn and pillage

Epsiode 4300 the guy that brings up abolishing the carceral state (which is the sort of thing more people on the left rather than the right tend to think is a good idea) is a well meaning but completely clueless idiot that then starts to think about physically blowing up something that doesn't physically exist

Todays episode is basically socialism at its finest, the guy in charge has no idea how money works yet decides it must be a poorly-designed system and not that maybe he himself is a complete idiot that has access to plenty of money but wastes it on stuff like particle cannons so the last couple of episodes have been quite critical in a way I didn't expect do well done to the author for keeping everyone on their toes

Of course I may also have got this interpretation completely wrong

[chris73]

Have to admit I never thought I'd see the day this comic skewers socialism and sjws in general

Its quite refreshing

That is certainly an odd take on the comic. It was specifically saying capitalism is a broken system. I too would like to know how you came to your conclusion.

But the person saying it thinks you can blow up something that doesn't physically exist so I'm not sure we should read it as capitalism is a broken system

I personally think that capitalism is the best form of government we have or have ever had, of course I'm also from New Zealand where we have capitalism but with a large social welfare safety net which is good but could use some tweaking

[zmeiat_joro]

In my experience, anyone who uses the acronym "SJW" is probably a neo-nazi. Or a neo-USSRarian (I just made that up, but it describes them very well).

[Zebediah]

You keep right on being you, Femto.

[oddtail]

I mean, I think I get where you're coming from.

I read the "giant particle cannon" as a goofy joke "there's a problem. What's the most nonsensical, simple way to solve it that a person might possibly think of?", and that doesn't read to me as a satire of any socio-political movement or approach. I'm pretty sure no-one advocates the physical destruction of prisons with a cannon as a solution to systemic problems with them. And on a broader scale, I don't see stereotypical leftists, especially "SJWs", as associated with crude, physical and/or violent solutions to problems.

The only left leaning group that's associated with violent, direct action even as a stereotype is the Fox News idea of "Antifa", but I'm pretty sure that stereotype is completely different from the "SJW" stereotype, which I've seen criticised as people focused on talking (ostensibly about minor issues), lack of follow-through and a propensity for pointless outrage.

The thing is, whether those stereotypes reflect reality or not (I don't think they do), they're diametrically opposed to each other. Satirizing SJWs by having a character advocate the use of a cannon is incoherent, because it has nothing to do with the stereotype.

So even if we go full-on "death of the author" and ignore that Jeph clearly seems to be left-leaning and rather sympathetic to progressive causes, so a satire of a broad "SJW" stereotype does not really follow from the text of the comic itself.

[chris73]

In my experience, anyone who uses the acronym "SJW" is probably a neo-nazi. Or a neo-USSRarian (I just made that up, but it describes them very well).

I don't know so I'm only guessing but I'm pretty sure neo-nazis arn't big supporters of the social welfare system (though I imagine most of them are on it) and as for the other one maybe they're not so big on capitalism either

[Tova]

Of course I may also have got this interpretation completely wrong

Okay, sure. Just for the record:

the real aim is loot, burn and pillage

No, it's not.

starts to think about physically blowing up something that doesn't physically exist

that_the_joke.jpg

the guy in charge has no idea how money works yet decides it must be a poorly-designed system

The fact that he doesn't know how money works doesn't make him a socialist. He's... well, let me put it this way, Jeph's very well-worn scientist caricature.

[chris73]

I mean, I think I get where you're coming from.

Oh yeah I can definitely accept that my interpretation is probably wrong (too much watching news I guess) and the author is certainly on the left but the left label has certainly been damaged by politicians of the left that've become immensely wealthy through politics and don't seem all that different from those on the right

[chris73]

No, it's not.

If its not then I'd hate to see them really go for it because they're doing a heckofa job at the moment

that_the_joke.jpg

Many a true word is spoken in jest

The fact that he doesn't know how money works doesn't make him a socialist. He's... well, let me put it this way, Jeph's very well-worn scientist caricature.

He also assumed Roko wanted to get rid of the carceral system and was in complete agreement so yeah combined with no real knowledge of how money works theres a good chance hes a socialist as well, or has strong socialist leanings

[Tova]

For simplicity, let's just take one of these at a time, shall we?

No, it's not.

If its not then I'd hate to see them really go for it because they're doing a heckofa job at the moment

They are? Please cite the instances of looting, burning, and pillaging you have in mind. I'm terribly forgetful.

[sitnspin]

Most socialist I know are perfectly aware of how money works. You know who doesn't know how money works? Entitled second and third generation rich people who have never had to think or worry about money, and most of those are hard right.

[jwhouk]

They still had money in the USSR. And China still has it, too.

[Tova]

Seeing as we've addressed two, let's knock the last one off.

Many a true word is spoken in jest

If they do end up blowing something up, I hereby solemnly promise to send you a heartfelt, handwritten apology.

It seems unlikely to me.

[shanejayell]

Well, that sucked.

Poor Roko.

[Is it cold in here?]

Prison reform is simply a good idea which has support from Jared Kushner and the Koch Brothers. We don't know Roko's politics, though having been a police officer changes the odds. She might be a conservative who sees the carceral state as a failed big government program.

Couldn't Munroe Robotics get paid for re-entry bodies by one of the charities that Eminence Grise gave billions of dollars to?

[Is it cold in here?]

Thank you!

[Wingy]

He also assumed Roko wanted to get rid of the carceral system and was in complete agreement so yeah combined with no real knowledge of how money works theres a good chance hes a socialist as well, or has strong socialist leanings

Hmmm.  I'm not sure how you made that particular leap.  What does being a Socialist have to do with deciding the justice system shouldn't have incarceration as a tool?

I personally think that capitalism is the best form of government we have or have ever had, of course I'm also from New Zealand

I'm pretty sure capitalism isn't a form of government, though as intertwined as governments sometimes get in the economic system, I can understand how the mis-perception can arise.

[Is it cold in here?]

There is a fictional quote on point which I can't locate offhand.

I seem to remember it was the capitalist in "Major Barbara" who gave a stern speech beginning with "I am your government".

[pwhodges]

Knowing of Jeph's partiality to manga/anime, Berserk is not an unlikely reference.  Certainly I was struggling with making the SI prefix, the only other femto I know of, relate to anything.

[Rincewind]

I couldn't quite remember what "femto" meant, so I looked it up. It's 10 to the -15th, smaller than "Nano". I wonder if Femto is a collection of micro-machines?

[cesium133]

Could just be like a huge guy who gets the nickname “Tiny”.

[chris73]

Hmmm.  I'm not sure how you made that particular leap.  What does being a Socialist have to do with deciding the justice system shouldn't have incarceration as a tool?

To be fair it just seemed to me the kind of addle brained thinking a socialist would think is a good idea

I'm pretty sure capitalism isn't a form of government, though as intertwined as governments sometimes get in the economic system, I can understand how the mis-perception can arise.

Fair call, it was pretty late when i wrote it so lazy writing on my part. Democracy is the best form of government we have and capitalism (with a large safety net) is the best economic system we have

[shanejayell]

It would be interesting to reveal that the donation is mostly gone, having been leeched off by various levels of bureacracy.

Resulting in 'Hey, Newfriend' deciding that steps must be taken....

[Theta9]

Have to admit I never thought I'd see the day this comic skewers socialism and sjws in general

Its quite refreshing

Care to elaborate? I don't read that this way at all. Where's the skewering? Heck, where's socialism and SJWs? There's a guy who's well-meaning, but has no firm grasp on the concept of money. If that automatically registers as either "socialist" or "SJW" to you, then I'm honestly fascinated to hear your thought process here, because I'm not connecting those particular dots.

This comic is a mirror. When a monkey looks in, no philosopher looks out.

[Farideh]

Ah, Beepatrice. This is one of the few cases where I can believe that a character REALLY turns their pupils into hearts. I'm actually kinda surprised that they didn't turn into mini Roko's instead. Maybe her level of idolization hasn't risen high enough yet?

Next stop: crowdfunding. What is the QC-verse version of Kickstarter/GoFundMe? 

[chris73]

This comic is a mirror. When a monkey looks in, no philosopher looks out.

If you disagree with me thats fine but as I'm Tangata Whenua (more specifically my Iwi is Ngai Tahu) I don't appreciate being likened to a monkey

[chris73]

Only five (5) families own all of the major American news outlets. Dropping cable news would probably be a very good idea.

Did not know that, interesting and worrying

[Gyrre]

I mean, I think I get where you're coming from.

Oh yeah I can definitely accept that my interpretation is probably wrong (too much watching news I guess) and the author is certainly on the left but the left label has certainly been damaged by politicians of the left that've become immensely wealthy through politics and don't seem all that different from those on the right

Only five (5) families own all of the major American news outlets.
 Dropping cable news is generally advisable as it is news motivated by profit instead of accuracy.

The only 'talking heads' I'll recommend is the band.

EDIT: Damn, I was hoping to reformat my post w/o an edit note.


Tangentially related; goddammit, gen-1 Bionicle.

[BenRG]

In today's strip, Roko finds out that the only thing worse than none of your plans working out is to have a dear friend have absolute confidence in you when you don't think that you're worthy of it. Feeling a fraud in front of your friends is far, far worse than failing.

[Gyrre]

In today's strip, Roko finds out that the only thing worse than none of your plans working out is to have a dear friend have absolute confidence in you when you don't think that you're worthy of it. Feeling a fraud in front of your friends is far, far worse than failing.

Agreed.

[Thank you for changing the topic.]

[pwhodges]

The only 'talking heads' I'll recommend is the band.

Do not overlook this brilliant series of monologues by Alan Bennett.  Book, TV, radio, stage - they've been done on many media.

[Wingy]

In today's strip, Roko finds out that the only thing worse than none of your plans working out is to have a dear friend have absolute confidence in you when you don't think that you're worthy of it. Feeling a fraud in front of your friends is far, far worse than failing.

I was left wondering when Beeps is going to make a play for Roko.  And how Yay would take and respond to that; they've already demonstrated their ability to zap other AIs during the CorpseWitch affair...

[Mr_Rose]

Plot twist; Yay is ingratiating themself with Roko because in the future she actually becomes Roko’s Basilisk and Yay wants to avert, or at least survive, the coming apocalypse.