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Poll

End of the Month! What's been the highlight of the summer so far?

The denouement of Faye & Bubbles' first time
- 17 (32.7%)
Guest Strips!
- 0 (0%)
It's a Big Deal (Reaction to Faybles)
- 1 (1.9%)
Bubbles uses Psych Warfare on Pintsize
- 6 (11.5%)
Emily ponders mating practices of Dinosaurs
- 2 (3.8%)
Anthony Jones and Pintsize's group therapy
- 0 (0%)
"It's YOU who is the dork about it!"
- 1 (1.9%)
"Screaming Internally" face
- 2 (3.8%)
Brun, Clinton, Elliott doing the foot-in-mouth tango
- 3 (5.8%)
Roko: "You have soda bread?"
- 3 (5.8%)
Clinton explains about his father
- 0 (0%)
Bubbles gets a makeover!
- 0 (0%)
"Don't ever get romantically involved with a business partner."
- 0 (0%)
Swordsmary Stabitha gets a spray!
- 2 (3.8%)
Permanent Sex Hair
- 3 (5.8%)
Samantha vs. a Dremel
- 1 (1.9%)
"She's being brave, you twit." (with disappearing glasses!)
- 3 (5.8%)
Under the Sea with Hanners and Winslow!
- 4 (7.7%)
Claire's exam anxiety and Pintsize
- 2 (3.8%)
Pintsize gives Marten a clue-by-dildo upside the head!
- 2 (3.8%)

Total Members Voted: 49


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Author Topic: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)  (Read 49627 times)

Tova

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #100 on: 28 Aug 2018, 14:46 »

Yes, I've been thinking that. Marten is a dogsbody at best in this job, and has neither motivation nor prospects for advancement there. I suppose from Claire's perspective it's a foot in the door, but surely she will be aiming higher.

If there's anything under the surface of this conversation - and seeing as I complained about a lack of subtext recently, it behooves me to search for it - then maybe this recent storyline is really about a more fundamental conflict between Marten and Claire. And that is Claire's highly motivated career trajectory and Marten's complete lack of interest in pursuing a goal of any kind.

Something else that occurred to me overnight was that Marten is doing the stereotypical guy thing of trying to solve Claire's problems rather than simply actively listening. It's probably more of a Jeph thing, I suppose - one character vents their problems and another neatly solves them in a tidy five-strip series. But often in this kind of situation, where someone needs to unload this kind of stress, I have found that what they really need is a sounding board. Maybe some reflection. I don't think Marten will suggest anything that Claire couldn't work out herself given the opportunity to "talk it out" (to borrow one of Jeph's favourite phrases).
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #101 on: 28 Aug 2018, 15:23 »

I pull back my previous comment.


I associated her statement of martens privilege to her being different.

I think her personality is something that marten can be only partly expected to be tolerated.

Again, I pull back my statement. 

The problem is we have seen martens struggles. She has not. Assuming he got ahead because of privilege,  shows her lack of empathy.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #102 on: 28 Aug 2018, 15:26 »

Thanks.

I dare say that they have talked quite a lot, as couples do, so she probably knows more about Marten than you think.  But panic of the sort that we are being shown can cloud judgement very effectively.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #103 on: 28 Aug 2018, 15:26 »

The problem is we have seen martens struggles. She has not. Assuming he got ahead because of privilege,  shows her lack of empathy.

You're not wrong there, but I don't think she meant "privilege" in the sense of Trans vs. Cis (Or any other social privilege) in this context. Just that in her view him getting that job at all is a great privilege for him. Maybe it wasn't the best word to use in the context.

Again, at least I think so. Can't presume to speak for the author/characters.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #104 on: 28 Aug 2018, 15:34 »

The only thing that bugs me about the recent panels is this idea that Marten has some kind of amazing job just because it's in a library. His job is basically a "Library Assistant" at best if I remember right. It's as entry level as you can get, no qualifications, no real career path for most.

No one actually going through school for their MLS would even want that job. Claire - or any other person going through school for their MLS or other library related degree - being jealous of that just because it's "in a library" would be like someone getting an MBA and aiming for a C-level position but being jealous of someone in the mail room just because it's "in a corporation".

Not sure if that's an issue on the part of the writer or the characters, but it irked me so I just had to vent. :D

I was startled at that too but then remembered what my friend the librarian has been telling me about that job market. Maybe people with master's degrees really would kill for a job pushing a book cart.

Tai did seem to be pushing Marten onto a career track when she put him in charge of supervising the interns, unless of course that was just her being lazy. So maybe the job is better than it looks.
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pallanox

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #105 on: 28 Aug 2018, 15:40 »

There is an old Trinidadian saying
"Seepaul luck is not gopaul luck"

I have a question : will we ever find out why Faye dad committed suicide?
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brasca

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #106 on: 28 Aug 2018, 16:41 »

"I didn't want to turn this into a referendum on your privilege"?

Who talks like this? Good Lord, how tiresome this girl is.

College kids in their 20s talk like that and more often than not those who find it most tiresome are the ones who have privilege.  It's not an easy subject to broach because it almost always comes off as accusatory and people can get defensive very quickly. 

I'm not sure if this plot is going to get into some deeper issues, but perhaps one of the sources of Claire's anxiety is the self awareness of her own privilege.  SMIF and Northampton seem to be a fairly tolerant place, but suppose Claire can't find a job within the area and the best prospect is one in a state where the gender on her birth certificate matters.     
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Tova

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #107 on: 28 Aug 2018, 16:43 »

What does it mean?

Edit: Sorry, really vague question. I meant, "a referendum on your privilege." If I have to guess, I think she meant "a discussion of your privilege." I don't want to put words into anyone else's mouth, but that was what I found weird about it, not the word "privilege."

Maybe it's too bad it didn't turn into that discussion, though, because as others have suggested, I don't think his privilege played a part in getting the job in this instance. But then, I think there's a fundamental problem with essentially retconning a comic that was originally played for laughs. If what Claire said was true and there were many qualified people who would kill for that job, then Marten would never have even seen the sign, because surely at least one sober and qualified person would have shown up before Marten did.
« Last Edit: 28 Aug 2018, 17:13 by Tova »
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Yet the lies of Melkor, the mighty and the accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days. (Silmarillion 255)

chris73

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #108 on: 28 Aug 2018, 17:52 »

Without sounding facetious (well maybe just a little) in future the author could maybe think of making strips like these into a very special episode to let readers know beforehand

In all seriousness this strip seemed more like a one-off "very special episode" rather than being part of the series
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #109 on: 28 Aug 2018, 18:34 »

New comic!

"We named the dog WikipediaSNERK ..."  :laugh:
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TheEvilDog

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #110 on: 28 Aug 2018, 18:51 »

Oh come on, I know Pintsize can be a hassle, but there's no need to call him a dog. :P

Which is about the only funny thing I found in today's comic. The concept of the story wasn't bad; it just felt, as Chris73 said, like a very special episode.
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shanejayell

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #111 on: 28 Aug 2018, 19:11 »

In fact if you keep calm, you can easily extract yourself from quicksand. It's panicked flailing that'd get you.

Other than THAT this storyline has been very meh overall.

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #112 on: 28 Aug 2018, 19:13 »

Cute but lame
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #113 on: 28 Aug 2018, 20:18 »

Shrugs. Quick way to end it, but it was getting tedious.  Let's move on to more interesting stories. What's Hannelore doing? What is Steve do8ng?
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #114 on: 28 Aug 2018, 22:13 »

Shrugs. Quick way to end it, but it was getting tedious.  Let's move on to more interesting stories. What's Hannelore doing? What is Steve do8ng?

We get glimpses of Hannelore whenever Jeph feels like it.
Steve? Cereal. Always eating cereal.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #115 on: 28 Aug 2018, 22:22 »

I’m a little disappointed in Marten here; I kept expecting him to gently correct her about the circumstances surrounding his hiring, but it never happened. Getting defensive wouldn’t have helped anyone and it’s good that he remained attentive, but he shouldn’t have let Claire continue with the assumption that he got the job through nepotism. I realize Claire has a dim view of Tai’s management style already, and maybe that’s what makes this incorrect conclusion easier for her, but allowing her to operate under that false impression is just going to cause problems down the line.

The job was reserved for students; Claire could have applied too. Tai took the chance on a non-student because of previous problems in performance (Nat), and it turned out to be a good choice. In fact, Marten wasn’t completely sure he got the job that day (despite Tai saying “You’re hired!” which I’m sure was partly in jest); when he told Dora the news, he said, “I got the job! Well, I’m not sure, but the front desk person told me to show up tomorrow for training anyway.”

Maybe Tai was still accepting applications thorough the rest of the day and the training session was another step in the interview process? No one else applied/passed the test/met Tai’s or SMIF's requirements, so Marten got the job.

A lot of this could because of her apprehension about job hunting, but she's hurt people before with her projecting and assumption-making. Remember how she behaved when she thought Dora was cheating with Tai? After spending a weekend at Emily's lake house witnessing how chill everyone was with each other? She decided that a poorly formulated conclusion, based on projections of her father, was a good choice to be openly hostile to her BOSS. She can't keep doing it, otherwise I could see it becoming the main source of tension in her and Marten's relationship.

Anyway, sorry for the essay, and hello, nice to meet everyone!
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Carl-E

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #116 on: 28 Aug 2018, 22:45 »

Welcome!  You make some good points, but remember that Claire was working at the library, as an intern, and probably doing more than Marten does. 

At least she did for a semester... maybe a year.  And probably unpaid, but it's experience which can be more important on your resume/CV. 

Nevertheless, such things have nothing to do with the anxiety she's feeling - anxiety is not a rational thought process.  In fact, it's exactly the opposite. 

She will be fine, and that's really the point of the arc.  We've seen her panicking and avoiding the subject, screaming inside.  She finally talked about it, and feels better, supported, and loved. 


And I think that was the point.  Not just of this arc, but of most of the comic's history. 
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #117 on: 28 Aug 2018, 23:31 »

Panel 4 is good for those cynics who need their heart warmed because it reminds us just how totally and cutely Claire and Marten are in love. At some point, someone (I'm hoping Henry and Maurice) will notice in-strip and ask Marten when he's going to pop the question. That is when things will suddenly get interesting for Marten's relationships character arc.

FWIW, I suspect that, when this arises, it will much like when Claire moved in. They'll realise that they've been behaving like a married couple anyway and just decide to formalise it, mostly for the sake of their families who want to go to town with making a ceremony of it!

Meanwhile, panel 5 tells me that Marten is challenging Claire for the strip's 'Adorkable' character position.
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brasca

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #118 on: 29 Aug 2018, 00:12 »

Wikipedia Jones?  Any relation to Encyclopedia Brown?
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #119 on: 29 Aug 2018, 00:30 »

Welcome!  You make some good points, but remember that Claire was working at the library, as an intern, and probably doing more than Marten does. 
At least she did for a semester... maybe a year.  And probably unpaid, but it's experience which can be more important on your resume/CV. 
Nevertheless, such things have nothing to do with the anxiety she's feeling - anxiety is not a rational thought process.  In fact, it's exactly the opposite. 
She will be fine, and that's really the point of the arc.  We've seen her panicking and avoiding the subject, screaming inside.  She finally talked about it, and feels better, supported, and loved. 
And I think that was the point.  Not just of this arc, but of most of the comic's history.

Quote edited for spacing

I understand that Claire is stressed out, upset, and isn't thinking as clearly as she normally would be, but still I’m frustrated with her; Marten apologized twice about not listening and then attempted to empathize. He was partly in her position before— facing graduation with no guarantee of a decent job after school. Claire makes a gentle mockery of that, “What is that like with a music degree? Did you expect to become a rockstar as soon as you were handed your diploma?” Does she expect to become a librarian as soon as she gets hers? Of course not, that's from where a large part of her anxiety is coming.

 We know Marten moved across the country for a relationship that didn’t work out, was considerably depressed for a while, and was stuck in an Office Bitch position from which he was eventually laid off. It may be why Marten doesn't have much ambition. He knows what it’s like to fall short of expectations but wanted to assure Claire that things will be okay, even if you’re the last person to believe that. “Look at me!"

Claire responds with an untrue assumption about his hiring at Smif that hurts him, at least a little. Marten lets it go unchallenged, even though those fundamental misunderstandings about his getting the job are making her reluctant to talk to Marten about these job-related stressors.  Now, I'm not suggesting Marten should have started a fight because, again, that wouldn't have solved anything, but if it would have been cleared up, maybe Claire would have been more comfortable opening up.

 I’m sure airing her concerns helped, but Claire herself made the realization that it was her own expectations she was projecting onto others (probably through Pintsize’s help; “Are those his expectations, or yours?”). Toward the end of their conversation, Marten clarifies his original point, acknowledging her anxiety, and reminding her that she’s doing everything she can, and if it goes the other way, he’ll be right there.

I'm glad she's coping, and finding solace in her boyfriend, but it is not entirely resolved; she made assertions that were not true. I worry about that trend continuing because I think Claire is good for Marten.
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Cornelius

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #120 on: 29 Aug 2018, 00:37 »

Welcome!  You make some good points, but remember that Claire was working at the library, as an intern, and probably doing more than Marten does. 

Not at the time; she was one of the new interns Marten wasput in charge of, if I remember correctly.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #121 on: 29 Aug 2018, 01:12 »

Welcome!  You make some good points, but remember that Claire was working at the library, as an intern, and probably doing more than Marten does.

Not at the time; she was one of the new interns Marten wasput in charge of, if I remember correctly.

Which raises the possibility of a story arc about how Marten and Claire handle her being hired in a position senior to Marten - an actual librarian rather than just a general assistant - effectively being promoted over the head of the man who trained her. This traditionally is a male privilege so Jeph could likely get a lot of traction by reversing it and having a woman being promoted over a male who has more experience than her.

The arc would also profitably include Claire adapting to the fact that she maybe takes this a little more seriously... than everyone else.

CLAIRE: "From now on, this library is a serious business!"

TAI: "You should tell the head librarian that. You'll need to wait though, he's busy tripping on something strong in the restricted stacks."
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pwhodges

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #122 on: 29 Aug 2018, 01:15 »

Marten didn't say anything about his hiring because Claire already knows (no way he hasn't told her the story).  He was more concerned to get her into a calmer state in which she wouldn't make a dig like that.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #123 on: 29 Aug 2018, 01:49 »

Panel 4 is good for those cynics who need their heart warmed because it reminds us just how totally and cutely Claire and Marten are in love. At some point, someone (I'm hoping Henry and Maurice) will notice in-strip and ask Marten when he's going to pop the question. That is when things will suddenly get interesting for Marten's relationships character arc.

FWIW, I suspect that, when this arises, it will much like when Claire moved in. They'll realise that they've been behaving like a married couple anyway and just decide to formalise it, mostly for the sake of their families who want to go to town with making a ceremony of it!

Meanwhile, panel 5 tells me that Marten is challenging Claire for the strip's 'Adorkable' character position.

I am honestly hoping they don't end up being married. Dating and marriage are 2 different animals.  Marten needs a spine, because with the personality of Claire, being manipulative and a bit mean spirited,  arguments will get very very bad.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #124 on: 29 Aug 2018, 04:26 »

They say you can't change people, but in reality people also do change.  In any case,Marten and Claire certainly seem to be getting on together better than Marten and Dora did in the end, so I see no reason not to be optimistic.  Cautiously so, naturally, as you are correct in saying that marriage is substantially different from dating, at least for a lot of people (myself included).

But I feel that your assessment of Claire is distinctly over-pessimistic - can you provide links which you think justify it, as you failed to for your previous assertion about her?
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #125 on: 29 Aug 2018, 04:40 »

It's odd that I didn't get "Wikipedia Jones" as Indiana until I saw the little text tag at the bottom of the comic. My first thought was it was a spoof on Encyclopedia Brown. Usually I'd call that being old but it was the late 70s when I first encountered EB and IJ is only 7-8 years later. Very odd.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #126 on: 29 Aug 2018, 04:41 »

The Clinton romance arc, the revelation of padma arc, this one.....yeah, there is foundation.  At least in my perspective.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #127 on: 29 Aug 2018, 04:51 »

Late to the party but can confirm libraries are not the best careers. I have a friend with a bachelors degree in english and works as an assistant manager at a local library. At their pay rate they would barely break 25k a year... Before taxes.
They can't even comfortably afford an apartment with their student loan payments.

And that is a managerial position. Not an entry level library helper.

And this is why they all still live together, apartments are expensive and jobs don't pay much.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #128 on: 29 Aug 2018, 05:09 »

Where I work, former librarians and assistants got hired to do archiving and document scanning. Decent salary compared to the library gig according to them
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #129 on: 29 Aug 2018, 05:11 »

totally and cutely Claire and Marten are in love

Marten falls totally and cutely in love a lot, doesn't he?
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #130 on: 29 Aug 2018, 05:16 »

He keeps rolling a "1" on his charm rolls.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #131 on: 29 Aug 2018, 05:21 »

The only thing that bugs me about the recent panels is this idea that Marten has some kind of amazing job just because it's in a library. His job is basically a "Library Assistant" at best if I remember right. It's as entry level as you can get, no qualifications, no real career path for most.

No one actually going through school for their MLS would even want that job. Claire - or any other person going through school for their MLS or other library related degree - being jealous of that just because it's "in a library" would be like someone getting an MBA and aiming for a C-level position but being jealous of someone in the mail room just because it's "in a corporation".

Not sure if that's an issue on the part of the writer or the characters, but it irked me so I just had to vent. :D

Yep, that is also one of my issues, see my earlier post below. There are actual librarians at SMIF too, and of course Tai herself (as maybe a general manager of the library? unsure) who may not be doing much actual librarian stuff?
I wouldn't call Marten's position a highly coveted one by people with MLS degrees, but perhaps it's a good way to get a foot in? Or maybe Claire meant that people with MLS degrees have a hard time finding jobs at all and therefore would kill for any job, including Marten's.

Besides, I might be wrong, but isn't Marten 'only' a library clerk or something? There are definitely actual librarians there as well, and Tai herself of course (not sure about her title). I realize that in a competitive field sometimes starting at a relatively low level is a good way to get your foot in the door, but to say many people with better/more degrees than Claire would kill for Marten's job (i.e. not a librarian) seems to be exaggerating a bit.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #132 on: 29 Aug 2018, 05:33 »

totally and cutely Claire and Marten are in love

Marten falls totally and cutely in love a lot, doesn't he?

Actually, I'm not sure he does. Vicky seems to have been him being semi-obsessive not getting the message when a college romance petered out; Faye was a kind of weird crush; Dora was a friends-with-benefits-too-soon 'I have no idea where this ride is going but I've got to hang on or be thrown to my death' sort of thing. That said, Dora and Padma were both relationships that, if they had been given time, could have grown into love.

Claire really seems to have been the first time that Marten has really formed that tight emotional and personal bond with someone. It's clearly something very special to them both. The secret is that the two of them got to be very close and trusted friends before Marten chose to risk going to t he next step of dating and a formal relationship.

Purely my opinion, of course; YMMV.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #133 on: 29 Aug 2018, 07:58 »

"I didn't want to turn this into a referendum on your privilege"?

Who talks like this? Good Lord, how tiresome this girl is.

Someone who has spent far, far too much time in a Massachusetts women's liberal arts college being told that any time a cis straight white male has something that she wants, it's because of his "privilege."

I'm just curious if the line is due to Claire's misreading of the situation and Jeph will address it later (i.e., Tai laying into Claire for unfairly dumping on Martin) or whether Jeph simply forgot how Martin got the job in the first place and was over-eager to bring the issue of "privilege" back into the comic. (The last time, with May--who screwed up her own life by choosing to commit a crime--dumping on Winslow for finally getting a humanoid body was just as forced and unfair, IMHO.)
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Zebediah

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #134 on: 29 Aug 2018, 08:11 »

I’m fairly certain that this was a case of Jeph not remembering the minutiae of comics he drew years ago. It’s happened before. Strange as it may seem, Jeph doesn’t seem to be as obsessed with QC as some of his fans are.
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dutchrvl

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #135 on: 29 Aug 2018, 09:32 »

I’m fairly certain that this was a case of Jeph not remembering the minutiae of comics he drew years ago. It’s happened before. Strange as it may seem, Jeph doesn’t seem to be as obsessed with QC as some of his fans are.

I dunno, Jeph usually is pretty good in dropping the other shoe later on, as he did with Hannelore going to May in the "Winslow's privilege" arc.
Yes, Jeph may simply have forgotten some details from long ago, but I find it equally plausible that Claire ends up discussing her job prospect anxiety with Tai, with the latter ending up pointing out to Claire that she was unfairly labeling Marten's job as a case of privilege.
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dutchrvl

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #136 on: 29 Aug 2018, 09:34 »

Someone who has spent far, far too much time in a Massachusetts women's liberal arts college being told that any time a cis straight white male has something that she wants, it's because of his "privilege."

<snip>

Ehm...that's a rather ugly stereotype and generalization you're throwing out there
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #137 on: 29 Aug 2018, 10:35 »

Someone who has spent far, far too much time in a Massachusetts women's liberal arts college being told that any time a cis straight white male has something that she wants, it's because of his "privilege."

<snip>

Ehm...that's a rather ugly stereotype and generalization you're throwing out there
I think Buggman made it clear that this is his personal experience rather than a stereotype or generalization.   He may be guilty of hyperbole, or it just might be that the reality is ugly. 

All potential comments about "white male fragility" etc etc etc have been preemptively duly noted.  Ugliness happens on both sides of the issue and assholedness is not exclusive to any gender.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #138 on: 29 Aug 2018, 10:44 »

Claire really seems to have been the first time that Marten has really formed that tight emotional and personal bond with someone. It's clearly something very special to them both. The secret is that the two of them got to be very close and trusted friends before Marten chose to risk going to t he next step of dating and a formal relationship.

Purely my opinion, of course; YMMV.
Jeph very deliberately set Marten's relationship with Claire off from all others we've seen in-strip my making him very uncharacteristically assertive in its pursuit.  He typically stumbles into relationships but with Claire he took the initiative.  I read that as meaning Jeph means this to last.

(IRL I'm a whole lot more like Marten v. 1.0 that Marten v. 2.0, much to Mrs. Goat's amusement.)
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zeimusu

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #139 on: 29 Aug 2018, 11:44 »

In fact if you keep calm, you can easily extract yourself from quicksand. It's panicked flailing that'd get you.


This does give you all an excuse to enjoy one of the jewels of the 1990s internet: The Quicksand Page http://www.dellamente.com/quicksand/.  I'd recommend looking at the safety tips first. (Though please note that the images are higher than 256 colours, and require a fairly modern monitor, and a modem faster than 14.4k.  It's also not compatible with Netscape 3.0 or less. :-\)
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #140 on: 29 Aug 2018, 13:40 »

Oh wow, does that bring back some memories of horrid 1990s web design! Complete with disclaimers that basically assert that the site won’t look right except on the designer’s monitor.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #141 on: 29 Aug 2018, 13:57 »

And, of course, a "this page is under construction" graphic.  8-)
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #142 on: 29 Aug 2018, 14:05 »

Really though, it’s the noisy, distracting, tiled background that is the real winner here…
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LustFilledRunza

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #143 on: 29 Aug 2018, 15:26 »

"I didn't want to turn this into a referendum on your privilege"?

Who talks like this? Good Lord, how tiresome this girl is.

If someone brought up "my privilege" at any point in a relationship I would end it on the spot. 

Accept me for who and what I am,  "privilege" (real or perceived) and all.   Bring it up as a discussion point AT ALL at any point and/or expect me to apologize for it...     k, bie.   

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #144 on: 29 Aug 2018, 15:44 »

Accept me for who and what I am,  "privilege" (real or perceived) and all.

Privilege in some matters may well be something you have without being responsible for it.  However, the point is not to force others to accept it (that's for them to think about) but for you to realise that the world is unfair to many people, and what we're calling privilege is one expression of that unfairness.  Recognising and acknowledging where you have benefited at the expense of others, even if by an accident of birth for instance, will go a long way towards helping them see you in a better light.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #145 on: 29 Aug 2018, 16:37 »

if you want to complain about the concept of privilege there are better places to do it than my forums

why not try reddit

or a trash can
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jeph

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #146 on: 29 Aug 2018, 16:38 »

literally the only reason these forums are still around is because the mods put so much good-faith effort into running them, if they bailed I'd delete this shit instantly so I didn't have to get any more notifications when some fresh idiot says a bad opinion about claire or whatever
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jeph

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #147 on: 29 Aug 2018, 16:41 »

if you want to complain about the concept of privilege there are better places to do it than my forums

why not try reddit

or a trash can

the joke is that reddit IS a trash can  :claireface:
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MrNumbers

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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #148 on: 29 Aug 2018, 17:36 »

Author out of nowhere from the top fucking rope, Jesus
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Re: WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
« Reply #149 on: 29 Aug 2018, 18:38 »

if you want to complain about the concept of privilege there are better places to do it than my forums

why not try reddit

or a trash can


Which is ironic considering that you've brought the subject up in your comic.

Press people's hot-buttons then complain when they get all riled up?

Maybe you should stop trying to be hip and edgy and all that happy horseshit.    This comic used to be enjoyable and relatable,  and now you have a main character apologizing for being who and what he is...  because his girlfriend privilege-checked him.

I'm sorry sir,  but at this point  I'm ending a years-long readership and association with your comic.    It is your masterwork and your artistic license to do as you wish,  and I understand that... but the comic is no longer enjoyable or relatable. 

Best of luck to you, sir.   If you want to take up the debate with me,  you can find my email in my profile.   Otherwise I'm logging out.     

Admin staff -- delete/ban whatever I could care less at this point.
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