Beautiful as always – just the thing for a grim Tuesday 🙂
I love the views through Sidney and Madeline’s windows. Raffi and Stella are kind of eerie with their matching jackets, earbuds, and speaking in unison, though.
Hmmm…well this is a perfect chance for us all to argue about who to vote for right? I decided to vote for Obama on the peacenik tip. I know it’s a crapshoot, but Hillary is just too much of a hawk for me. Just what I’m always saying, Alison. I can’t believe Stuart wants to vote for her anyway. I guess it depends what issue you care about the most. I’d like to see us stop killing people and not go to war with Iran. Arg!
Though I have to agree with Madelieine about the hairballs of hope. I’m not in love with the man; I just think he’ll do at least a marginally better job than she will.
I know I’m supposed to be commenting on this particular strip, and I will, in time. First, I wanted to say that I only just found DTWOF whilst parusing the interweb. I love the artwork and the material that penetrates the strips; Alison, you are divine, don’t stop. I had a hard time accepting the word “Dyke” to start, actually, but all is well after some hours of comic therapy. Can you believe that I’ve only ever heard it used in the derogatory sense? Now, it seems increasinly funny to me that growing up, my main social concern was to not be labeled as such. Ah well. You’ve helped take a slur and give it a new face, bravo.
I’m glad to see a bunch of people already on the spot, commenting Day 1. This strip, intricate as usual, sums up the feelings of myself and my friends precisely. What do you do when you ABHOR McCain, and, try as you might, remain lukewarm towards the Democratic candidates? I guess when push comes to shove, it’ll be Obama for me. I’m a sad victim of the hope-rays that he eeks out of his pores.
Okay, I am a little worried about Mo….
The last time someone had a “little problem” at their annual exam, Syd got breast cancer. Before that it was Jezanna’s mom. No ovarian cancer, okay, Alison? I just couldn’t take it right now.
Ohhh….maybe she has an STD and Sydney is going to get BUSTED!!!!
I still can’t get over the double standard. I’m not convinced to vote for either one of them (I will, of course), but I really wish they’d talk about real stuff instead of picking on each other’s vocabulary.
I really love the visual pun in the title frame.
Is this the first time ever that Mo’s been even halfway supportive of a “mainstream” candidate? Doesn’t she usually insist on voting for Nader?
Apropos of nothing, I’m reminded of this [portion of an] item I read on Planetout back in February:
“Conservative pundit Ann Coulter jabbed Republican frontrunner Sen. John McCain on Thursday when she said she would support Democratic candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton if he clenched the GOP nomination.
“In her announcement, on Fox’s “Hannity and Colmes,” Coulter said that she would be even willing to campaign for Sen. Clinton because McCain is not only bad for Republicans, “he is bad for the country.”
“”If you are looking at substance rather than if there is an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ after his name,” she said according to United Press International, “manifestly, if he’s our candidate, then Hillary is going to be our girl, because she’s more conservative than he is. I think she would be stronger on the war on terrorism.””
I haven’t seen it said anywhere that she stuck to her guns on this point. I somehow doubt it.
It’d be interesting if it turned out Cynthia originally followed the “Hear and Obey” dittohead party line with Coulter on this point, and now she’s torn on whether or not to follow through.
Some have compared Cynthia to Ann Coulter, but at least Cynthia can sometimes be seen with a reasonably pleasant expression on her face. One can rarely say the same of Coulter, who can’t seem to manage a friendly smile instead of a smug/snarky/condescending one. IMHO. Maybe I’ve just been looking at the wrong photos…
I notice that J.R. seems to be bonding with Clarice. In addition to learning a song from her, she seems almost synchronized with Clarice in eating/drinking in the second panel (or fourth panel if one counts the title panel and the narrative-only panel). A little thing, but as we all know, every tiny corner in this strip means something. 🙂
Please please, no ovarian cancer and no busting Sydney. I could not take any of these, not now–in Italy we just had elections and the results are more depressing than I feared. The most depressing thought is that even the best alternative would have been far from satisfactory.
Which brings me to look enviously at the Obama/Hillary dycotomy and to thoroughly appreciate today’s strip. I needed and I am grateful for its perfection. Particularly Stuart’s contention that having a woman in power will ultimately lead to defeat the patriarchy–which strangely enough both resonates with hopes I harbor for empowerment and reminds me of Margaret Tatcher.
I shudder to imagine Ann Coulter with political leighway. It’s much easier to just count her as a nation’s guilty-little-pleasure. Is she entertaining? You bet. Her tantrums and rants bring a peevish grin to my face. Is she attractive to the eye? Um, if that’s what you look for, sure. But “credible” is not one of the words I keep in store for Ms. Coulter. I don’t know who buys her books, but their pages must make supreme bird cage lining. I was entertained at the thought of some people relating Cynthia to Ann Coulter. To me, Cynthia is a more tangeable human being than Ann will ever be.
“Leighway”? In an odd way I like it, which is unexpected considering what an armchair sailor I am. I’m usually ranting about getting nautical term right.
I don’t like Hillary and I don’t trust her, but I’m holding my nose and supporting her on the grounds that I’d rather have Maggie Thatcher than Neville Chamberlain. And if no Obama supporters become livid with outrage at that comparison I will be disappointed. It’s a test.
I especially have to agree with Madeline: he’s just a biracial dude from Hawaii, he’s not Jesus Christ reincarnated. As for hope: remember the myth of Pandora? After all the evils escaped from Pandora’s Box to plague the world, only Hope was left. Today we usually interpret this as a good thing: humanity has Hope to comfort it in its suffering. But there is another way to see it, a more Greek way: Hope is the greatest evil of them all since it deludes people into thinking the world is not as tough as it really is. One should face the evils of the world with courage– indeed with heroism– rather than with hope. No, I don’t think Hillary is a hero, but she IS a fighter, and that’s a step in the right direction.
That said, the Democratic party can nominate a slug, and I will be out there knocking on doors for the slimy invertebrate. And Obama’s no slug.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith JcH: He ain’t Robin Hood, but he is Little John.
OK, who knows what the song is that Clarice taught J.R.? The only guess I can come up with is “Yes We Can Can” by the Pointer Sisters, which would be cool but I don’t think is right.
I’m amazed and amused at who’s ended up on each side of the Hilary/Obama fence. Hell, I’m amazed anyone in the strip other than Janis is a Hilary supporter, but Stuart’s argument fits pat into his kind of thinking. I think Mo’s just really confused about the situation (as is good for an intelligent person), and I hope hope hope that Toni is fence-sitting for the sake of argument…
p.s. “Exes are getting ex-ier..” I have _sooooo_ experienced that. You know you’re a grown-up when you run into the person who broke your heart so that you thought the world would come apart at the seams and think to yourself “I guess s/he/s still pretty nice. I hope his/her life’s going well.” and that’s all.
The dialogue seems better-than-usual this strip, nicely done.
Why is it valid for Hillary to represent a challenge to the patriarchy and a potential role model for young girls, but Obama is just a ‘mixed race man from Hawaii’ (not an exact quote)? If I were voting based on the number of people currently largely excluded or self exempted from the system for whom a particular candidate might represent an impetus to rejoin the national dialogue, it’d be Obama all the way.
Women have made stupendous gains in the past 30 years. Clearly we’re not 100% there yet- I heard some idiot expressive his dislike of her by declaring her an ‘it’, as if ‘powerful woman’ were an oxymoron, – but socio economic lines still follow race / skin tone / immigration status waaay too closely.
As it is, I want more voices included at the national level, and I think both dems will move us in that direction. I’ve already voted in my primary (and I love that we have private ballots), so now I’m just waiting to see how people in other states decide.
OK, in recent strips folks have been playing “Name the Strip’s Biggest Jerk”, so I’m going to throw out my current two bits: Clarice.
OK, I thought maybe I was reading too much into it, but over the last few strips she’s started seeming a tad too disengaged from home and, more importantly, Raffi. But then last episode, after waiting the whole week for the evening out with her, she suddenly leaves Raffi in the lurch when the babe-du-jour shows up.
But this does it. Is there anything jerkier than deliberately teaching someone else’s young child a song or some such that you know is going to p*ss*ff the child’s parents or that clearly conflicts with their beliefs. Aside from the fact than many/most of us might agree with Clarice’s point, why is this any different than, say, Sparrow coming home to find that Cynthia has taught JR the Lord’s Prayer or that she [JR] has suddenly started worrying that “Daddy’s going to hell”?
John McCain is DEC, OS/2, Pascal or anything else that was thought-provoking once but is now well past its expiration date.
What is really exciting to me in the race is that while the American electorate — the half of people who vote — can be broken roughly into thirds, I suspect this Democratic primary will actually increase the number of Democratic voters, out of the previously non-voting pool. Being a voter in the west, the idea of my primary vote actually counting is staggering.
Jana CH – a Thatcher/Chamberlain comparison? Tut, tut, tut. Jeanette Winterson voted for Thatcher because she was a woman, something I believe she later regretted thanks to Thatcher’s espousal and implementation of neo-liberal policies.
Markmaker– My reference to Obama as a biracial dude from Hawaii was in contrast to Obama the Holy Savior. The comparison works just as well if you say he’s just a black dude from Illinois. I was making no comparison with Hillary. Although some people (such as Stuart) imagine that President Hillary will be some sort of feminist Messiah who will break down patriarchy, they seem fewer and less vociferous than the Obama worshippers.
I can appreciate the symbolism of identity politics, but for me it is far more important that we get a GOOD president into office as economic, military, and envionmental disasters descend upon us. Personally, I think the rich white guy from the South would have done a much better job than either half of the H & O Railroad, but John Edwards was ignored to death by the media so that option is gone.
I’m making do with what’s available, as I’ll continue to do through to the end. No protest votes for McCain from me! I tried that in 1980 when I voted for John Anderson and got Ronald Reagan. Never again! I hope some political newcomers (yay for newcomers!) will learn from my experience rather than having to learn the hard way, as I did.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith JcH: If I can’t have Big Al, gimme Little John.
P.S. to Ian: For me the Thatcher/Chamberlain comparison has nothing to do with woman vs. man. It’s about fighter vs. appeaser. If the sexes were swapped, I’d still be supporting the fighter.
Personally, I side with Jasmine and with Mo’s GYN (hope she’s a nurse practitioner!). Hilary’s in a trap, at least somewhat of her own making: conservatives hate her for being “too liberal” but progressives hate her for sucking up to the religious right with “welfare reform” and DOMA (OK, that was Bill, but it’s not like she’s repudiated it or anything).
I think the red-state hatred Jasmine speaks of is really just misogyny, which is colossally unfair but enough of a factor that I worry she’d lose against McCain in a national race.
So it’s Obama for me, mostly by default.
But if she gets nominated, I will suck it up and vote for her. No question.
Madeleine’s comment on Obama made me laugh hard enough to cough up a giant phlegm ball(bad cold).
As a Canadian, it’s been interesting to to watch the Democratic primaries. While both candidates ahve their good and bad points, at least they aren’t as as overwhealming useless as the leaders of all 4 parties up here…
At least Canada HAS 4 viable parties…
I’m from the state that elected Jess Ventura, so I certainly understand the down side of multiple parties, but I do think we would all be better served if the system were more receptive to and encouraging of multiple parties.
Minnesota now has Instant Runoff Voting, which I see as a step in the right direction.
Also, rather odd to see Stuart as the main character voicing support for Hilary based on sex.
BTW, is Stuart still not driving?
I think the line Madeline says about “coughing up a giant hairball of hope” if she about how Obama is inspiring is so funny that I am sending this link to my Dad.
capers, I don’t think we’ll see Raffi and Stella dating each other cause generally kids who have a sibling-like friendship don’t grow sexually attracted to each other once they reach puberty.
I am definitely with Jasmine on this one. It doesn’t matter that Ann Coulter (theoretically) would prefer her over McCain or that most progressives dislike her, she’s dislike by way too many people for the most irrational reasons. The Onion captured this sentiment perfectly with their editorial “Hilary Clinton is Too Ambitious To Be Our First Female President” I didn’t vote for her in the primaries, but I’m still pissed off at the knee-jerk stupidity people lapse into about her.
And NLC, what Clarice did is helluva lot different than trying to convert a non-believer’s child. She wasn’t teaching JR why her dad’s choice of candidate is wrong, she just taught her a song that she knew would result in Stuart’s humorously indignant expression (and as a big fan of indignant expressions, I love it!) It was done in a spirit of jest and teasing, not as a serious way of trying to turn kid against parent, which will most likely happen on its own without interference. JR seems to have a rebellious streak in her.
Electing our first African-American President would do just as much to end the patriarcy as electing our first female President. The patriarchy is equally dependent on white supremacy as woman-hating for its continuance. That’s why the power elite is thrilled about us fighting over meaningless identities.
I made a list of the issues that mattered most to me and went to look at the positions of both candidates, as well as the remarks up at their websites. Barack is just as much a hawk as Hilary, and in some instances moreso (he talks about EXPANDING the military, for fucksake). Her health care plan is better for poor and working class people, not just the middle class. They are both in the pockets of corporations and big pharma. They are both NOT progressives and NOT feminists. (Read Kate Harding’s post at Shakesville about becoming Obama-skeptical for a brilliant essay about the progressive thang.)
Still, as a former Edwards supporter (can we talk about CLASS, please, as our economy tanks?), I was on the fence until the recent speeches by Barack about how pro-choicers needs to under abortion is a wrenching moral issue for anti-abortion folks. As if it’s just pushing a button for the rest of us. This combined with the fact that he was going to vote for John Roberts as SCOTUS chief justice until a member of his campaign staff talked him out of it, and his frequent statements that he thinks we have to listen to Republicans too (as if we’ve done nothing else for 20 years, and look where it’s landed us) have tipped the scales for me. Neither of them are feminists, but it seems more likely at this point that somewhat who’s had to fight her way past unspeakable misogyny and Republican assault will have the eggs to, as Jana puts it, not be an appeaser during a period of desperate clean-up and restoration of balance.
However, I will vote for WHOEVER is the Dem candidate. And I’ll continue to not fucking tolerate the racism aimed at Barack, coming out from under wraps now (i.e., “boy”).
On quite another note — I just cringe when I see Toni with Gloria. Settling, is what I think.
I too love the Mac/PC reference, but I’m afraid we can’t give Alison credit for it. It’s been out there for a while — I read an article about the comparison in the NY Times in February. Brilliant to put it in Raffi and Stella’s mouths, though, right?
The Mac/PC analogy as a predictor breaks down with me: I’m 100% Mac at work and at home, but I voted for Hillary.
(I must admit, however, that her behavior in the wake of “Bitter-Gate” is really turning me off.)
And whom would be the “appeased” one? Not Iran, surely. North Korea? Possibly, but Bush has been doing plenty of arse-licking there (they have *actual* nukes, so provoking them could be, y’know, genuinely costly). No, as I see it, the US itself has turned into the world’s bully-boy needing appeasement — primarily, it’s just the US government, but all the people down there just talking about what needs to be done, as though it doesn’t have to become a matter of civil war, help make everyone else a part of it by implication. After all, the Shrub himself, IIRC, said that the people of Iraq were supposed to oust their own tyrant, but they didn’t, so he had to do it. Well, the Shrub isn’t your real tyrant, he’s the figurehead — the real tyrant(s) took over decades ago, but now they’re being more open about it.
Don’t imagine that your next president is going to be different in any substantial form. Different name, different face, same real boss giving the president orders. You can still change it, though, but not without bloodshed. The clock’s ticking on that, mind you…
When Pope Snarky writes a change in American leadership cannot be accomplished “without bloodshed” I want to know just who he thinks is going to have to die?
Maybe His Holiness is visiting the wrong comic strip…hey, are you looking for Hothead Paisan?
Pope Snarky: The appeased one are the Republicans. I thought that was obvious.
If the Obama REALLY thinks he can sit down and be all bipartisan and talk with the Repubs, he has not been paying attention for the past thirty years. And if he has not been paying attention for the past thirty years, he doesn’t have the chops for the job.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith Will Cuppy: Attila the Hun was an awful pest, but there are plenty of others. You mustn’t blame him for all your troubles because most of them are your own fault and the sooner you realize it the better.
Yeah. Um, sorry to be a downer, but for various reasons this household contains no fewer than eight Macintosh computers (G5 MDD, a Cube, a freestanding G4, a quad processor MacPro, a G4 MacBook, two MBPs – 15″ and 17″ – and a G4 IBook); no fewer than thirteen IPods (two 3rd generations, four Shuffles, three Nanos, three video IPods); and two IPhones. Both of us worked hard for Hillary in a swing state that’s voted for the winner in every Presidential election for forty years, and one she won on Super Tuesday by double digits.
I’m really upset over what I see as disenfranchisement. I understand why other people think it’s OK to deal out Florida and Michigan, but it’s just something I feel strongly about. In Florida in particular, the primary date was set by Republicans who have now disenfranchised us with our full participation. I can’t believe so few people who ought to know better are seeing this for what it is – just another divide and conquer tactic by the GOP.
That said, I spell all this out at the risk of starting the same ugliness that’s currently all over many other left-leaning websites, because I think it’s important for some to realize this issue isn’t going to simply go away. I think we’re going to have a real, and a long-lasting, rift in this party if there isn’t some resolution of this issue. What are we going to do when one of the major parties starts telling folks in various states they can’t support candidates in a general election due to technicalities? This is people’s *right* to vote we’re talking about, not their privilege.
I’m going to wait and see how control of Congress is looking. The only way I’ll vote for Obama is if it looks like the Dems could lose the Senate. Otherwise I’m writing in Hillary, whether she’s the nominee or not.
A PAP smear does not test or detect ovarian cancer, it tests for cervical cancer. Both are curable if caught early. For ovarian cancer, it can be 90% curable if caught in early stages. Unfortunately most cases are diagnosed at stage 3 or 4, when the cure rate drops considerably.
There is currently no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer, though the folks at Yale are making good progress on a 6-protein panel. A CA125 protein marker test can be one part of screening for ovarian cancer, but the number can be elevated by several conditions (ie endometriosis, pregnancy, pelvic inflammation).
Warning signs of ovarian cancer:
• Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling, bloating and/or feeling of fullness
• Pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort
• Vague but persistent gastrointestinal upsets such as gas, nausea, and indigestion
• Frequency and/or urgency of urination in the absence of an infection
• Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
• Ongoing unusual fatigue
• Unexplained changes in bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea, narrow stools)
• Painful intercourse
• Other symptoms may include abnormal vaginal bleeding; unexplained weight loss or gain; shortness of breath; or low back pain.
If symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks, consult a physician, gynecologist or a gynecological oncologist.
Insist that they rule out cancer before diagnosing you with a GI problem (irritable bowel syndrome) or another gynecological issue (PMS, endometriosis). Also, just because you’re pre-menopausal doesn’t mean you can’t get it. Lots of docs won’t even think of this for women under 50, but I was 42 when I was diagnosed, and I know of women diagnosed in their 20s and 30s.
Oooh, cool! Looks like I get to be the first entry in the “Spot the Obscure Inconsistency/Detail in the Strip” sweepstakes!
In Panel #1 (or #3) where “Antiwar Activits Get Bellicose,” Lois’ forelock goes to the left, and her (afterlock? Alfalfa lock?) goes to the right. In the last panel (#8/#10, counting Syd ‘n Madeleine as being different panels), the forelock goes to the right.
Sorry, that should have been, “Antiwar Activists Grow Bellicose.”
Saith MikeSTL: I’m in a no-lose situation, Obama or Hillary. Come November, I’m voting Democratic. *shrugs* I voted Obama in the MO primary, b/c the papers were full of the “Hillary Juggernaut,” and I don’t do coronations. But in the general election, I can vote for a white woman as easily and as joyfully as I can for a black man.
Regarding Mo: I too voted for Nader and LaDuke in 2000,and I’m not ashamed to say so. In ’04 I held my nose and chose Kerry. For ’08,I would prefer U.S.Rep Cynthia McKinney (Green Party),or Barbara Lee,if she were running.But since so much is at stake,I’ll vote for whomever the Dems nominate,and continue doing the very important local and internat’l political work.
I for one am inspired by the many positive changes happening in Latin America: Oaxaca,Mexico,Chile,Venezuela,Cuba,Brazil, etc.
Even as a Brit, I’m pretty sick of this Democrat race. This strip to me sums up perfectly what I think is a pretty sorry situation: the Democrats squabbling amongst themselves while McCain gets his troops behind him and strengthens his chances of sailing to victory in November.
As for Mo’s yeast infection, maybe she has undiagnosed diabetes ?
Well I am certainly surprised by Mo’s defending Hillary.
After 8 years of Mo ranting about domestic spying, torture in Gitmo, secret trials, and at least 90,000 Iraqi civilians killed, you would think she would hold a grudge against Hillary Clinton for two small votes:
S.J. Res. 45, A Resolution to Authorize the Use of
United States Armed Forces Against Iraq & HR 3162, USA Patriot Act of 2001.
These two acts have done more to alter and influence the tone of this strip more than any others. All the comments by characters bemoaning the Democrats caving in at any saber-rattling by Bush were with Hillary right at the forefront. Since there is such a minute difference between Obama and Hillary in terms of legislation (100% ratings from NARAL, 100% from Human Rights Campaign) it just seems surprising that Mo would stick up for her, aside from the fact that they similar spouses. (Hmmmm)
Plus, in Obama’s favor: “To the cheers of thousands of librarians, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday called for the Senate to rewrite the USA Patriot Act to prevent investigators from scanning library records and bookstore sales slips.”
“I just cringe when I see Toni with Gloria. Settling, is what I think.”
Please excuse me for being simplistic since I know that there can be a great many factors in a breakup, please don’t get me wrong on that, but:
I thought that Toni refusing to give up Gloria was what broke up Toni and Clarice in the first place? That would mean Toni has chosen to be with Gloria rather than to be with Clarice, so “settling” really doesn’t enter into it (unless it’s on Gloria’s part; we’ve seen almost nothing about her [ex-]relationship with Anna).
If that’s not it, then as far as I can tell, the breakup is because Clarice refuses to forgive Toni, which seems inconsistent with her being depicted in a more-or-less sympathetic light.
I’m not sure I’d call it outright hypocritical for Clarice to not forgive Toni when Toni forgave Clarice, because Clarice’s one-night stand with Ginger was TWENTY FRICKIN’ YEARS AGO and the relationship has been solidified time and again since then—they’ve had a commitment ceremony, a domestic union, and a city hall marriage, plus a CHILD—so the situations aren’t 100% analogous, but still, I’d find it odd if that’s was what was going on here.
Loved the gyno appointment! We’ve never seen that in the strip before, and I had to laugh at the political chit-chat during the proceedings.
Am I the only one who thinks that Mo’s “yeast infection” is probably just another a yeast infection? I read it in the same way as if the exchange took place between Mo and an accountant and ended with “I need to go look at this but I think you’re going to owe again this year”.
As a Linux user for over 10 years now (I was using it when Red Hat was just beginnig), yep, along with being a softball coach and math teacher, I’m a computer geek…you guys didn’t see that coming, did you 🙂 I have to say Nader must be Linux. I voted for him in 2000. He would make a great president. I will vote for Hillary or Obama this time around, but my guess is neither one of them could have ftp’d back when there was no pointing and clicking to be done, but actually typing of file names!
I’d love to try Linux. I’ll need a different PC as I don’t want to and cannot hose XP-too much baggage there! ; )
Maybe Hil is more of a DOS-esque type of gal-not really sure at this point. Or McCain is DOS, Hillary is Windows 1.0 (interface to DOS only).
Hey, this is kind of fun! It’s better than the interparty bickering. : D
Michelle B., “Well I am certainly surprised by Mo’s defending Hillary.”
Why? If someone said something false about HRC, then I’d defend her too. If someone says something false about Obama, I’ll defend him too. But I don’t want to vote for either of them; I’ll either write in Nader or not vote for President at all. This isn’t just a matter of which side you’re on. You can’t have useful political discussion if you’re just knee-jerking all over the place. I don’t see that Mo has been shown actually *endorsing* Hillary yet.
Lisa: You actually don’t need a different PC…you can just partition your hard drive and then choose which operating system you want to use when you start the computer up. I actually have XP also, and a small partition with DOS, so that I can send files back and forth if need be. Yep, I’m a geek.
Someone said that if Obama were a woman this hope stuff would have been laughed at and dismissed. But if Clinton were a man she’d be Nixon. I prefer Obama’s Mother to Clinton’s father.
I think it’s not THAT she’s singing, but WHAT she’s singing…I’M sure Stew would rather have her singing some little ditty about Ralph Nader. Or maybe,”It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green…”
Maggie J., I think Zorah Neale Hurston would disagree with you about electing a Black man president doing just as much to dismantle the patriarchy as electing a female president (see her very public arguments with Richard Wright). I think Jezzana, in her long-ago comments about the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill case, would argue the same.
shadocat, I know that Nader is the He-Demon on whom all things can be blamed by Democrats, but Stu is not a Nader supporter. He supports Hillary, didn’t you notice?
I recall that something like this came up when Alison posted the panel showing the Obama and Clinton signs in the roommates’ front yard — didn’t someone speculate then, too, that Stuart would be a Nader supporter?
Gee, I can’t wait to vote for Nader this November…
Sometimes string beans get diabetes, too. And the gyno could’ve caught whatever it is Mo has early; or maybe Mo already suspected she had something going on and wanted to check it out…
Oh and you’re right Duncan, I forgot Stu was for Hillary. He just seems like he would be a natural for Nader, so I guess I was relating to that.
What song could J.R. sing for Hillary? 99 Bottles Of Beer On the Wall, maybe?
great episode and very jarring to float through the politicals and then hit the ‘wall’ with Mo’s well being … makes me think about the bigger perspective … the personal and the universal …. the earth is giving us many more nudges and pokes than any political voice/group/party these days…. after decades of environmental abuse ‘she’ may well be the one who dismantles the patriarchy …
i haven’t done the “which dtwof character are you most like” survey yet, but i have a hunch it’ll be stuart…oddly. i fully believe that we need a woman in the white house, not because what clinton will specifically do in the next four years, but because it will have a profound and critical influence on our collective framework for what is possible. it’ll empower girls and it’ll show boys that girls can be equals and even leaders. and ultimately, i believe that a world where girls are empowered will inevitably be a world where race relations improve substantially. people keep throwing out the margaret thatcher response to this argument but in the end who really knows what the big picture tally sheet was from her tenure, and other non-lefty people like condy rice… that is to say, maybe she was bad but maybe subconsciously her role modeling was an important step towards gender equality. anyway, well done alison, on so artfully giving voice to this complex issue.
Bravo/a D.W! I agree! Obama is my candidate of choice!!
But back to the strip….I think that Mo should totally get a (not very bad, easy to cure, not life-threatening) STD and then be forced to evaluate her life—as she did in the 1980’s when she took time to “re-evaluate [her] priorities”! She could wonder about her job, her relationship with a selfish, cheating, arrogant academic and decide what she wants to change. It would be totally fun to see what Sydney would do if she wasn’t able to count on Mo being there, although I guess we got a glimpse of it when Mo flirted with Fiona in library school. When is Clarice going to move out? Does she stay to be closer to Jasmine?
Super strip!
I live in Georgia–no idea WHY, though–and I’m starting to get a little nervous. Already I am seeing good ol’ boys revving the engines of their enormous pick-’em-up trucks in front of me at stoplights…and from where I sit, where their bumpers are level with the windshield of my tiny Honda, I can see them–big black McCain 08 stickers, harpengers of doom.
harpengers of doom=evil granite angels who dive on you from the sky and smash you and your shiny hope flat, playing the harp all the way down. (the harp transfixes. the granite squishes) Aggggh.
I actually don’t understand all the angst about Hilary vs. Obama. Either would be good. Both have good points. Both have weaknesses. I’ll vote for either one. What’s the big to-do?
I still think it’s doubtful that Mo has diabetes (despite being educated to the contrary; I did say doubtful, Shado, not impossible).
More and more adults over age 30-40 are getting Type II diabetes, but it tends to (note – this is a qualifier – I am not saying always) afflict those who are overweight and inactive, and/or of African-American or Native American descent.
Like many in the strip, Mo is very thin and seems to be active, and it just seems unlikely to me that she has diabetes (speaking as a Type 1 diabetic). But we can never know what may befall a friend, even a belove comic superstar like Mo.
I like Jessica’s hypothetical plotline – Mo gets an STD due to Syd’s tryst with Madeleine! Anyway, I hope it’s not “we found some some abnormal cervical cells, let’s check again in a month.” Countless women go through this anxiety – ugh.
rent–noun–1. an opening made by rending or tearing; slit; fissure. 2. a breach of relations; schism.
I had a wonderful English teacher in high school who made us memorize the definitions of five new words a week. That definition of “rent” was one of them.
April– The first couple of times I used the Chamberlain comment on a blog I got no response at all. Since then I have been tossing it around on blogs and in person, and only two or three people have been properly outraged. Essentially I’m using it as a history test, which is showing poor results. To be fair, I don’t think Hillary supporters would do much better, except to the extent that more of us are older.
For us Baby Boomers, World War II was an immediate part of our political background, even though we didn’t live through it ourselves. Whenever “grown-ups” talked or wrote about politics, WWII was the context. People younger than us have to learn about it as history, from books, and far too many people of all ages labor under the delusion that history is boring. Personally, I think history is a lot more exciting than anything anyone could ever make up. See the threads on either side of us for all the interest in historic photos.
Jana C,H,
Seattle
Saith Winston Churchill: The power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious, and the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist
Oh, I thought that was “rend” (as in to rend a garment) — never heard of rent (n.) (she admits sheepishly in front of the whole ultra-literate D2WO4 blogosphere).
Re Lois’s hair: for lots of people with straight hair and bangs, the bangs can flop around, be pushed from one side to another, etc. without looking bad or needing a different haircut. (It’s a different story for the curly haired among us…)
It’s a fantastic strip all around. I wonder if Alison is working out her feelings about the candidates through the comic?
I was listening to the debate on the radio today and even though I do prefer Obama, I gotta say I really like Clinton’s voice – it has such a nice timbre, and she always sounds smart.
I just think she’s too beholden to big business/special interests/etc., and I think that it’s important to note that the dems of the past 8 years – the Clinton dems, that is – might not have authored all of the Bush administration’s grievous legislation and war, but they sure didn’t do anything to stop it.
April, you’re brave AND you’re not wrong. Here’s the Dictionary.com definition of “rend”, to compare to “rent” above:
1. To tear or split apart or into pieces violently. See Synonyms at tear1.
2. To tear (one’s garments or hair) in anguish or rage.
3. To tear away forcibly; wrest.
4. To pull, split, or divide as if by tearing: “Chip was rent between the impulse to laugh wildly and a bitterness that threatened hot tears” Louis Auchincloss.
5. To pierce or disturb with sound: a scream rent the silence.
6. To cause pain or distress to: tales that rend the heart.
v.intr.
To become torn or split; come apart.
Its origins are Middle English renden, from Old English rendan. Rent (as used above) is a past participle of rend. And no, I didn’t know all this before I went to look it up.
P.S. My favorite gynecologist of all time, Diana Weihs, an old lefty here in Austin, won my heart when during my first visit, she read my intake form and roared at my answer to “Form of Birth Control: Lesbianism.” She insisted it get entered on the chart that way. During that initial pelvic, while I was stirruped up and she was “in position”, she looked up at me and said “Could you possibly explain Log Cabin Republicans to me so it makes any sense? I mean, what is WRONG with those people?”
I can see the storyline now. Mo gets a STD (genital wart) because of Syd’s tryst with Madeline. Cervical cancer is the
diagnosis, leading to cervial precancer and a cervical conization. Then she has to have a hysterectomy and suddenly
gets the urge for children.
Did you know that most hysterectomies done thorough the abdomen cut through the nerves leading to the clitoris?
good thing nerve cells do grow back. But two orgasms in six years is getting a little tired. At least my partner keeps trying!
@Susan D, @ready2agitate: My neighbour, gone into the fogs of dementia now and moved five years since to her daughter’s in Arizona for endcare (yes, I miss her), said to me years ago that what she resented most about the under-information that she had received before her hysterectomy was not a lack of warning about loss of clitoral sensation. That went for a little while, then came back, she told me, and it was just fine. Instead, it was that no one had let her know that she would fail to experience uterine contraction as part of orgasm. She missed that dreadfully. “But my gyno was a man, of course,” she said with a bit of regret in her voice, “and he may not have known. And I needed my uterus out. Still, it was a shock.”
Alison, is this an endorsement of Hillary Clinton? Would Mo really not know that Hillary Clinton no longer supports “All she tried to do for healthcare” in the 90’s?
“I can see the storyline now. Mo gets a STD (genital wart) because of Syd’s tryst with Madeline. Cervical cancer is the diagnosis, leading to cervial precancer and a cervical conization. Then she has to have a hysterectomy and suddenly gets the urge for children.”
Way back when Mo was bonding with her infant niece, I thought possibly a storyline would develop where Mo wanted to have a baby but Sydney would only agree if she (Mo) tried to be open to polyamory (which Sydney was more actively pushing for at the time), two developments that, ironically, would (based on general expectations of how these things turn out; I know that there are always exceptions) move the couple closer (parenthood) and further apart (dating other people) at the same time.
The new notion is a way grimmer scenario, of course.
I just like it when Clarice is being her bad old self. And JR is going to need all the support she can get as she tries to liberate herself from her overbearing daddy. And if Stuart wants to raise his daughter strictly according to his own standards, what the hell is he doing in a group house? And anyway, somebody has already done much worse; namely the bête blanche of the strip, the vessel of cyn herself, who encouraged JR to chop up her dad’s petitions into paper snowflakes. That destroyed something Stuart had worked hard on, however hopeless the goal might have been. That’s much worse than teaching JR a song.
Anyway, I like it when Clarice is being her bad old self. That’s when she’s at her best. Like when she explained the disgusting facts of (electoral college) life to Raffi. She needs to do more of that kind of thing.
My opinion of the remaining Democratic candidates is pretty well summed up by Lois. My feelings about the race as a whole are pretty well summed up by the look on Gloria’s face.
Well my husb refers to HRC as Nixon in a pantsuit. I also think that the first woman president is going to be Condi frickin’ Rice, and she’ll get there via McCain'[s veep and he kicks off after we bomb Tehran.
“And JR is going to need all the support she can get as she tries to liberate herself from her overbearing daddy.”
No word on Sparrow’s reaction to Stuart’s being “ready to get pregnant again” – another baby might mean a respite from 24-hr. Stuart for J.R.! Not that that’s a reason to procreate…
Another good reason for Stuart to get pregnant, from a story point of view: None of the kids in this strip have siblings. Siblings add complications— fighting, mutual support, rivalry, teasing, love. Decades of plot material!
My vote is for adoption, either a mixed-race baby from overseas or a “special needs” kid. Alison, of course, will surprise us all.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith Freya Stark: An unwilling horse, a dragging child, and a woman who insists on explaining her motives are the three most wearying objects in creation.
gatheringwater: Who will pay if you _don’t_ have a civil war? Everyone but the rich, I’m thinking. Because if you don’t, you’ll continue to get the same old “election-by-assassination (of the alternatives), by-selection, and by falsely discrediting the other guys” you’ve been getting for 45 years, if not more, and it will get worse (more blatant, more corrupt, and more humiliating). Mind you, first you should figure out who pulled off this masterful coup d’état in the first place, though that may well be beyond impossible already. Your country has more important things to do than taking over the world in the name of felling tyrants — expediting lunar colonisation being high on the list. Being at the mercy of oversized flying rocks isn’t really a fun idea, and we humans need to stop that sort of thing.
Microsoft being a giant profit-driven company that abuses its market dominance and always gets a free ride from the US government “watchdogs” (but not from their counterparts at the European Union)…..McCain is a Windows PC down to the bone, just like W.
As far as Mac/PC goes… that must be with the older set. I use a PC because I like a computer that talks to me as if I’m a grown up–I’m for Obama because I like a candidate that does the same. (Jon Stewart put it best: “…a presidential candidate talked to Americans about race as though we were adults.”)
Nader is clearly Linux: cool and all, but not worth the hassle if you’ve got things to get done.
PC has dumbed itself down in recent years, of course; my comment was much truer under 98 than XP, and under XP than Vista. Maybe in that way PC is a good analogy for Hillary: we used to like her a lot better, on the other hand, the old version didn’t actually WORK.
Seriously, though, how does anyone use a computer without context menus?
Pope Snarky Goodfella: Great thing that you said about the asteroid problem and space travel: I’ve been saying the same thing for years and years! People need to get over the cynical bullshit that they have about the space program, and try to get our leaders asses cracking on getting our collective asses into space and on to the Moon.
As for Clintbama: Both are full of shit, I’d rather vote for Ralph Nader and any other third-party candidate.
And Raffi needs to get it on with the blond chick.
I can’t believe that anyone would believe that electing Hillary would be a step towards “dismantling the patriarchy”. The only thing that separates her from the good old boy network is her gender – in every other way, her views are really not that different from theirs.
Vote for Ralph Nadir? He’s just as full of shit as Obama and Clinton. Frankly, I don’t see any candidate any where who isn’t pushing a personal agenda that shows that they have forgotten that their job is to serve the people and not the other way around.
Pope, let’s not confuse revolution with civil war. And don’t think for a second that any violent conflict (including a revolutionary one) harms anybody but the underclass first. The idea that violence is a good idea because a lack of it doesn’t do enough harm to the rich is, well, a fallacy.
I agree that Hillary and Barack are equally supporters of the status quo, in the pockets of the elite, and definitely hawks. They are a step forward but not progressives, not by any real definition of the word.
My point about electing either of them being equally valuable toward dismanting the patriarchy was NOT that electing them is the best way to do that — only that fighting white supremacy is just as crucial as fighting woman-hating. I don’t believe in a “primary oppression” and I think choosing between struggles on a political level is playing right into the hands of the patriarchy. (Of course, we all individually have to do the best we can, given our resources.)
With regard to the petriarchy — I’ve heard NO candidate mention a veterinary care plan, affording or otherwise. None of those pet strollers had armor plating for warfare zones, and the issue of forced sterilization for kitties has not appeared in any debate. You can draw your own conclusions.
Oh, violence isn’t ever really a good idea — but the time in which you could have settled matters without resorting to violence passed by a long time ago. Now, as it is, any amount of violence may not be enough to topple your tyrants, if only because they’re so well-hidden. But not trying will allow them to further consolidate their power. However, OTOH, you can always hope that they know WTF they’re doing, and are competent to steer humanity into space, instead of into the dust. Rather large gamble, that.
lytefoot: DOS is everything…you can use it as a backup for any other system you want to run…so, yes, it is PC, but it is also UNIX, Linux (GNU), and Mac. It just isn’t very easy to manipulate with. You must not have seen Linux in some time. RedHat is not only icon based, but it also has parallel windows one can open to process several different needs at once. It is totally worth the hassle. Also, Mozilla is where Windows took the idea that when surfing the web it is often times handy to be able to click several different pages at a time without losing your original page. Linux is always 10 steps ahead of anything PC/Microsoft or Mac.
Maybe Mo read the Gloria Stienem article. That was almost enough to make me jump the Obama ship, and I gather Mo is about 4 years older & slightly more old-school feminist than me.
Me, I think you’re going to get four more years of blatant Republican corruption, and a quicker trip down the tubes than you would with Clinton or Obama. No way is McCain not completely owned, lock, stock, and barrel, right down to his shoes, by megacorps…
Could someone explain how diabetes and yeast infections are related?
BTW: Macs do have context menus, lots of them. But is it really a choice between easy-to-use but you can’t really control what’s done (Mac) and might-be-usable when you find all the controls you need (PC)?
Does the TI reference mean that you have to input the numbers first and then decide which operation you want (thats what my first TI pocket calculator did)
I dunno, the Shrub’s controls still seem to be a mystery to anyone but Rove & Cheney…Hill & Bar, OTOH, seem more like Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, to me.;-{P}
Snarky
P.S. Though, considering the USA PATRIOT & “habeas corpus except when a street cop thinks some guy might be a terrorist or have anything at all to do with terrorism” viruses launched within the Rove XP and Rove Vista systems (carrying the metaphor perhaps ridiculously far), you might do well to run an fdisk on your country. Ahem.
HRC has a lovely “timbre” of a voice and you love listening to it ???!!!!! You are seriously messed up.Although I’ll vote for her if she’s nominated, her voice is the thing I’m least looking forward to, by far.
It’s a fantastic strip all around. I wonder if Alison is working out her feelings about the candidates through the comic?
I was listening to the debate on the radio today and even though I do prefer Obama, I gotta say I really like Clinton’s voice – it has such a nice timbre, and she always sounds smart.
*****
OK, there you go. Yeah, she may sound smart, but it certainly doesn’t sound nice.
I thought I should tell you dear Alison that you have an avid fan in Greece. I stumbled upon your work on-line and have started to collect “dykes” ever since. You’re a talanted cartoonist and a gifted writer. Congratulations and keep’ em coming man.
I am all about Obama. He’s the first candidate in my 41 years who feels like a real person to me. I too am a 40-something Black Ivy League grad, except that I have two advanced degrees to his one. We are NOT part of the elite or part of the ruling class. We are outsiders whose education has given us the tools to access and make change within the institutions that insiders have kept closed to us and to other Americans who are not rich, white, and Male (and straight or closeted).
Another super-wealthy relative of a former president (in this case, his wife) does not represent the paradigm shift that I need to see to really get excited about a candidate. I feel like those young people who are finally, in Obama, finding a candidate who they can be truly enthusiastic about.
Those young folks see these candidates in ways that resonate with me. Hillary may be a woman, but nothing she has done indicates to me that she will reject the agenda of the patriarchy.
Neither candidate would do everything I would like a candidate to do, but that’s okay. Obama is supersmart and so is Hillary; but his understanding of race and power in this country makes me feel visible. He makes me feel like there will finally be a president for whom my humanity as a non-white person will actually matter.
154 Responses to “DTWOF episode #526”
Beautiful as always – just the thing for a grim Tuesday 🙂
I love the views through Sidney and Madeline’s windows. Raffi and Stella are kind of eerie with their matching jackets, earbuds, and speaking in unison, though.
Not a moment too soon!
Hmmm…well this is a perfect chance for us all to argue about who to vote for right? I decided to vote for Obama on the peacenik tip. I know it’s a crapshoot, but Hillary is just too much of a hawk for me. Just what I’m always saying, Alison. I can’t believe Stuart wants to vote for her anyway. I guess it depends what issue you care about the most. I’d like to see us stop killing people and not go to war with Iran. Arg!
Though I have to agree with Madelieine about the hairballs of hope. I’m not in love with the man; I just think he’ll do at least a marginally better job than she will.
I love that Mo’s gyno has one of those comic-strip plaid shirts — the lines at 90 degrees to the frame edges, no matter how she’s standing.
I know I’m supposed to be commenting on this particular strip, and I will, in time. First, I wanted to say that I only just found DTWOF whilst parusing the interweb. I love the artwork and the material that penetrates the strips; Alison, you are divine, don’t stop. I had a hard time accepting the word “Dyke” to start, actually, but all is well after some hours of comic therapy. Can you believe that I’ve only ever heard it used in the derogatory sense? Now, it seems increasinly funny to me that growing up, my main social concern was to not be labeled as such. Ah well. You’ve helped take a slur and give it a new face, bravo.
I’m glad to see a bunch of people already on the spot, commenting Day 1. This strip, intricate as usual, sums up the feelings of myself and my friends precisely. What do you do when you ABHOR McCain, and, try as you might, remain lukewarm towards the Democratic candidates? I guess when push comes to shove, it’ll be Obama for me. I’m a sad victim of the hope-rays that he eeks out of his pores.
Okay, I am a little worried about Mo….
The last time someone had a “little problem” at their annual exam, Syd got breast cancer. Before that it was Jezanna’s mom. No ovarian cancer, okay, Alison? I just couldn’t take it right now.
Ohhh….maybe she has an STD and Sydney is going to get BUSTED!!!!
That would be much better than cancer, PLEASE????
I still can’t get over the double standard. I’m not convinced to vote for either one of them (I will, of course), but I really wish they’d talk about real stuff instead of picking on each other’s vocabulary.
I really love the visual pun in the title frame.
Nicely done. I love the honkin’ big ensemble parties when most of the characters are in one strip!
Love the Captain Haddock reference!
Is this the first time ever that Mo’s been even halfway supportive of a “mainstream” candidate? Doesn’t she usually insist on voting for Nader?
Apropos of nothing, I’m reminded of this [portion of an] item I read on Planetout back in February:
“Conservative pundit Ann Coulter jabbed Republican frontrunner Sen. John McCain on Thursday when she said she would support Democratic candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton if he clenched the GOP nomination.
“In her announcement, on Fox’s “Hannity and Colmes,” Coulter said that she would be even willing to campaign for Sen. Clinton because McCain is not only bad for Republicans, “he is bad for the country.”
“”If you are looking at substance rather than if there is an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ after his name,” she said according to United Press International, “manifestly, if he’s our candidate, then Hillary is going to be our girl, because she’s more conservative than he is. I think she would be stronger on the war on terrorism.””
I haven’t seen it said anywhere that she stuck to her guns on this point. I somehow doubt it.
It’d be interesting if it turned out Cynthia originally followed the “Hear and Obey” dittohead party line with Coulter on this point, and now she’s torn on whether or not to follow through.
Some have compared Cynthia to Ann Coulter, but at least Cynthia can sometimes be seen with a reasonably pleasant expression on her face. One can rarely say the same of Coulter, who can’t seem to manage a friendly smile instead of a smug/snarky/condescending one. IMHO. Maybe I’ve just been looking at the wrong photos…
I notice that J.R. seems to be bonding with Clarice. In addition to learning a song from her, she seems almost synchronized with Clarice in eating/drinking in the second panel (or fourth panel if one counts the title panel and the narrative-only panel). A little thing, but as we all know, every tiny corner in this strip means something. 🙂
Please please, no ovarian cancer and no busting Sydney. I could not take any of these, not now–in Italy we just had elections and the results are more depressing than I feared. The most depressing thought is that even the best alternative would have been far from satisfactory.
Which brings me to look enviously at the Obama/Hillary dycotomy and to thoroughly appreciate today’s strip. I needed and I am grateful for its perfection. Particularly Stuart’s contention that having a woman in power will ultimately lead to defeat the patriarchy–which strangely enough both resonates with hopes I harbor for empowerment and reminds me of Margaret Tatcher.
I shudder to imagine Ann Coulter with political leighway. It’s much easier to just count her as a nation’s guilty-little-pleasure. Is she entertaining? You bet. Her tantrums and rants bring a peevish grin to my face. Is she attractive to the eye? Um, if that’s what you look for, sure. But “credible” is not one of the words I keep in store for Ms. Coulter. I don’t know who buys her books, but their pages must make supreme bird cage lining. I was entertained at the thought of some people relating Cynthia to Ann Coulter. To me, Cynthia is a more tangeable human being than Ann will ever be.
Love the ivory towers out the windows… and love how the last frame has the two family units surrounding Clarice. Another great strip!
K.B., I love Tintin and crew, but where is the Cap’n. Haddock ref?
(All my Tintin books are in French…)
In English, Haddock says “billions of blistering barnacles”… I guess you can read “a billion of bilious Rush Limaughs” as a reference to that…
“Leighway”? In an odd way I like it, which is unexpected considering what an armchair sailor I am. I’m usually ranting about getting nautical term right.
I don’t like Hillary and I don’t trust her, but I’m holding my nose and supporting her on the grounds that I’d rather have Maggie Thatcher than Neville Chamberlain. And if no Obama supporters become livid with outrage at that comparison I will be disappointed. It’s a test.
I especially have to agree with Madeline: he’s just a biracial dude from Hawaii, he’s not Jesus Christ reincarnated. As for hope: remember the myth of Pandora? After all the evils escaped from Pandora’s Box to plague the world, only Hope was left. Today we usually interpret this as a good thing: humanity has Hope to comfort it in its suffering. But there is another way to see it, a more Greek way: Hope is the greatest evil of them all since it deludes people into thinking the world is not as tough as it really is. One should face the evils of the world with courage– indeed with heroism– rather than with hope. No, I don’t think Hillary is a hero, but she IS a fighter, and that’s a step in the right direction.
That said, the Democratic party can nominate a slug, and I will be out there knocking on doors for the slimy invertebrate. And Obama’s no slug.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith JcH: He ain’t Robin Hood, but he is Little John.
Okay, really…the panels of Mo in that position in front of a doctor make me shudder.
“he’s a mac, she’s a pc”
that is the funniest line in a while. great strip!
OK, who knows what the song is that Clarice taught J.R.? The only guess I can come up with is “Yes We Can Can” by the Pointer Sisters, which would be cool but I don’t think is right.
Thoughts?
I’m amazed and amused at who’s ended up on each side of the Hilary/Obama fence. Hell, I’m amazed anyone in the strip other than Janis is a Hilary supporter, but Stuart’s argument fits pat into his kind of thinking. I think Mo’s just really confused about the situation (as is good for an intelligent person), and I hope hope hope that Toni is fence-sitting for the sake of argument…
But the really important question raised by this strip — is Clarice drinking rhubarb wine?
I’m w/ rin : “He’s a Mac! She’s a PC!” is the best part of the strip. For me, it really defines the difference between them. Thanks Alison!!!
On the same point :
I plan on voting for Obama & I use a Mac (I hate PC’s). Anyone else? Could this be a new poll for predicting the primary outcome?
Ingrid –
The song is a will.i.am composition riffing on Obama’s New Hampshire speech. Check it out at
I’ll try again:
http://www.dipdive.com
Ovarian cancer can’t be diagnosed by a Pap smear, which presumably is what Mo’s doctor is doing.
I suspect the song reference is the will.i.am piece that swept YouTube recently:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY&feature=related
As good a reason to vote for Obama as anything, I guess. The Mac-PC reference was genius, btw. Go Alison!
Oh, and I’m a Mac.
I caucused for Clinton, and I use a Mac about 70% of the time and a p.c. abut 30%.
Thanks, Ginjoint. Did I mean cervical?
p.s. “Exes are getting ex-ier..” I have _sooooo_ experienced that. You know you’re a grown-up when you run into the person who broke your heart so that you thought the world would come apart at the seams and think to yourself “I guess s/he/s still pretty nice. I hope his/her life’s going well.” and that’s all.
The dialogue seems better-than-usual this strip, nicely done.
Jon, thank you for the clarification on the ref to our favorite drunken sailor in the comix.
Re: politics, so does this mean that John McCain is Linux?
@Nurse Ingrid
I don’t live in America & often don’t understand the cultural hints, so I’m really proud I can answer that question!
It’s the Obama support song by Will.i.am and loads of famous people. You can find it e.g. on youtube …
I looked up “Limbaugh” in the dictionary though 🙂 hehe… I suspected it was just another of these weird English words that permeate the strip…
Hail Eris!
Lisa: Oh, Gawds, no!;-{P}
Snarky, 3-year+ Linux vet
Why is it valid for Hillary to represent a challenge to the patriarchy and a potential role model for young girls, but Obama is just a ‘mixed race man from Hawaii’ (not an exact quote)? If I were voting based on the number of people currently largely excluded or self exempted from the system for whom a particular candidate might represent an impetus to rejoin the national dialogue, it’d be Obama all the way.
Women have made stupendous gains in the past 30 years. Clearly we’re not 100% there yet- I heard some idiot expressive his dislike of her by declaring her an ‘it’, as if ‘powerful woman’ were an oxymoron, – but socio economic lines still follow race / skin tone / immigration status waaay too closely.
As it is, I want more voices included at the national level, and I think both dems will move us in that direction. I’ve already voted in my primary (and I love that we have private ballots), so now I’m just waiting to see how people in other states decide.
OK, in recent strips folks have been playing “Name the Strip’s Biggest Jerk”, so I’m going to throw out my current two bits: Clarice.
OK, I thought maybe I was reading too much into it, but over the last few strips she’s started seeming a tad too disengaged from home and, more importantly, Raffi. But then last episode, after waiting the whole week for the evening out with her, she suddenly leaves Raffi in the lurch when the babe-du-jour shows up.
But this does it. Is there anything jerkier than deliberately teaching someone else’s young child a song or some such that you know is going to p*ss*ff the child’s parents or that clearly conflicts with their beliefs. Aside from the fact than many/most of us might agree with Clarice’s point, why is this any different than, say, Sparrow coming home to find that Cynthia has taught JR the Lord’s Prayer or that she [JR] has suddenly started worrying that “Daddy’s going to hell”?
oops- one more thing: Both Hillary and Barak need to go after McCain, not each other
Hm. I could still see Mo voting for Nader again, but that’s because it’s Mo. 🙂
…and I’m wondering whether Sydney brought anything home from her visits with Madeleine, m’self….
Deborah, you did indeed. 😉
So what — Sydney is at Harvard & Mad. at Yale? They look like brick & granite towers respectively to me 🙂
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=999
Isn’t Gloria in exactly the same pose Clarice & Toni always took when they were arguing in the car?
By the way, the scariest stat I’ve heard is that the 80% figure for “Dems who would vote for either” has dropped over 10% 🙁
John McCain is DEC, OS/2, Pascal or anything else that was thought-provoking once but is now well past its expiration date.
What is really exciting to me in the race is that while the American electorate — the half of people who vote — can be broken roughly into thirds, I suspect this Democratic primary will actually increase the number of Democratic voters, out of the previously non-voting pool. Being a voter in the west, the idea of my primary vote actually counting is staggering.
Jana CH – a Thatcher/Chamberlain comparison? Tut, tut, tut. Jeanette Winterson voted for Thatcher because she was a woman, something I believe she later regretted thanks to Thatcher’s espousal and implementation of neo-liberal policies.
Markmaker– My reference to Obama as a biracial dude from Hawaii was in contrast to Obama the Holy Savior. The comparison works just as well if you say he’s just a black dude from Illinois. I was making no comparison with Hillary. Although some people (such as Stuart) imagine that President Hillary will be some sort of feminist Messiah who will break down patriarchy, they seem fewer and less vociferous than the Obama worshippers.
I can appreciate the symbolism of identity politics, but for me it is far more important that we get a GOOD president into office as economic, military, and envionmental disasters descend upon us. Personally, I think the rich white guy from the South would have done a much better job than either half of the H & O Railroad, but John Edwards was ignored to death by the media so that option is gone.
I’m making do with what’s available, as I’ll continue to do through to the end. No protest votes for McCain from me! I tried that in 1980 when I voted for John Anderson and got Ronald Reagan. Never again! I hope some political newcomers (yay for newcomers!) will learn from my experience rather than having to learn the hard way, as I did.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith JcH: If I can’t have Big Al, gimme Little John.
P.S. to Ian: For me the Thatcher/Chamberlain comparison has nothing to do with woman vs. man. It’s about fighter vs. appeaser. If the sexes were swapped, I’d still be supporting the fighter.
Thanks, all, for clueing me in about the song.
Personally, I side with Jasmine and with Mo’s GYN (hope she’s a nurse practitioner!). Hilary’s in a trap, at least somewhat of her own making: conservatives hate her for being “too liberal” but progressives hate her for sucking up to the religious right with “welfare reform” and DOMA (OK, that was Bill, but it’s not like she’s repudiated it or anything).
I think the red-state hatred Jasmine speaks of is really just misogyny, which is colossally unfair but enough of a factor that I worry she’d lose against McCain in a national race.
So it’s Obama for me, mostly by default.
But if she gets nominated, I will suck it up and vote for her. No question.
Raffi looks like a Beatle. Are we going to have a cute Raffi/Stella dating sequence soon or what?
Is it just me, or did Alison really use a possibly yeasty pap smear as a metaphor for Obama in the bottom left panel?
Ouch.
Madeleine’s comment on Obama made me laugh hard enough to cough up a giant phlegm ball(bad cold).
As a Canadian, it’s been interesting to to watch the Democratic primaries. While both candidates ahve their good and bad points, at least they aren’t as as overwhealming useless as the leaders of all 4 parties up here…
At least Canada HAS 4 viable parties…
I’m from the state that elected Jess Ventura, so I certainly understand the down side of multiple parties, but I do think we would all be better served if the system were more receptive to and encouraging of multiple parties.
Minnesota now has Instant Runoff Voting, which I see as a step in the right direction.
Also, rather odd to see Stuart as the main character voicing support for Hilary based on sex.
BTW, is Stuart still not driving?
I think the line Madeline says about “coughing up a giant hairball of hope” if she about how Obama is inspiring is so funny that I am sending this link to my Dad.
Thanks, Allison. That’s what I meant.
🙂
capers, I don’t think we’ll see Raffi and Stella dating each other cause generally kids who have a sibling-like friendship don’t grow sexually attracted to each other once they reach puberty.
I am definitely with Jasmine on this one. It doesn’t matter that Ann Coulter (theoretically) would prefer her over McCain or that most progressives dislike her, she’s dislike by way too many people for the most irrational reasons. The Onion captured this sentiment perfectly with their editorial “Hilary Clinton is Too Ambitious To Be Our First Female President” I didn’t vote for her in the primaries, but I’m still pissed off at the knee-jerk stupidity people lapse into about her.
And NLC, what Clarice did is helluva lot different than trying to convert a non-believer’s child. She wasn’t teaching JR why her dad’s choice of candidate is wrong, she just taught her a song that she knew would result in Stuart’s humorously indignant expression (and as a big fan of indignant expressions, I love it!) It was done in a spirit of jest and teasing, not as a serious way of trying to turn kid against parent, which will most likely happen on its own without interference. JR seems to have a rebellious streak in her.
Electing our first African-American President would do just as much to end the patriarcy as electing our first female President. The patriarchy is equally dependent on white supremacy as woman-hating for its continuance. That’s why the power elite is thrilled about us fighting over meaningless identities.
I made a list of the issues that mattered most to me and went to look at the positions of both candidates, as well as the remarks up at their websites. Barack is just as much a hawk as Hilary, and in some instances moreso (he talks about EXPANDING the military, for fucksake). Her health care plan is better for poor and working class people, not just the middle class. They are both in the pockets of corporations and big pharma. They are both NOT progressives and NOT feminists. (Read Kate Harding’s post at Shakesville about becoming Obama-skeptical for a brilliant essay about the progressive thang.)
Still, as a former Edwards supporter (can we talk about CLASS, please, as our economy tanks?), I was on the fence until the recent speeches by Barack about how pro-choicers needs to under abortion is a wrenching moral issue for anti-abortion folks. As if it’s just pushing a button for the rest of us. This combined with the fact that he was going to vote for John Roberts as SCOTUS chief justice until a member of his campaign staff talked him out of it, and his frequent statements that he thinks we have to listen to Republicans too (as if we’ve done nothing else for 20 years, and look where it’s landed us) have tipped the scales for me. Neither of them are feminists, but it seems more likely at this point that somewhat who’s had to fight her way past unspeakable misogyny and Republican assault will have the eggs to, as Jana puts it, not be an appeaser during a period of desperate clean-up and restoration of balance.
However, I will vote for WHOEVER is the Dem candidate. And I’ll continue to not fucking tolerate the racism aimed at Barack, coming out from under wraps now (i.e., “boy”).
On quite another note — I just cringe when I see Toni with Gloria. Settling, is what I think.
I too love the Mac/PC reference, but I’m afraid we can’t give Alison credit for it. It’s been out there for a while — I read an article about the comparison in the NY Times in February. Brilliant to put it in Raffi and Stella’s mouths, though, right?
The Mac/PC analogy as a predictor breaks down with me: I’m 100% Mac at work and at home, but I voted for Hillary.
(I must admit, however, that her behavior in the wake of “Bitter-Gate” is really turning me off.)
Hail Eris!
And whom would be the “appeased” one? Not Iran, surely. North Korea? Possibly, but Bush has been doing plenty of arse-licking there (they have *actual* nukes, so provoking them could be, y’know, genuinely costly). No, as I see it, the US itself has turned into the world’s bully-boy needing appeasement — primarily, it’s just the US government, but all the people down there just talking about what needs to be done, as though it doesn’t have to become a matter of civil war, help make everyone else a part of it by implication. After all, the Shrub himself, IIRC, said that the people of Iraq were supposed to oust their own tyrant, but they didn’t, so he had to do it. Well, the Shrub isn’t your real tyrant, he’s the figurehead — the real tyrant(s) took over decades ago, but now they’re being more open about it.
Don’t imagine that your next president is going to be different in any substantial form. Different name, different face, same real boss giving the president orders. You can still change it, though, but not without bloodshed. The clock’s ticking on that, mind you…
Snarky
There’s snarky, and then there’s creepy.
When Pope Snarky writes a change in American leadership cannot be accomplished “without bloodshed” I want to know just who he thinks is going to have to die?
Maybe His Holiness is visiting the wrong comic strip…hey, are you looking for Hothead Paisan?
What I’m wondering is whether Clarice is starting to drink too much. Even if her poison is rhubarb wine! Poor woman, she’s under a lot of stress.
Pope Snarky: The appeased one are the Republicans. I thought that was obvious.
If the Obama REALLY thinks he can sit down and be all bipartisan and talk with the Repubs, he has not been paying attention for the past thirty years. And if he has not been paying attention for the past thirty years, he doesn’t have the chops for the job.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith Will Cuppy: Attila the Hun was an awful pest, but there are plenty of others. You mustn’t blame him for all your troubles because most of them are your own fault and the sooner you realize it the better.
This campaign has just gone on for so long , that I’m sick of ALL the candidates: if I never heard from any of them again it would be too soon.
Right now, I’m worried about Mo. Something tells me this is more than a yeast infection…
(Oh, and Toni and Gloria? Feh.)
Yeah. Um, sorry to be a downer, but for various reasons this household contains no fewer than eight Macintosh computers (G5 MDD, a Cube, a freestanding G4, a quad processor MacPro, a G4 MacBook, two MBPs – 15″ and 17″ – and a G4 IBook); no fewer than thirteen IPods (two 3rd generations, four Shuffles, three Nanos, three video IPods); and two IPhones. Both of us worked hard for Hillary in a swing state that’s voted for the winner in every Presidential election for forty years, and one she won on Super Tuesday by double digits.
I’m really upset over what I see as disenfranchisement. I understand why other people think it’s OK to deal out Florida and Michigan, but it’s just something I feel strongly about. In Florida in particular, the primary date was set by Republicans who have now disenfranchised us with our full participation. I can’t believe so few people who ought to know better are seeing this for what it is – just another divide and conquer tactic by the GOP.
That said, I spell all this out at the risk of starting the same ugliness that’s currently all over many other left-leaning websites, because I think it’s important for some to realize this issue isn’t going to simply go away. I think we’re going to have a real, and a long-lasting, rift in this party if there isn’t some resolution of this issue. What are we going to do when one of the major parties starts telling folks in various states they can’t support candidates in a general election due to technicalities? This is people’s *right* to vote we’re talking about, not their privilege.
I’m going to wait and see how control of Congress is looking. The only way I’ll vote for Obama is if it looks like the Dems could lose the Senate. Otherwise I’m writing in Hillary, whether she’s the nominee or not.
For Deborah and other women:
A PAP smear does not test or detect ovarian cancer, it tests for cervical cancer. Both are curable if caught early. For ovarian cancer, it can be 90% curable if caught in early stages. Unfortunately most cases are diagnosed at stage 3 or 4, when the cure rate drops considerably.
There is currently no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer, though the folks at Yale are making good progress on a 6-protein panel. A CA125 protein marker test can be one part of screening for ovarian cancer, but the number can be elevated by several conditions (ie endometriosis, pregnancy, pelvic inflammation).
Warning signs of ovarian cancer:
• Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling, bloating and/or feeling of fullness
• Pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort
• Vague but persistent gastrointestinal upsets such as gas, nausea, and indigestion
• Frequency and/or urgency of urination in the absence of an infection
• Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
• Ongoing unusual fatigue
• Unexplained changes in bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea, narrow stools)
• Painful intercourse
• Other symptoms may include abnormal vaginal bleeding; unexplained weight loss or gain; shortness of breath; or low back pain.
If symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks, consult a physician, gynecologist or a gynecological oncologist.
Insist that they rule out cancer before diagnosing you with a GI problem (irritable bowel syndrome) or another gynecological issue (PMS, endometriosis). Also, just because you’re pre-menopausal doesn’t mean you can’t get it. Lots of docs won’t even think of this for women under 50, but I was 42 when I was diagnosed, and I know of women diagnosed in their 20s and 30s.
More info:
http://www.ovarian.org
http://www.ovariancancer.org
http://www.wcn.org
– ovarian cancer survivor, 4yrs and still here
“Electing our first African-American President would do just as much to end the patriarchy as electing our first female President.”
Right as usual, Maggie. It would do absolutely nothing, either way.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith JcH: There’s no worse cynic than a spoiled idealist.
Oooh, cool! Looks like I get to be the first entry in the “Spot the Obscure Inconsistency/Detail in the Strip” sweepstakes!
In Panel #1 (or #3) where “Antiwar Activits Get Bellicose,” Lois’ forelock goes to the left, and her (afterlock? Alfalfa lock?) goes to the right. In the last panel (#8/#10, counting Syd ‘n Madeleine as being different panels), the forelock goes to the right.
What’d I win?! 🙂
Sorry, that should have been, “Antiwar Activists Grow Bellicose.”
Saith MikeSTL: I’m in a no-lose situation, Obama or Hillary. Come November, I’m voting Democratic. *shrugs* I voted Obama in the MO primary, b/c the papers were full of the “Hillary Juggernaut,” and I don’t do coronations. But in the general election, I can vote for a white woman as easily and as joyfully as I can for a black man.
Regarding Mo: I too voted for Nader and LaDuke in 2000,and I’m not ashamed to say so. In ’04 I held my nose and chose Kerry. For ’08,I would prefer U.S.Rep Cynthia McKinney (Green Party),or Barbara Lee,if she were running.But since so much is at stake,I’ll vote for whomever the Dems nominate,and continue doing the very important local and internat’l political work.
I for one am inspired by the many positive changes happening in Latin America: Oaxaca,Mexico,Chile,Venezuela,Cuba,Brazil, etc.
Even as a Brit, I’m pretty sick of this Democrat race. This strip to me sums up perfectly what I think is a pretty sorry situation: the Democrats squabbling amongst themselves while McCain gets his troops behind him and strengthens his chances of sailing to victory in November.
As for Mo’s yeast infection, maybe she has undiagnosed diabetes ?
Well I am certainly surprised by Mo’s defending Hillary.
After 8 years of Mo ranting about domestic spying, torture in Gitmo, secret trials, and at least 90,000 Iraqi civilians killed, you would think she would hold a grudge against Hillary Clinton for two small votes:
S.J. Res. 45, A Resolution to Authorize the Use of
United States Armed Forces Against Iraq & HR 3162, USA Patriot Act of 2001.
These two acts have done more to alter and influence the tone of this strip more than any others. All the comments by characters bemoaning the Democrats caving in at any saber-rattling by Bush were with Hillary right at the forefront. Since there is such a minute difference between Obama and Hillary in terms of legislation (100% ratings from NARAL, 100% from Human Rights Campaign) it just seems surprising that Mo would stick up for her, aside from the fact that they similar spouses. (Hmmmm)
Plus, in Obama’s favor: “To the cheers of thousands of librarians, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday called for the Senate to rewrite the USA Patriot Act to prevent investigators from scanning library records and bookstore sales slips.”
“I just cringe when I see Toni with Gloria. Settling, is what I think.”
Please excuse me for being simplistic since I know that there can be a great many factors in a breakup, please don’t get me wrong on that, but:
I thought that Toni refusing to give up Gloria was what broke up Toni and Clarice in the first place? That would mean Toni has chosen to be with Gloria rather than to be with Clarice, so “settling” really doesn’t enter into it (unless it’s on Gloria’s part; we’ve seen almost nothing about her [ex-]relationship with Anna).
If that’s not it, then as far as I can tell, the breakup is because Clarice refuses to forgive Toni, which seems inconsistent with her being depicted in a more-or-less sympathetic light.
I’m not sure I’d call it outright hypocritical for Clarice to not forgive Toni when Toni forgave Clarice, because Clarice’s one-night stand with Ginger was TWENTY FRICKIN’ YEARS AGO and the relationship has been solidified time and again since then—they’ve had a commitment ceremony, a domestic union, and a city hall marriage, plus a CHILD—so the situations aren’t 100% analogous, but still, I’d find it odd if that’s was what was going on here.
But what the heck do I know, right? 😉
Loved the gyno appointment! We’ve never seen that in the strip before, and I had to laugh at the political chit-chat during the proceedings.
Am I the only one who thinks that Mo’s “yeast infection” is probably just another a yeast infection? I read it in the same way as if the exchange took place between Mo and an accountant and ended with “I need to go look at this but I think you’re going to owe again this year”.
Markmaker – hear, hear! I’m nauseated by the Dem infighting (but personally would prefer to have Hillary elected).
I can see the website now – http://www.hairballofhope.org
As a Linux user for over 10 years now (I was using it when Red Hat was just beginnig), yep, along with being a softball coach and math teacher, I’m a computer geek…you guys didn’t see that coming, did you 🙂 I have to say Nader must be Linux. I voted for him in 2000. He would make a great president. I will vote for Hillary or Obama this time around, but my guess is neither one of them could have ftp’d back when there was no pointing and clicking to be done, but actually typing of file names!
I’d love to try Linux. I’ll need a different PC as I don’t want to and cannot hose XP-too much baggage there! ; )
Maybe Hil is more of a DOS-esque type of gal-not really sure at this point. Or McCain is DOS, Hillary is Windows 1.0 (interface to DOS only).
Hey, this is kind of fun! It’s better than the interparty bickering. : D
Michelle B., “Well I am certainly surprised by Mo’s defending Hillary.”
Why? If someone said something false about HRC, then I’d defend her too. If someone says something false about Obama, I’ll defend him too. But I don’t want to vote for either of them; I’ll either write in Nader or not vote for President at all. This isn’t just a matter of which side you’re on. You can’t have useful political discussion if you’re just knee-jerking all over the place. I don’t see that Mo has been shown actually *endorsing* Hillary yet.
Lisa: You actually don’t need a different PC…you can just partition your hard drive and then choose which operating system you want to use when you start the computer up. I actually have XP also, and a small partition with DOS, so that I can send files back and forth if need be. Yep, I’m a geek.
Someone said that if Obama were a woman this hope stuff would have been laughed at and dismissed. But if Clinton were a man she’d be Nixon. I prefer Obama’s Mother to Clinton’s father.
I have two words for Stewart: Margaret Thatcher
Why does Stuart hate J.R.’s singing so much?
I think it’s not THAT she’s singing, but WHAT she’s singing…I’M sure Stew would rather have her singing some little ditty about Ralph Nader. Or maybe,”It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green…”
@MikeSTL: Like the rest of Lois, her forelock swings both ways.
**snark**
Oh the scene with Mo and her legs in stirrups gives me the shivers. Urk.
Maggie J., I think Zorah Neale Hurston would disagree with you about electing a Black man president doing just as much to dismantle the patriarchy as electing a female president (see her very public arguments with Richard Wright). I think Jezzana, in her long-ago comments about the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill case, would argue the same.
I, too, took the gyn visit to be somewhat foreboding….
(but diabetes? doubtful on such a string bean physique, unless there’s a strong family history we don’t know about)
shadocat, I know that Nader is the He-Demon on whom all things can be blamed by Democrats, but Stu is not a Nader supporter. He supports Hillary, didn’t you notice?
I recall that something like this came up when Alison posted the panel showing the Obama and Clinton signs in the roommates’ front yard — didn’t someone speculate then, too, that Stuart would be a Nader supporter?
Gee, I can’t wait to vote for Nader this November…
Also, wouldn’t Mo know if she had a yeast infexn? I mean, jeezum crow (to quote a much beloved author), it’s not usually something that’s dormant.
Sometimes string beans get diabetes, too. And the gyno could’ve caught whatever it is Mo has early; or maybe Mo already suspected she had something going on and wanted to check it out…
Oh and you’re right Duncan, I forgot Stu was for Hillary. He just seems like he would be a natural for Nader, so I guess I was relating to that.
What song could J.R. sing for Hillary? 99 Bottles Of Beer On the Wall, maybe?
Clarice for the win.
/obama ’08
great episode and very jarring to float through the politicals and then hit the ‘wall’ with Mo’s well being … makes me think about the bigger perspective … the personal and the universal …. the earth is giving us many more nudges and pokes than any political voice/group/party these days…. after decades of environmental abuse ‘she’ may well be the one who dismantles the patriarchy …
just a thought…
i haven’t done the “which dtwof character are you most like” survey yet, but i have a hunch it’ll be stuart…oddly. i fully believe that we need a woman in the white house, not because what clinton will specifically do in the next four years, but because it will have a profound and critical influence on our collective framework for what is possible. it’ll empower girls and it’ll show boys that girls can be equals and even leaders. and ultimately, i believe that a world where girls are empowered will inevitably be a world where race relations improve substantially. people keep throwing out the margaret thatcher response to this argument but in the end who really knows what the big picture tally sheet was from her tenure, and other non-lefty people like condy rice… that is to say, maybe she was bad but maybe subconsciously her role modeling was an important step towards gender equality. anyway, well done alison, on so artfully giving voice to this complex issue.
AlexK: LOL to Lois and her hair swinging both ways! I wonder if that’ll be Sydney’s next book: “Hair as Metaphor!”
Lois’s hair seems to swing to accommodate speech balloons. I wish mine were as gracious.
If Mo is getting frequent yeast infections she might have diabetes.
Hmmmm.
Bravo/a D.W! I agree! Obama is my candidate of choice!!
But back to the strip….I think that Mo should totally get a (not very bad, easy to cure, not life-threatening) STD and then be forced to evaluate her life—as she did in the 1980’s when she took time to “re-evaluate [her] priorities”! She could wonder about her job, her relationship with a selfish, cheating, arrogant academic and decide what she wants to change. It would be totally fun to see what Sydney would do if she wasn’t able to count on Mo being there, although I guess we got a glimpse of it when Mo flirted with Fiona in library school. When is Clarice going to move out? Does she stay to be closer to Jasmine?
Super strip!
I live in Georgia–no idea WHY, though–and I’m starting to get a little nervous. Already I am seeing good ol’ boys revving the engines of their enormous pick-’em-up trucks in front of me at stoplights…and from where I sit, where their bumpers are level with the windshield of my tiny Honda, I can see them–big black McCain 08 stickers, harpengers of doom.
harpengers of doom=evil granite angels who dive on you from the sky and smash you and your shiny hope flat, playing the harp all the way down. (the harp transfixes. the granite squishes) Aggggh.
I actually don’t understand all the angst about Hilary vs. Obama. Either would be good. Both have good points. Both have weaknesses. I’ll vote for either one. What’s the big to-do?
BTW, I voted for Nader…twice.
I still think it’s doubtful that Mo has diabetes (despite being educated to the contrary; I did say doubtful, Shado, not impossible).
More and more adults over age 30-40 are getting Type II diabetes, but it tends to (note – this is a qualifier – I am not saying always) afflict those who are overweight and inactive, and/or of African-American or Native American descent.
Like many in the strip, Mo is very thin and seems to be active, and it just seems unlikely to me that she has diabetes (speaking as a Type 1 diabetic). But we can never know what may befall a friend, even a belove comic superstar like Mo.
I like Jessica’s hypothetical plotline – Mo gets an STD due to Syd’s tryst with Madeleine! Anyway, I hope it’s not “we found some some abnormal cervical cells, let’s check again in a month.” Countless women go through this anxiety – ugh.
ps I don’t get the re/nt of the title to the episode – what am I missing?
ready2agitate:
rent–noun–1. an opening made by rending or tearing; slit; fissure. 2. a breach of relations; schism.
I had a wonderful English teacher in high school who made us memorize the definitions of five new words a week. That definition of “rent” was one of them.
What, no bites on Chamberlain? I’m disappointed too.
April– The first couple of times I used the Chamberlain comment on a blog I got no response at all. Since then I have been tossing it around on blogs and in person, and only two or three people have been properly outraged. Essentially I’m using it as a history test, which is showing poor results. To be fair, I don’t think Hillary supporters would do much better, except to the extent that more of us are older.
For us Baby Boomers, World War II was an immediate part of our political background, even though we didn’t live through it ourselves. Whenever “grown-ups” talked or wrote about politics, WWII was the context. People younger than us have to learn about it as history, from books, and far too many people of all ages labor under the delusion that history is boring. Personally, I think history is a lot more exciting than anything anyone could ever make up. See the threads on either side of us for all the interest in historic photos.
Jana C,H,
Seattle
Saith Winston Churchill: The power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious, and the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist
Oh, I thought that was “rend” (as in to rend a garment) — never heard of rent (n.) (she admits sheepishly in front of the whole ultra-literate D2WO4 blogosphere).
If your boat has enough leighway, do you think it will drift out of the path of plummeting harpengers which threaten to leave your vessel rent in two?
JcH
Re Lois’s hair: for lots of people with straight hair and bangs, the bangs can flop around, be pushed from one side to another, etc. without looking bad or needing a different haircut. (It’s a different story for the curly haired among us…)
It’s a fantastic strip all around. I wonder if Alison is working out her feelings about the candidates through the comic?
I was listening to the debate on the radio today and even though I do prefer Obama, I gotta say I really like Clinton’s voice – it has such a nice timbre, and she always sounds smart.
I just think she’s too beholden to big business/special interests/etc., and I think that it’s important to note that the dems of the past 8 years – the Clinton dems, that is – might not have authored all of the Bush administration’s grievous legislation and war, but they sure didn’t do anything to stop it.
Thank you, Alison, for DTWOF!
Love, J.
April, you’re brave AND you’re not wrong. Here’s the Dictionary.com definition of “rend”, to compare to “rent” above:
1. To tear or split apart or into pieces violently. See Synonyms at tear1.
2. To tear (one’s garments or hair) in anguish or rage.
3. To tear away forcibly; wrest.
4. To pull, split, or divide as if by tearing: “Chip was rent between the impulse to laugh wildly and a bitterness that threatened hot tears” Louis Auchincloss.
5. To pierce or disturb with sound: a scream rent the silence.
6. To cause pain or distress to: tales that rend the heart.
v.intr.
To become torn or split; come apart.
Its origins are Middle English renden, from Old English rendan. Rent (as used above) is a past participle of rend. And no, I didn’t know all this before I went to look it up.
P.S. My favorite gynecologist of all time, Diana Weihs, an old lefty here in Austin, won my heart when during my first visit, she read my intake form and roared at my answer to “Form of Birth Control: Lesbianism.” She insisted it get entered on the chart that way. During that initial pelvic, while I was stirruped up and she was “in position”, she looked up at me and said “Could you possibly explain Log Cabin Republicans to me so it makes any sense? I mean, what is WRONG with those people?”
I can see the storyline now. Mo gets a STD (genital wart) because of Syd’s tryst with Madeline. Cervical cancer is the
diagnosis, leading to cervial precancer and a cervical conization. Then she has to have a hysterectomy and suddenly
gets the urge for children.
Did you know that most hysterectomies done thorough the abdomen cut through the nerves leading to the clitoris?
good thing nerve cells do grow back. But two orgasms in six years is getting a little tired. At least my partner keeps trying!
Waaaaaaaaa! Sympathies, Susan. I only hope you knew ahead of time… So sorry. And thanks for spreading the word on that. ((((hug))))
@Susan D, @ready2agitate: My neighbour, gone into the fogs of dementia now and moved five years since to her daughter’s in Arizona for endcare (yes, I miss her), said to me years ago that what she resented most about the under-information that she had received before her hysterectomy was not a lack of warning about loss of clitoral sensation. That went for a little while, then came back, she told me, and it was just fine. Instead, it was that no one had let her know that she would fail to experience uterine contraction as part of orgasm. She missed that dreadfully. “But my gyno was a man, of course,” she said with a bit of regret in her voice, “and he may not have known. And I needed my uterus out. Still, it was a shock.”
Alison, is this an endorsement of Hillary Clinton? Would Mo really not know that Hillary Clinton no longer supports “All she tried to do for healthcare” in the 90’s?
“I can see the storyline now. Mo gets a STD (genital wart) because of Syd’s tryst with Madeline. Cervical cancer is the diagnosis, leading to cervial precancer and a cervical conization. Then she has to have a hysterectomy and suddenly gets the urge for children.”
Way back when Mo was bonding with her infant niece, I thought possibly a storyline would develop where Mo wanted to have a baby but Sydney would only agree if she (Mo) tried to be open to polyamory (which Sydney was more actively pushing for at the time), two developments that, ironically, would (based on general expectations of how these things turn out; I know that there are always exceptions) move the couple closer (parenthood) and further apart (dating other people) at the same time.
The new notion is a way grimmer scenario, of course.
I just hope the storyline doesn’t go down Batuik Street.
Last year’s FW cancer storyline was enough for at least a decade.
Damn. Leeway* Harbinger*
I just like it when Clarice is being her bad old self. And JR is going to need all the support she can get as she tries to liberate herself from her overbearing daddy. And if Stuart wants to raise his daughter strictly according to his own standards, what the hell is he doing in a group house? And anyway, somebody has already done much worse; namely the bête blanche of the strip, the vessel of cyn herself, who encouraged JR to chop up her dad’s petitions into paper snowflakes. That destroyed something Stuart had worked hard on, however hopeless the goal might have been. That’s much worse than teaching JR a song.
Anyway, I like it when Clarice is being her bad old self. That’s when she’s at her best. Like when she explained the disgusting facts of (electoral college) life to Raffi. She needs to do more of that kind of thing.
My opinion of the remaining Democratic candidates is pretty well summed up by Lois. My feelings about the race as a whole are pretty well summed up by the look on Gloria’s face.
Well my husb refers to HRC as Nixon in a pantsuit. I also think that the first woman president is going to be Condi frickin’ Rice, and she’ll get there via McCain'[s veep and he kicks off after we bomb Tehran.
If we’re getting picky about words, it’s “harbinger,” meaning “herald.”
Uh, I think Nixon was actually Nixon in a pantsuit.
“And JR is going to need all the support she can get as she tries to liberate herself from her overbearing daddy.”
No word on Sparrow’s reaction to Stuart’s being “ready to get pregnant again” – another baby might mean a respite from 24-hr. Stuart for J.R.! Not that that’s a reason to procreate…
Another good reason for Stuart to get pregnant, from a story point of view: None of the kids in this strip have siblings. Siblings add complications— fighting, mutual support, rivalry, teasing, love. Decades of plot material!
My vote is for adoption, either a mixed-race baby from overseas or a “special needs” kid. Alison, of course, will surprise us all.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith Freya Stark: An unwilling horse, a dragging child, and a woman who insists on explaining her motives are the three most wearying objects in creation.
Hail Eris!
gatheringwater: Who will pay if you _don’t_ have a civil war? Everyone but the rich, I’m thinking. Because if you don’t, you’ll continue to get the same old “election-by-assassination (of the alternatives), by-selection, and by falsely discrediting the other guys” you’ve been getting for 45 years, if not more, and it will get worse (more blatant, more corrupt, and more humiliating). Mind you, first you should figure out who pulled off this masterful coup d’état in the first place, though that may well be beyond impossible already. Your country has more important things to do than taking over the world in the name of felling tyrants — expediting lunar colonisation being high on the list. Being at the mercy of oversized flying rocks isn’t really a fun idea, and we humans need to stop that sort of thing.
Snarky
Microsoft being a giant profit-driven company that abuses its market dominance and always gets a free ride from the US government “watchdogs” (but not from their counterparts at the European Union)…..McCain is a Windows PC down to the bone, just like W.
Drewvt: Yep. Which means, if Obama is a Mac, and Nader is Linux, then Hillary must be…DOS?
poor Lois needs a haircut. she’s so ambivalent.
DOS is still PC, my dear.
As far as Mac/PC goes… that must be with the older set. I use a PC because I like a computer that talks to me as if I’m a grown up–I’m for Obama because I like a candidate that does the same. (Jon Stewart put it best: “…a presidential candidate talked to Americans about race as though we were adults.”)
Nader is clearly Linux: cool and all, but not worth the hassle if you’ve got things to get done.
PC has dumbed itself down in recent years, of course; my comment was much truer under 98 than XP, and under XP than Vista. Maybe in that way PC is a good analogy for Hillary: we used to like her a lot better, on the other hand, the old version didn’t actually WORK.
Seriously, though, how does anyone use a computer without context menus?
Pope Snarky Goodfella: Great thing that you said about the asteroid problem and space travel: I’ve been saying the same thing for years and years! People need to get over the cynical bullshit that they have about the space program, and try to get our leaders asses cracking on getting our collective asses into space and on to the Moon.
As for Clintbama: Both are full of shit, I’d rather vote for Ralph Nader and any other third-party candidate.
And Raffi needs to get it on with the blond chick.
I can’t believe that anyone would believe that electing Hillary would be a step towards “dismantling the patriarchy”. The only thing that separates her from the good old boy network is her gender – in every other way, her views are really not that different from theirs.
Vote for Ralph Nadir? He’s just as full of shit as Obama and Clinton. Frankly, I don’t see any candidate any where who isn’t pushing a personal agenda that shows that they have forgotten that their job is to serve the people and not the other way around.
Pope, let’s not confuse revolution with civil war. And don’t think for a second that any violent conflict (including a revolutionary one) harms anybody but the underclass first. The idea that violence is a good idea because a lack of it doesn’t do enough harm to the rich is, well, a fallacy.
Ah,but could Clinton help the petriarchy? (Thanx to ginjoint for that word.)
I agree that Hillary and Barack are equally supporters of the status quo, in the pockets of the elite, and definitely hawks. They are a step forward but not progressives, not by any real definition of the word.
My point about electing either of them being equally valuable toward dismanting the patriarchy was NOT that electing them is the best way to do that — only that fighting white supremacy is just as crucial as fighting woman-hating. I don’t believe in a “primary oppression” and I think choosing between struggles on a political level is playing right into the hands of the patriarchy. (Of course, we all individually have to do the best we can, given our resources.)
With regard to the petriarchy — I’ve heard NO candidate mention a veterinary care plan, affording or otherwise. None of those pet strollers had armor plating for warfare zones, and the issue of forced sterilization for kitties has not appeared in any debate. You can draw your own conclusions.
Hail Eris!
Oh, violence isn’t ever really a good idea — but the time in which you could have settled matters without resorting to violence passed by a long time ago. Now, as it is, any amount of violence may not be enough to topple your tyrants, if only because they’re so well-hidden. But not trying will allow them to further consolidate their power. However, OTOH, you can always hope that they know WTF they’re doing, and are competent to steer humanity into space, instead of into the dust. Rather large gamble, that.
Snarky
Hail Eris!
Nah, I can’t draw for toffee, Maggie. I prefer to let Alison do it.;-{P}
Snarky
lytefoot: DOS is everything…you can use it as a backup for any other system you want to run…so, yes, it is PC, but it is also UNIX, Linux (GNU), and Mac. It just isn’t very easy to manipulate with. You must not have seen Linux in some time. RedHat is not only icon based, but it also has parallel windows one can open to process several different needs at once. It is totally worth the hassle. Also, Mozilla is where Windows took the idea that when surfing the web it is often times handy to be able to click several different pages at a time without losing your original page. Linux is always 10 steps ahead of anything PC/Microsoft or Mac.
Isn’t it obvious? McCain is a Texas Instruments, in so many more ways than one!!!!!!
McCain == TI way!
Maybe Mo read the Gloria Stienem article. That was almost enough to make me jump the Obama ship, and I gather Mo is about 4 years older & slightly more old-school feminist than me.
PS thanks Kynthos for the ovarian cancer info — another thing I never knew ’til I read it here.
Hail Eris!
Me, I think you’re going to get four more years of blatant Republican corruption, and a quicker trip down the tubes than you would with Clinton or Obama. No way is McCain not completely owned, lock, stock, and barrel, right down to his shoes, by megacorps…
Snarky
smug as ever, Jana.
Hail Eris!
…So, do you actually *live* out in left field, Kate, or am I missing something in Jana’s posts? I just had a look at them, and I’m missing teh smug.
Snarky
If Mo does have symptoms of cervical cancer, I hope Sydney does not leave her the way she left her girlfriend Thea with her illness.
I’ve been registered Green party for years, but I want to vote for Hillary. Can’t help it, feminism saved my life and I agree with Stuart.
Could someone explain how diabetes and yeast infections are related?
BTW: Macs do have context menus, lots of them. But is it really a choice between easy-to-use but you can’t really control what’s done (Mac) and might-be-usable when you find all the controls you need (PC)?
Does the TI reference mean that you have to input the numbers first and then decide which operation you want (thats what my first TI pocket calculator did)
Hail Eris!
I dunno, the Shrub’s controls still seem to be a mystery to anyone but Rove & Cheney…Hill & Bar, OTOH, seem more like Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, to me.;-{P}
Snarky
P.S. Though, considering the USA PATRIOT & “habeas corpus except when a street cop thinks some guy might be a terrorist or have anything at all to do with terrorism” viruses launched within the Rove XP and Rove Vista systems (carrying the metaphor perhaps ridiculously far), you might do well to run an fdisk on your country. Ahem.
I am gobsmacked at how many people didn’t get the last panel.
McCain is DOS.
ERROR PLEASE REBOOT
Dammit, I’m late. Sorry! That’s what I get for skipping ahead.
CJ – re diabetes and yeast infections, have a read here: http://www.monistat.com/InfectionsIncrease/DiabetesYI.jsp
HRC has a lovely “timbre” of a voice and you love listening to it ???!!!!! You are seriously messed up.Although I’ll vote for her if she’s nominated, her voice is the thing I’m least looking forward to, by far.
Hail Eris!
Um, to whom are you replying, just out of curiousity, Ms.Jojo?
Snarky
j.b.t. Says:
April 18th, 2008 at 12:29 am
………
It’s a fantastic strip all around. I wonder if Alison is working out her feelings about the candidates through the comic?
I was listening to the debate on the radio today and even though I do prefer Obama, I gotta say I really like Clinton’s voice – it has such a nice timbre, and she always sounds smart.
*****
OK, there you go. Yeah, she may sound smart, but it certainly doesn’t sound nice.
Hail Eris!
Thanks, I looked all up and down this page for that, and no luck until you quoted it…
Snarky
I thought I should tell you dear Alison that you have an avid fan in Greece. I stumbled upon your work on-line and have started to collect “dykes” ever since. You’re a talanted cartoonist and a gifted writer. Congratulations and keep’ em coming man.
Love it!
This is one of my favorite recent strips.
I am all about Obama. He’s the first candidate in my 41 years who feels like a real person to me. I too am a 40-something Black Ivy League grad, except that I have two advanced degrees to his one. We are NOT part of the elite or part of the ruling class. We are outsiders whose education has given us the tools to access and make change within the institutions that insiders have kept closed to us and to other Americans who are not rich, white, and Male (and straight or closeted).
Another super-wealthy relative of a former president (in this case, his wife) does not represent the paradigm shift that I need to see to really get excited about a candidate. I feel like those young people who are finally, in Obama, finding a candidate who they can be truly enthusiastic about.
Those young folks see these candidates in ways that resonate with me. Hillary may be a woman, but nothing she has done indicates to me that she will reject the agenda of the patriarchy.
Neither candidate would do everything I would like a candidate to do, but that’s okay. Obama is supersmart and so is Hillary; but his understanding of race and power in this country makes me feel visible. He makes me feel like there will finally be a president for whom my humanity as a non-white person will actually matter.
Well she did it, she cheated. I still can\’t believe it.