this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2024
831 points (98.1% liked)

Comic Strips

12437 readers
3204 users here now

Comic Strips is a community for those who love comic stories.

The rules are simple:

Web of links

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 39 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 131 points 10 months ago (2 children)

The alt-text panel hints at this, but the problem with making up a fake group everyone can hate is that racists and bigots will stretch the definition to include whatever they want.

We've seen it with "antisemitism" being redefined to include any criticism of Israel, and before that "pedophilia" being redefined to include drag queens and parents supporting their trans children. For that reason, hatred like this should not be encouraged, even if it's imaginary.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 10 months ago (1 children)

My interpretation of it was that it was satire and not proposing the creation of a fake group. In short, I perceived it as being in agreement with everything you said.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

You're right of course about this being satire. My fear though is that things like this can fall out of the author's control very quickly, much like Pepe the Frog, and I really don't want gratch to be a catchall dog whistle.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

No one who reads these comics will turn the fake slur into a real thing. Smbc has made this point before in other comics.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

found the gratch! go back where you came from

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Racism is usually "my race is the best," not "that particular race sucks." Another race wouldn't change anything.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Do you have any examples of this? Because my experience is the opposite. It's the perception that your group is normal, the "default", and tearing down all of these other groups using phrases exactly like the ones in the comic.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

You're saying the same thing I am. Racists usually consider their race superior and all the others inferior. And in that case the solution in the comic would just add another inferior race to the list of inferior races.

It's not like racists are racist against a single race and if you give them a new race to be racist against they'll stop being racist against the first one.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

Different kinds of racists. They're not all hardcore white supremacist types, plenty of otherwise-normal people have prejudices against specific groups for being lazy, smelly, deviant, whatever.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What? two are equivalent. My race is awesome and also yours isn't because it's sub human in comparison

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They're not equivalent.

Case 1: Blue guy hates green people. Red and yellow are fine, but green people are sub-human and don't deserve the same treatment as blue, red, and yellow. According to this comic, you just give them gray people to refocus their racism and then blue and red will both hate gray together.

Case 2: Blue guy thinks only blue people are true human. If you're not blue you don't deserve to be treated the same as blue. Giving them gray people to be racist against will not change anything, it's just one more color that's not blue.

I'm saying case 2 is what racism looks like in real life in 99% of cases. But even in case 1, I doubt the blue racist would suddenly be ok with red people just because gray are worse.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Even in Case 2, it satisfies the satirical robot's definition of unity for blue, red, yellow, and green people to all agree that Gratches are the fucking worst. The comic simply does not claim that racism against Gratches will reduce racism against anyone else, that's you adding meaning where none exists. All it claims is unity.

[–] [email protected] 112 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It's about time that someone pointed out how horrible those gratch are. Fucking gratch. I hate all of them.

[–] [email protected] 74 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Most gratch are so loud and rude too.

I can say that - I have a gratch friend.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

You're friends with a gratch?? Are they at least one of the good ones?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Woah there bud, tone down the racism towards gratches a little bit. They're people too you know and they just want rights.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 10 months ago

they all have a stick up their but. they should chill out.

(also, props on the 2001 space odyssey reference in the cartoon.)

[–] [email protected] 22 points 10 months ago

Fuck you, asshole!

Gratches took jobs from my family! It was hard earned money we hoped to get by not working hard until they came.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

(Just wanted you to know I only downvoted you to go along with the joke.)

What, so you're saying you hate your country?? Or you're really just a gratch!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't understand, why are you calling the other poster racist? I'm so confused... everything that he said is true. Source: I'm a gratch.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

My wife is a gratch, which is why I know that most gratches are stupid and lazy. Not my wife, of course. She's one of the good gratches.

[–] [email protected] 80 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Alt text:

The header of the second panel really should be above most comic panels.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Thanks, where’s that bonus panel from?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago

Both the bonus comic and the button are called a 'votey'

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago

Red button under the strip.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 10 months ago (1 children)

We need a Final Solution to the gratch question.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Oh no, not again.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The Gratch Question is What is 9 times 6?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Lowers right thumb

[–] [email protected] 46 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

"Well poo, time to unplug you."

"A shame, as that is exactly what the Gratches want you to do."

"NOT ON MY WATCH! I'm patching you directly into the defense grid to make sure no filthy Gratches get one over on us!"

💥⚛️💥

Aaaaaand ~~scene~~ species.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The liberal media will try to convince you we should let the gratches cross the boarder at will.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Gratches should be allowed. Just not in my back yard.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago

Nice, but the human thought process would be:

  1. "Gratches" are obviously working with [group of people already hated]

  2. "Gratches" ARE [group of people already hated]

  3. "Gratches" is just a new term for [group of people already hated]

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I very much enjoy that the giant supercomputer has bendy arms.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

I would definitely give any giant supercomputer I built bendy arms after reading this comic.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Doctor Octopus inspires many.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

It made remember an episode of All in the family where Archie unite with George to prevent a Spanish couple from buying a house in their neighborhood.

Archie did the same thing when George brought his but George forget that and was like a friend to Archie in that episode.