We've Seen The Future, And It's NSFW

[DjinnFor]

You need this I think. Bloody people get so hung up over the "rules" of language. You do realize they are made up as we go right?

You do realize that flouting established norms of communication for shits and giggles will guarantee that you fail to actually communicate with people? It's like trying to shop for groceries at a hardware store; you aren't going to get what you want.

Just because it's made up as you go along doesn't mean people can't demand a little sense and consistency.

Who really cares if someone wants to do that? Or, more to the point, why do you care?

Because in the hypothetical under discussion, this individual is making demands of other people. So, as to "who really cares", I would imagine the answer is "everyone who ever talks to this person".

A classic example. That you can find on multiple web pages. Attributed to multiple people.

It may not be satire per se, but it looks from every appearance like it's not sincere.

Well if you're looking for examples, you'll find plenty of them in this youtube series [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR8ADuqrGx8].

Finally. Someone had the guts to stand up and say what needed to be said. I don't know where these people are getting the idea that JGC is making fun of Trans people, because they aren't the ones saying this stuff. It's the self-righteous, special snowflake, "I deserve to be entitled because WAAAAAAAAH!!!!" idiots that are doing all of this. The people who go onto Tumblr and make up or fake having a mental illness, or social problem, just for the attention.

For example: Nearly every time I go onto Tumblr, I never fail to see the overly aggressive LGBT people or Gender Fluids constantly harassing people. And hell, they even do this to their allies, saying that, "because you aren't like us, you can't support us, because you have no idea what it's like". They repeatedly attack people or shame people for being white male cis. And it confounds me. Why? Why would you treat people the way you've been treated? Especially the people that want to help you? And they say, "We have the right, because we've been treated like this, so we can do whatever we like". Meanwhile, they scream EQUALITY, and don't really mean it. Hell, they don't want equality. They want to be better. They think they're better.

Related to that, I find the surest way to spot entitled and privileged people are people who cry "check your privilege" or complain about entitlement.

People who have faced genuine discrimination or hardship in their life know that the world doesn't revolve around them and isn't going to change for them just because they demand it. They look inward and ask themselves how they can change the way they react and behave in order to improve the response from their environment, instead of expecting their environment to accommodate them.

 

[lacktheknack]

hello i am critical miss and today i am going to make fun of trans and intersex people

Point to where he did that.

Oh? He didn't?

Well.

Ridiculous pronouns doesn't mean intersex. As previously noted, it can also refer to attention whores referring to themselves as "ship".

 

[KisaiTenshi]

I for one believe in equal treatment for all humans, including comedic treatment. I'm sorry you feel differently.

Its not about "equal treatment", its about who, and more importantly why they're a target for comedic effect.

You can make fun of a transgender person. They're like anybody else. If you're making fun of them because they're transgender, however, you're a dick. You can very acceptably make a joke at the expense of war veteran with both physical and psychological scars. However, its not okay to make a joke about that veteran because of those physical or psychological scars. Its why most people were okay with all the jokes at John McCain's expense in the 2008 election until SNL did a sketch that mocked his inability to raise his arms - a handicap due to the fact that he was held and tortured as a POW for years.

I should've been more clear. Its not that nobody is off limits. Its that attacking people for certain reasons is the unacceptable behavior.

The problem with tumblr is the SJW phenomenon that taints the seriousness of using the reblog mechanism, which is why the entire pronoun and labeling nonsense exists. Transgender people just happen to be the most visible representation of everything that tumblr is criticized for. Narcissism runs unchecked on Tumblr. Everyone wants to be an oppressed snowflake so they can vent their slactivism in anger.

https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender

NAMES, PRONOUN USAGE & DESCRIPTIONS

-Always use a transgender person's chosen name.
-Whenever possible, ask transgender people which pronoun they would like you to use.
-If it is not possible to ask a transgender person which pronoun he or she prefers, use the pronoun that is consistent with the person's appearance and gender expression.

The recent Facebook and Tumblr changes enable the third point.

There's kinda three rules for making fun of something and not catching flack for it:
a) Everything is fair game. There are no sacred cows. (Including yourself)
b) Don't make the victim/victimization be the punchline
c) Look in a mirror. (eg, does this look bad coming from you? Think about who you is following/friends with you. Think about what law enforcement would think with only the context of your joke.)

If you live in 'merica then free speech is a free license to hurt people with words. It is never a joke to threaten someone, because that is you making someone a victim, even if you have no intention of carrying out the threat. "It's only a joke" is a cowards defense against taking responsibility for the consequences.

Unless someone presents you with a pronoun/label to use, you're pretty much stuck with using "they" or their name. If they want to treated as an extraterrestrial by picking confusing or unpronounceable pronouns then that's their own business. Don't expect anyone to take those pronouns seriously then. It will always be seen as being a dick to someone if you use a pronoun opposite from what they want. So the safest way is to just use "they", as it has no opposite.

 

[Branindain]

Don't forget the autistic genius. That one was actually really popular in the gaming community for a while. Seriously, like half of the people on gaming forums would claim to be autistic. It was terrible, and quite possibly marginalized actual autistic individuals. :\

Very true, though I'm never sure whether or not to include autism under the mental illness banner. Some autistic people I've spoken to have had no problem doing so, while others have been very much against it.

Regardless, you're right in that the behaviour is the same.

As someone who has Asperger's, while it can certainly be a huge hindrance to have it sometimes, I don't think "illness" is the right word for it because it isn't something you can catch, or treat, it's just a function of how your brain develops. It's who you are. Some other mental illnesses could be like that too I suppose, but illness just seems like a misnomer in that case.

 

[nyysjan]

On the third panel the guy says "I need that ************ to sign some insurance papers."
Why is he using a pronoun there?
The sentence structure does not work.
Just try replacing it with any other pronoun, it just sounds silly.

That's because ************ doesn't work as an actual pronoun in any proper sentence. Thus, characters who speak in complete sentences would need to use "that ************."

************ works perfectly well as a pronoun, the other character seems to have no problems using it as one.
And if the character saying "I need that ************ to sign some insurance papers." just dropped "that" out of the sentence, it would work just fine, whether or not ************ is a pronoun or not.

Ashley has no problem using it because he doesn't use it in a grammatically correct sentence. "************ is x" would only work if ************ is a proper name. The reason I use "that ************" as a pronoun phrase is because in the sentence, "I need X to X," it would sound more like a proper name than a pronoun.

But if we accept ************ as a pronoun (and if they don't, why use it?), then "************ is X", is grammatically correct just like "she is X" would be.

And while the second guy might be grammatically incorrect in his statement of "************ is X" if ************ is not a pronoun, it is still not an awkward statement, and works is conversational usage whether or not ************ is a pronoun or not, while the first guy is only not awkward if ************ is not a pronoun.

I think you're over analyzing the joke. Trying to use "************" as a pronoun is like trying to fit the square peg in the round hole. You -could- do it but it looks really awkward. It feels fundamentally wrong. The word is not meant to be used that way, and isn't built in such a way that is conducive to pronoun useage. Pronouns are short and snappy, while "************" is large and draws attention to itself. It's like if the one of the guys from Assassin's Creed replaced the dagger of his hidden blade with a full-sized claymore.

Yes, ************ is not, usually, a pronoun, and therefore not built like one.
But if you are going to use it as a pronoun, you should do it properly.

Also, Assassin's Creed with a claymore sounds awesome (it's not like he isn't already pulling all the attention with that getup).
Never played it though, so can't say how much the gameplay would improve (or not) with the addition of claymores (be it swords or mines).

************ works perfectly well as a pronoun, the other character seems to have no problems using it as one.
And if the character saying "I need that ************ to sign some insurance papers." just dropped "that" out of the sentence, it would work just fine, whether or not ************ is a pronoun or not.

Ashley has no problem using it because he doesn't use it in a grammatically correct sentence. "************ is x" would only work if ************ is a proper name. The reason I use "that ************" as a pronoun phrase is because in the sentence, "I need X to X," it would sound more like a proper name than a pronoun.

But if we accept ************ as a pronoun (and if they don't, why use it?), then "************ is X", is grammatically correct just like "she is X" would be.

And while the second guy might be grammatically incorrect in his statement of "************ is X" if ************ is not a pronoun, it is still not an awkward statement, and works is conversational usage whether or not ************ is a pronoun or not, while the first guy is only not awkward if ************ is not a pronoun.

On the third panel the guy says "I need that ************ to sign some insurance papers."
Why is he using a pronoun there?
The sentence structure does not work.
Just try replacing it with any other pronoun, it just sounds silly.

That's because the equivalent 'normal' word in this context, would be "woman".

"I need that woman to sign some insurance forms."

It makes grammatical sense, but it's a bit rude.


The proper word to use here would be "her", and get rid of the "that".

"I need her to sign some insurance forms."

But the problem with this is that there is no equivalent; as "her" is to "woman", no such equivalent word exists for "************" to be used in this context, hence the "that".

Now that's just silly, "woman" is not a pronoun.
And as 2nd panel established "************" as a pronoun, using "************" in place of "woman" is just silly.

As for over analyzing, well, you can't make much of a meal out of an animal not skinned.
So no, i am not over analyzing it, i am dissecting it for every last shred of humor it contains.

 

[PBMcNair]

Sorry, but I really don't understand why 'it' would not be okay, while 'they' is.

Basically, "they" is for people, and if memory serves, in some languages using the plural form is respectful.
"It" is for rocks, chairs and other inanimate objects. People generally don't like being objects.

Are you sure? I find that I and a lot of people use it when referring to people of unknown gender.

It's not rare to know someone who is having a baby and ask them when is IT due or is IT a boy or a girl?

Obviously, I can't speak for the planet, that's just how I've always seen things. You are right about babies though, I've never heard someone use they. Maybe that's because they would be reserved for twins ? I've just always found "it" to be impersonal at the best of times.

 

[Fsyco]

As for over analyzing, well, you can't make much of a meal out of an animal not skinned.
So no, i am not over analyzing it, i am dissecting it for every last shred of humor it contains.

Analyzing a joke is like dissecting a frog; nobody is really interested in the first place, and the thing is dead when you're done.

Don't forget the autistic genius. That one was actually really popular in the gaming community for a while. Seriously, like half of the people on gaming forums would claim to be autistic. It was terrible, and quite possibly marginalized actual autistic individuals. :\

Very true, though I'm never sure whether or not to include autism under the mental illness banner. Some autistic people I've spoken to have had no problem doing so, while others have been very much against it.

Regardless, you're right in that the behaviour is the same.

As someone who has Asperger's, while it can certainly be a huge hindrance to have it sometimes, I don't think "illness" is the right word for it because it isn't something you can catch, or treat, it's just a function of how your brain develops. It's who you are. Some other mental illnesses could be like that too I suppose, but illness just seems like a misnomer in that case.

Seconded. It doesn't feel like an illness, it just feels like the way you are. Personally, I don't like it being called an 'illness' because that makes people want to pity you. And pity and attention from strangers for me is like Mike Tyson on an angry bear suddenly showing up and claiming I owe him money.

 

[nyysjan]

As for over analyzing, well, you can't make much of a meal out of an animal not skinned.
So no, i am not over analyzing it, i am dissecting it for every last shred of humor it contains.

Analyzing a joke is like dissecting a frog; nobody is really interested in the first place, and the thing is dead when you're done.

Oddly, i find that the most amusement i get out of most jokes, comes from dissecting them.
Just like here, the strip itself was, somewhat amusing, but the discussion on the usage of the word ************ as a pronoun, has been lot more entertaining (and lasted longer).

 

[MaxwellMouse]

Way to make light of people who actually would need that feature on tumblr. Those pronouns are not just made up and they actually define people and having them is inclusive. You trivializing that is way uncool.

 

[Megalodon]

Listen, guys, I'm sure it's all meant in good fun and you're mostly targeting the people who do ridiculous stuff, but you're lumping the assholes and lunatics in with actual transgender people. Even if you've decided to just assume that tumblr is full of nonsense, you should at least appreciate that you're punching down.

We like to think we punch in every direction. Like a starfish.

A starfish made of fists.

While the comic itself was funny, this comment made me laugh just as hard. Well done sir.

 

[scienceguy8]

Hey, guys who think this is insensitive to transgender people? Could I point out something?

Erin has taken to calling herself a motherfu*er. In the last panel, she is seen as acting like a complete, bada55 motherfu*er.

If someone I knew as biologically male called himself female, I'd see her as a women from then on out, much like how now that Erin has called herself a motherfu*er, we see her as a motherfu*er. The comic is not making fun of the power of the pronoun. If anything, it is showing off its awesome power to transform how we look at others, and taking it to its penultimate, pyrotechnic-fueled point. The comic is not making fun of transgender people, but rather pointing out how a simple word use changes the way we see people and how that could make transgender people feel more comfortable in their own skin. At least, that is what I got out of this comic, along with a couple hearty chuckles.

I'm afraid I have yet to read the tread it its entirety, but if someone, especially a transgender person has made a compelling counter argument, then I apologize preemptively for being wrong.

 

[Nyaliva]

I so wish that this was acceptable. It could work so well in a close-nit office scenario.

 

[Eamar]

As someone who has Asperger's, while it can certainly be a huge hindrance to have it sometimes, I don't think "illness" is the right word for it because it isn't something you can catch, or treat, it's just a function of how your brain develops. It's who you are. Some other mental illnesses could be like that too I suppose, but illness just seems like a misnomer in that case.

I think the treatment part is probably key. While you can't "catch" or "cure" bipolar or schizophrenia, there are medications available that can help manage them. They may not always work, but that's also true of cancer.

Some quick research reveals that the medically correct umbrella term for is "neurodevelopmental disorder", which makes much more sense than "mental illness."

 

[ForumSafari]

So you're saying transgender people deserve to be mocked, on the basis of them being transgender, then? Because its pretty obvious that this is the main target of the strip.

It's not taking the piss out of transgender people, it's taking the piss out of people that are so arrogant that they think they can make up any pronouns they want and force everyone to use them. That is not how language works and this is not how taxonomy works. It's childish attention seeking propped up by a dangerous culture of reinforcement that will back up anything.

Protip: Most of the people on Tumblr aren't really afflicted with the conditions they say they are.
Protip 2: You are not required to agree with every myopic, idiotic and masturbatory idea floated under a banner you agree with.
Protip 3: Some transgender people do deserve ridicule. This is not because they are transgender. This is because they are ridiculous.

 

[Branindain]

As someone who has Asperger's, while it can certainly be a huge hindrance to have it sometimes, I don't think "illness" is the right word for it because it isn't something you can catch, or treat, it's just a function of how your brain develops. It's who you are. Some other mental illnesses could be like that too I suppose, but illness just seems like a misnomer in that case.

I think the treatment part is probably key. While you can't "catch" or "cure" bipolar or schizophrenia, there are medications available that can help manage them. They may not always work, but that's also true of cancer.

Some quick research reveals that the medically correct umbrella term for is "neurodevelopmental disorder", which makes much more sense than "mental illness."

Yeah, neurodevelopmental disorder sounds like a much more accurate term. I have to roll my eyes when I find parents of autistic children online who are on the "quest for the cure", clearly they don't properly understand their child's condition yet and they're in for some disappointment, but I know they ain't gonna want to hear it from me.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

... i dont want to see what kind of toys McDick puts on their happy meals

 

[nyysjan]

And this would all be a utter non issue, if you silly people had used gender neutral pronouns to begin with.

 

[Olas]

Language is a democratic proccess, really. It's alive and changes as people use it. These people changing pronouns, however, can't decide on what to use instead. They can all agree on what not to use, but not what to use in it's place, and that's the real issue. Maybe we do need a new set of gender neutral pronouns (although I don't see why we can't just use 'it' >.>; but nobody can agree on what that new set actually should be.

'it' sounds incredibly dehumanizing to me. Even animals[footnote]Non-human animals before anyone gets snarky.[/footnote], if they've been domesticated, are rarely referred to as 'it'. I'm all for a gender neutral pronoun if it makes things less complicated and saves us from accidentally offending anyone, but not one that's already used for referencing objects.

Listen, guys, I'm sure it's all meant in good fun and you're mostly targeting the people who do ridiculous stuff, but you're lumping the assholes and lunatics in with actual transgender people. Even if you've decided to just assume that tumblr is full of nonsense, you should at least appreciate that you're punching down.

How are they lumping transgendered people into any groups when transgendered people aren't even specifically mentioned?

If anyone is belittling transgendered people I'd say it's probably the people this comic is actually poking fun at: the ones who are taking advantage of the trans community's legitimate attempts to expand the shallow pool of accepted pronouns and making it seem like a mad-house by including things that are clearly just made up and without any real basis.

 

[LetalisK]

hello i am critical miss and today i am going to make fun of trans and intersex people

Someone makes fun of ridiculous pronouns and you automatically jump to thinking they're talking about trans and intersex people? Wow. That says more about you than anything else.

 

[Olas]

On the third panel the guy says "I need that ************ to sign some insurance papers."
Why is he using a pronoun there?
The sentence structure does not work.
Just try replacing it with any other pronoun, it just sounds silly.

That's because ************ doesn't work as an actual pronoun in any proper sentence. Thus, characters who speak in complete sentences would need to use "that ************."

************ works perfectly well as a pronoun, the other character seems to have no problems using it as one.
And if the character saying "I need that ************ to sign some insurance papers." just dropped "that" out of the sentence, it would work just fine, whether or not ************ is a pronoun or not.

Ashley has no problem using it because he doesn't use it in a grammatically correct sentence. "************ is x" would only work if ************ is a proper name. The reason I use "that ************" as a pronoun phrase is because in the sentence, "I need X to X," it would sound more like a proper name than a pronoun.

But if we accept ************ as a pronoun (and if they don't, why use it?), then "************ is X", is grammatically correct just like "she is X" would be.

And while the second guy might be grammatically incorrect in his statement of "************ is X" if ************ is not a pronoun, it is still not an awkward statement, and works is conversational usage whether or not ************ is a pronoun or not, while the first guy is only not awkward if ************ is not a pronoun.

I think you're over analyzing the joke. Trying to use "************" as a pronoun is like trying to fit the square peg in the round hole. You -could- do it but it looks really awkward. It feels fundamentally wrong. The word is not meant to be used that way, and isn't built in such a way that is conducive to pronoun useage. Pronouns are short and snappy, while "************" is large and draws attention to itself. It's like if the one of the guys from Assassin's Creed replaced the dagger of his hidden blade with a full-sized claymore.

Yes, ************ is not, usually, a pronoun, and therefore not built like one.
But if you are going to use it as a pronoun, you should do it properly.

Unless you're making a web-comic that's intended to be funny, in which case it would be detrimental for a character to say something that sounds awkward and confusing for the typical reader. Sure after rereading it a second time and thinking about it second time they might get it, but you know what they say about dissecting a joke.

If it makes you feel better maybe he was just referring to Erin as a ************ irrespective of her preferred pronoun.