233

Happier
Posted on April 9, 2019 by David M Willis

FINAL DAY!

This is the last 24 hours for the Dumbing of Age Book 8 Kickstarter!  It's do or die time! This book will collect "Year Eight," spanning the four storylines that start on September 1, 2017, and complete on August 30, 2018. This includes new commentary, behind-the-scenes artwork, 24 previously Patreon-exclusive bonus strips, and new character designs into a full-color 222-page tome with luxurious glossy paper all bound up into a sturdy presentation! Also, now when you pledge you can get a free Dorothy magnet!  There are 11 other magnets you have the opportunity to pledge for.  You want just one?  Pledge for their tier.  You want three or five (plus the free Dorothy)?  Pledge for PICK THREE or PICK FIVE MAGNETS.  Want all 12?  Go in for COMPLETE MAGNET POWER!  Want just a PDF of the book and also a magnet (plus the free Dorothy)?  We've got that possibility, too. It's the final countdown, guys. Danana na. Dada na na na.

233 thoughts on “Happier”

  1. DarkoNeko

    Aw, that’s so cute

    1. DarkoNeko

      Also at this rate, a certain congresswoman will get accidentally elected by the opposite party’s voters

      1. SUGauthor

        They’re in the middle of October right now right? That means the election is around 2-3 weeks away. Based on the usual speed of the comic that means we might not see it for years, and most certainly not by the end of the storyline.

        1. Marsh Maryrose

          In DoA, Election Day is 17 days away. The best known DoA-IRL ratio is still Needfuldoer’s Constant: 1 DoA day is about 66.76 IRL days.

          17 DoA days is then about 1,135 IRL days, or a little over three IRL years. That would put DoA Election Day in IRL 2022, although in DoA it will be the general election while real life will be right around the Indiana primaries.

          (All this assumes no major deviations in the rate of relative time flow, i.e., any time skips are balanced by longer storylines and vice versa. Realistically, nothing is sure except that Willis’s buffer has never been more than six months and is currently down to eleven weeks, so even he can’t guarantee anything that far in the future.)

      2. MatthewTheLucky

        Becky continues to impersonate Robin through three more congressional elections and a presidential term.

        1. HMH

          Robin, frankly, doesn’t understand why everyone wants her to be president, and is just happy to be included.

  2. Ana Chronistic

    to be fair, that would make a future for EVERYONE, even the shitty money-grubbing boomer billionaires, not like the non-existent future we have NOW

    1. Delicious Taffy

      The only future a billionaire deserves is to be used as fuel and food. Eat the rich.

      1. 3oranges

        Please do not actually eat the rich. You will get strange brain viruses that make you think Ayn Rand is a visionary philosopher.
        (At least I assume cannibalism is how anyone got that way.)

        1. ProfessorDetective

          Eh, you only get those if you eat the brain matter. Fun fact, that’s how Mad Cow Disease started.

        2. abysswatcher1993

          Ayn Rand is like philosophy for racists and sociopaths. John Galt is a terrorist, and Andrew Ryan portrays why Objectivism doesn’t work to rule a society.

        3. ProfessorDetective

          Hey… She wasn’t RACIST. She didn’t care who/what you were as long as you were a ruthless individualist who would throw anyone and EVERYone under the bus for YOUR own sake. So, yeah, sociopaths.

        4. BBCC

          Nah, she was pretty damn racist. She also believed businessmen were a persecuted minority and that the real oppression was focusing on racial and religious minorities.

        5. Wizard

          Rand explicitly denounced racism as a particularly primitive and irrational form of collectivism. As to her personal attitude, it’s possible that was different, since she was never quite as consistent as she liked to claim.

        6. Rogue

          I’ve never seen a racist decry racism as a way to show they can’t be racist. After all I have black friends!/s

          Seriously, she was trying to save face and say it wasn’t racism but it was totally racism.

        7. JBento

          Rand also denounced living off state subsidies, but hot damn if she didn’t collect hers.

        8. Freemage

          Even if Rand wasn’t “I hate people with brown skin” racist, she absolutely was responsible for supporting the worst forms of capitalism, which in turn is an intrinsically racist ideology in any society where racism exists (basically, capitalism takes any axis of oppression and magnifies it, because the whole function is to perpetuate the existence of an underclass).

          The ‘equal opportunity, not equal results’ school of racism in America likes to ignore the fact that wealth and privilege are intergenerational, and thus that any advantage that already exists will be perpetuated into the next generation–for the same reason that saying everyone starts at the same line in a footrace is the only way to be fair when 5 of the 10 runners have no shoes and 4 of the remaining 5 are wearing clunky workboots.

        9. thejeff

          It also ignores the fact that prejudice and discrimination continue to this day, on top of those generational aspects.

        10. Zatar

          Eh look up what she had to say about Indigenous land rights and tell me she wasn’t racist.

        11. Delicious Taffy

          Wait a minute. ANDrew RYAN. That has to have been on purpose.

        12. Regalli

          It was. I remember seeing an interview on the subject back… god it was a decade ago what the hell.

        13. Mopey

          Andrew Ryan is also an anagram of “We R Ayn Rand”. ^_^

          Bioshock was a pretty overt anti-objectivist spiel so yeah. His character was pretty much just a mix of John Galt, Ellis Wyatt and Ayn Rand herself.

        14. Wizard

          How is John Galt a terrorist? Right off the top of my head, I can’t recall a single example of him using threats or violence.

        15. sun tzu

          To the very least he WORKS with terrorists, since the “I only attack the ships of international relief efforts” pirate is part of the conspiracy Galt leads.

        16. MatthewTheLucky

          I mean, if we’re not counting conspiracy to commit Acts of Terror, then Osama Bin Laden wasn”t a terrorist either, so yeah, Galt’s a terrorist.

        17. ktbear

          “Osama Bin Laden wasnt a terrorist.” Huh, who’d have guessed! Clearly I’ll have to revise almost two decades of wrong thinking.

        18. dethtolldotmid

          Plus they were into that “raw water” fad a couple years ago, who knows what kind of parasites they’ve got?

        19. Tualha

          Oh, there are other ways to catch that brain virus. For example, one might be a 17-year-old with undiagnosed Asperger’s, extremely bright but thoroughly alienated from everyone, and with almost no experience of the real world … and happen to read Atlas Shrugged for the first time just then. Why, a person could easily spend the next ten years or so under her spell if that happened, before finally learning enough about what real people are like to realize what a total crock of shit her “philosophy” is.

        20. KSClaw

          Also, too much fat.

      2. Ryek Hvek

        too many trans-fats

      3. Needfuldoer

        There’s only one thing that they’re good for.

    2. Ob

      There’s that quote from Henry Ford about paying your workers enough money to buy your own product.

      Poor people having more money means more circulation = more people buying your products. Theoretically at least.

      1. JBento

        Right-wingers got tricked out of knowing that by Reagan, and good luck getting any of them to disavow anything that shit said.

        1. Schpoonman

          Roz shredding Mary on the subject of Reagan and Mary’s paper-thin defense is by far my favorite Roz comic.

  3. Nono

    Becky can do something what would make Dina happier: free pizza!

    1. Doctor_Who

      “Free” pizza from Galasso requires employees to battle one another in gladiatorial pits.

      Becky could probably take Sayid, and maybe Jason despite his height advantage, but all challengers fall before Conquest. She was aptly named.

  4. Doctor_Who

    It occurs to me that Becky could actually pass as Robin pretty well. They have pretty similar manners of talking.

    1. ian livs

      Yeah, I bet it’ll take a while for most people to get too suspicious.

      1. Reltzik

        Except for, you know, the sudden swerve in policy agenda.

        1. RicardTheDragoon

          Well, that’s awkward. Should have double-checked my name before I posted. In the event that it never gets out of moderation, here’s what I wanted to say.

          The one that was prefaced by a televised retreat into Lesley’s house? To some extent, Robin started the swerve, and Becky accelerated it.

          Hopefully, the HTML renders as I hope.

    2. Catullus

      Similar enough to fool Robin’s own campaign staff, even.

      1. thejeff

        Similar enough to fool Robin, apparently.

        1. Doctor_Who

          Robin kinda seems like she could be fooled by “Got Your Nose”, if we’re being honest.

  5. ValdVin

    Dina in panel one is doing wonderfully.

    1. Pablo360

      As is Becky in panel six.

  6. Kinoko

    This relationship is wholesome and good and I continue to love it. <3

  7. Dovahqueen

    Becky and Dina have my heart.

    1. Roborat

      And my bow.

  8. ian livs

    I already liked both characters as individuals (we all know Dina had my heart from second number one) but some of my favorite moments for each of them has something to do with the other. That’s a sign of a good ship.

    (Most of my favorite Joyce moments involve her cursing in some way, so that means Joyce x profanity is also a very good ship.)

  9. DailyBrad

    I totally forgot the detail of Becky messing with Robin’s twitter.

  10. General Tekno

    Calling this now, Becky’s hacking gets Robin re-elected.

    1. Pablo360

      That’d be a bit too Shortpacked! for Dumbing of Age.

      1. ProfessorDetective

        Get’s her re-elected but her party disowns her and cuts all support?

        1. Khyrin

          Her massive swerve gets her re-elected and the formerly-opposition takes her under their wing.

        2. Joshua Kronengold

          Already happened. Last we saw Robin, she’d fired her aides, lost party endorsement, and decided to go through a redemption arc (badly). And was still waiting for her Les(bian)lie to come back to her (something that’s unlikely to happen in that sequence).

          Huh. She could do worse than hiring Becky, who is, after all, already tweeting for her.

    2. thejeff

      Can’t really see it.

      If she gets re-elected it’s because it’s a strongly red district and the base won’t vote for a Democrat even if they’re horrified by her change. Then she gets primaried out next cycle.
      The GOP base will despise what she’s suggesting and the Democrats won’t trust her sudden change – they’ve got an actual Democrat to support.

  11. Delicious Taffy

    Aprons are bullshit and I don’t know how to tie one without stepping all over the strings.

    1. Uly

      Loop ’em around to the front, tie them there.

      1. Delicious Taffy

        I tried that, but then my shirt kept getting pulled up. Aprons are a tool created by Big Pharma to frustrate the working class into buying happy pills.

        1. Yumi

          I’m aware you likely don’t need to, but how do you think your ability would be on clasping a bra behind your back?

        2. Delicious Taffy

          The end result would probably involve sirens and something on fire. That’s why I’d just do it with the clasp in front of me and then flip the bra runways, the way my girlfriend does.

        3. Yumi

          I’d manage to completely forget the meme/argument about the ways people put on bras until now.

        4. Delicious Taffy

          Do people really reach behind their backs to clasp a bra? That seems like a good way to pull a muscle.

        5. Yumi

          It’s actually really easy. But then, I consider tying an apron behind my back easy too, so ymmv.

        6. Inahc

          I feel uncomfortable twisting it around (I hate when fabric moves that way in general). Doing it up in the back takes some practice, but I’ve had decades so it’s trivial now unless my arm muscles decide to fuck me over. (which is still getting less common! yay!)

          Of course, I’ve always been super flexible… before my muscles went crazy I could do some cool tricks .. that are hard to explain in words, like, you put one arm up and one down and clasp your hands behind your back – a lot of people find that a hard stretch, but I could grab my wrists 🙂

        7. Autoskip

          Nice! I used to be able to do the virtical hand clasp behind my back, but I just tried now and the best I can do is touch fingertips with my right arm down and left arm up – it may be because I’m wearing a jacket, but regardless, I’ve never even been close to a wrist clasp.

        8. MatthewTheLucky

          I can entwine my fingers, but can’t quite do a handshake anymore.

        9. Clif

          My wife says that’s what husbands are for.

        10. ruhrow

          I’ve never bothered to do OR undo my bras, so they are all basically permanently clasped by now from repeated cycles of laundry in that state. I just put them on like a T-shirt, never figured out why you’d have to do anything special with them like take them apart. Sports bras all seem to go on just fine that way, so why not other bras?

          Of course, now I’ve mostly just given up on wearing bras altogether.

        11. Inahc

          Mine don’t stretch enough to do that, and getting my sports bras on can be a pain sometimes too. I’m not sure how tight bras are actually supposed to be, but I assume they wouldn’t provide support if they were too loose.

        12. Inahc

          Actually, now that I think about it, with older stretched out bras I’ve sometimes had the problem of my breasts sliding under the underwire a bit, and that was really annoying. So I guess that’s how you know your bra is too loose :p

        13. Kinoko

          I put mine on the same way as your girlfriend. Behind the back is doable, but way more annoying for me personally. Also, there was a meme argument about this? With people on each side screaming about the other’s wrongness? Of course there was. *sigh*

        14. Reltzik

          I’d suggest he try to record himself trying that on his camera phone for the entertainment of the internets, but I’m worried he’d end up accidentally stabbing himself. ;p

          (No. That joke is never dying, ever.)

        15. Delicious Taffy

          I might have to make a fresh new Grav for the 2-year phoniversary.

      2. Marsh Maryrose

        That’s what I always did until I got too fat to do that, now I just time them in the back. General rule: if, after tying, there’s too much loose string, redo with an extra half loop. Repeat until satisfactory.

        But you don’t have to use aprons. Mind you, if you cook a lot or especially if you bake (flour gets everywhere), they will cut down a lot on laundry.

        1. Inahc

          I just wish the damn aprons had more fabric up top. I’m not exactly big in the chest but I still have to worry about hot oil splashing onto unprotected sideboob 😛 so not only do I have to wash my shirt anyways, but in summer I’m wearing an extra layer without air conditioning.

    2. Yumi

      It’s just like tying a shoe that’s on your back.

      1. Delicious Taffy

        The only shoes welcome on my back have stiletto heels, thank you very much.

  12. Nono

    So, what’s worse: Becky hacking into Robin’s account with good intentions, or Amber hacking Walky’s grades with… gray intentions?

    1. Doctor_Who

      Mike hacking into the Pentagon with Mike intentions.

    2. Reltzik

      Faz hacking into Amber’s files with dark intentions.

      …. okay, more seriously. I’d say Becky’s hacking is worse simply because it’s liable to get her into a metric shit-tonne of trouble when she gets caught. Consequences matter. But morally speaking, Amber’s hack is worse on multiple levels.

      1. Regalli

        Amber’s still probably expelled if it ever comes out. Not as bad as jail, but definitely serious consequences.

        1. Reltzik

          But she won’t make national news.

    3. Regalli

      Honestly by this point I’m marginally surprised no one on Robin’s team has noticed and changed the goddamn passwords. Marginally because most of her staff probably left and Robin’s clearly very gullible.

      Don’t steal politicians’ cell phones and subsequently their identities, folks. I’m pretty sure their interns are smart enough to get Tile.

      1. SUGauthor

        Robin fired her team remember?

        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/03-the-thing-i-was-before/cooches/

        1. Regalli

          I did in fact forget! Though I think she’s replaced them since, or tried, since the Patreon strips have suggested she’s not completely imploded.

        2. ValdVin

          So her staff consists of more than You, the Lamp? Good to know.

    4. JBento

      On what front?
      If Becky’s caught I assume she’s all sorts of toast – I don’t know what the US law says about impersonating a sitting congressperson, but I’m pretty certain it doesn’t end with “and then they get a slap on the wrist.”
      If Amber’s caught, that screws over both her and Walky, because nobody’s going to believe he didn’t want her to.
      I’m going to go with Becky for worse, because the consequences of getting caught are far more dire.

      1. BBCC

        Yeah, for Amber and Walky, the consequences are at best, they get a zero and academic probation. Worst case scenario is they both get kicked out of school.

        Becky could get sued or jail time.

      2. ruhrow

        It’s social media, not sure there ARE any specific repercussions. I’m more worried about Amber; academic violations are clearly defined, as are the consequences. Becky may just get herself hired if Robin ever figures out that someone is making her popular FOR her.

  13. SUGauthor

    This feels WILDLY illegal.

    1. Terry

      Like… not really? People legitimately hack into famous peoples’ (and companies’) accounts all the time. All Robin has to do is say “OMG my account got hacked” and then it kinda just gets dropped. If anyone found out it was Becky, she would probably just get a stern talking to about using someone else’s account credentials. Especially since Robin just handed her phone to Becky which is what started the whole thing.

    2. Regalli

      Impersonating a Congresswoman is in fact pretty illegal.

      Pretty sure no one’s tried ‘the person I’m impersonating is a dumbass who gave me her phone and never reset things’ as a defense but I doubt a judge would buy it.

      1. Reltzik

        There’s a strong legal distinction based around what you (try to) do with that impersonation, though.

        If it’s to wield official power or draw official benefits or so forth, then yeah, that’s pretty damn illegal.

        If it’s just to say stuff and have people think it’s the Congresswoman saying it, not so much.

      2. Khyrin

        IIRC, impersonating a congressperson is “Impersonating an officer of the peace”?

    3. Reltzik

      Hmmmm….

      …. well, if it’s not an official government account, it’s not extremely illegal. If Becky had used some flavor of malware to get in, it would be, but she just got access to Robin’s phone and password instead.

      In Indiana, MAYBE if we REALLY stretch the interpretation of it we could say that Becky’s impersonating a public servant with the intention of getting others to comply with her requests, which would be a Class A Misdemeanor.

      She might also be subject to civil suit by Robin for various flavors of defamation. It’s a bit hard to sue for “you lost me my election!” but Robin could claim that the cost to her alleged character translated into lost opportunites for book deals, speaking engagements, etc, which could end up with a price tag in the millions that Becky would be liable for in theory. In practice, Becky could just get out of that by declaring bankruptcy, and isn’t worth suing at all.

      And, of course, Twitter could ban Becky for hacking, and future employers might look at it askance.

      If that IS Robin’s official government twitter account, rather than an election campaign account or personal account, the legal penalties could get significantly worse.

      1. Regalli

        I mean she is literally trying to influence Robin’s policy. There’s also potentially 18 US Code 912 but I’m too tired to analyze that in detail and see if it actually applies. And I think even a personal Twitter could be an issue if it’s verified – I don’t think we know its status there?

        It feels like if it went to court there’d be at least one aspect that’s never come up before but again I’m too tired to go on a research dive for the legal status of social media with public figures.

        1. Reltzik

          Becky would have to “act under the authority of the United States” in the impersonated persona, or demand or obtain “any money, paper, document, or thing of value”. She’s not doing that except, MAYBE, if it’s a government Twitter account. Otherwise, she’s just putting her words in Robin’s mouth.

        2. Regalli

          Thanks for the clarification!

  14. Stephen Bierce

    *notices what David already has playing on the Muzak and decides not to hack it this time*

  15. Uly

    Also universal preschool, maternity leave, birth control, and single payer health care!

    1. abysswatcher1993

      And biology education, sex ed at middle school with teachings of personal responsibility, universal history that isn’t just western culture, secularism, environmental protection, etc.

    2. ProfessorDetective

      And pump funding into NASA and PBS!

      1. Reltzik

        And all future tax cuts and subsidies meant to stimulate the economy should be weighted towards the classes, professions, and industries that produce the greatest economic and/or employment multipliers.

        …..

        ….. what? Look, I’ve had TWO classes in economics, SO I KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!

        1. ProfessorDetective

          You’ve got to spend money to make money, tightwads! And let’s make sure we do it WISELY!

  16. Cholma

    Go Becky! It’s D’s birthday, it’s D’s birthday!

  17. Yotomoe

    Finding out someone’s password isn’t hacking Becky. Stop spreading this misinformation.

    1. Reltzik

      Something like 90% of hacking goes like that.

      …. granted, one normally GETS the password through some flavor of phishing or keyboard logger or listening in on wifi or whatever, but “got access to someone’s logged-in account while they weren’t paying attention” is also an option.

      1. 3oranges

        I remember when Sarah Palin’s e-mail was hacked, and it turned out it was by looking up her security questions on google. The student responsible got about a year in prison.

        1. Needfuldoer

          This is why you ignore those “post your first X” chain letter things on social media.

        2. Tan

          But your fantasy adventure name is your social security number converted into letters plus your mother’s maiden name. Don’t you want to share your fantasy adventure name?

        3. thejeff

          That’s why you treat security questions as just another password and use random phrases.

          Security questions are a damn cybersecurity nightmare.

      2. thejeff

        Despite all the hype,and stereotypes, social engineering is a huge part of hacking. Granted nowadays it’s all script-kiddies and bots, but for serious stuff it’s still usually more effective to just con the target into telling you their password.

  18. abysswatcher1993

    Robin De Danto: “Huh, why am I trending in Twitter? It seems I am becoming popular for some reason, and with left wing young people.”

  19. AeromechanicalAce

    Super lefty? Please, She’s not even calling to Seize the means of production and behead the landlords yet.

    1. abysswatcher1993

      That last one is now “eat the rich”. I dont want to eat the rich. I want them to pay taxes. With all their excess of money democratic countries could afford better social programs. Also, cannibalism is creepy.

      1. StClair

        Yes. Thank you.

      2. Tacos

        Well of course you shouldn’t eat the rich. Too high in trans-fats.

        1. Reltzik

          Actually, rich people today trend healthier and fitter.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Thank you, cheap processed convenience foods and subsidized corn (and therefore high fructose corn syrup) production.

        3. Delicious Taffy

          Good, so they’ll have more stamina for turning the grindstones.

      3. joyfulldreams

        That’s kind of what Eat the Rich means anyway. It means cannibalize in terms of like…their funds. Consume it and redistribute it among the people to sustain us.

        Also it doubles as sounding suitably disdainful of the class as a whole, lol.

      4. Sunny

        “Eat the rich” has been a thing since at least the 1980s. There were a song and a movie with that title in 1987.

      5. dethtolldotmid

        I’m fine with just guillotining the rich.

    2. ProfessorDetective

      You think that, but some folks think LIVING WAGES are Communist. If life actually became worth living for anyone making under $500,000 a DAY, then we may as well be flying the Hammer & Sickle.

    3. Solenoid

      Yet.

  20. Yotomoe

    Material goods aren’t necessary for a birthday. Sometimes with a significant other their presence is your presents.

    1. Reltzik

      Yeah. Instead of eating tacos out, they could eat out ta- *vaudeville hook*

    2. Bagge

      I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Find a natural history museum and call it a day

      1. Reltzik

        Find a natural history museum within easy travel distance that Dina hasn’t been to a dozen times already.

        1. Bagge

          But this time she would be there with Becky

  21. BBCC

    Becky, you can always make her something – maybe you can write down some funny biology or dinosaur jokes for her? Or teach her more about running around like goofballs since you kinda got curtailed last time by Toedad. Or maybe you can show her some of Leslie’s DVDs if Leslie’s cool with that.

    1. Sunny

      Extended smooching session while wearing dinosaur costumes.

      1. Bagge

        And no hat

  22. Heavensrun

    Becky’s gonna get Robin reelected, isn’t she?

    1. BBCC

      Unlikely – the guys to the left are probably not going to vote for someone who was peddling homophobic, racist and misogynistic tripe just a couple weeks ago and her party dropped her.

      1. Reltzik

        MAYBE. Her party dropped her but she still won the primary and her name’s still going to be on the ballot with the R next to it. Thanks to comic time we don’t know if this is a midterm election or a presidential election she’s running in, and that affects what percentage of those voting care about anyone other than the top of the ticket. A lot of voters will just go down the party line without even knowing about anything more than that.

        1. BBCC

          That party line could work against her though – her party line is shit and she is in a swing district. Plus, for people who do care, regardless of her personal policy she’s still going to give her party more members and more votes.

        2. Marsh Maryrose

          The current real-world representative from the district that includes Bloomington won 54.1% to 40.5% in 2016, and 56.5% to 43.5% in 2018. Doesn’t look all that swing-y to me.

        3. BBCC

          Might only be swingy for presidents. They’ve apparently swung Democrat in the past 6 of 7 presidential elections, though it has a history of leaning Republican.

        4. BBCC

          Ah, I see. I was looking at the county, not the district. The district’s last Democrat election was 2007-2011. How long ago does it take to still count as a swing district?

        5. thejeff

          Which is kind of funny, since that’s when Robin was introduced as its Rep. The implication in the early strips was that it was swingy – college town balanced by the “peeps who think you’re a hell-bound slut”.

          But mostly you’re right. She’s a lot less likely to win than she was before all this happened. She’ll lose votes from the right over it and those on the left won’t trust her sudden change.

        6. BBCC

          Plus, yes, she’s changed her policy on LGBT+ people and, apparently economics, but how about birth control, abortion, and immigration? Those were all problems with her policy too.

        7. thejeff

          Give Becky some time. She can’t tweet about about everything at once. She’s got pizzas to serve.

        8. BBCC

          Yes, I get that, and I’m not blaming Becky for that, I’m just saying that there’s plenty to Robin’s policy that’s awful that we haven’t seen Becky address (because as you say, she has stuff to do and only so much time comes up – plus there’s Becky’s own cobweb blasting that may or may not have caught up with it – it may very well have, we just haven’t seen it).

        9. Reltzik

          Actually, let me think about this.

          DoA has been ongoing since September of 2010 and has covered 49 days in-comic. With 16 days to go until the election (again, in-comic), that means it will take about 1/3rd the current(real-time) life of the comic to date to get to the election.

          That would place the election in 2022, which would make it a mid-term. That’s when the hardcore “I actually care about more than the party line” voters dominate.

          So, yeah, Robin’s getting voted out.

        10. Reltzik

          Er, correction. I was thinking primaries because derp. Come the main election, the hardcore party voters will vote for her because of the R. It’s the swing voters that will generally be staying at home. So Robin stays in office. And her next primary will be a presidential primary as well, so swing voters can help her there.

        11. Needfuldoer

          It’s probable that some of the hardcore party voters are disenfranchised by Robin’s recent turn, so even the magic red R might not save her.

        12. Reltzik

          A few, maybe. But generally they’ll only do purge votes in the primaries. However bad a RINO is, an outright democrat is worse.

        13. thejeff

          They’re more likely to just lack enthusiasm and not turn out. Which can matter.
          Depends on how close the district is by the next election. Which, if it’s 2022, will be after redistricting.

          Politics in DoA slow time is weird.

      2. Marsh Maryrose

        As I recall, the last time I made a comment about this, the responses could be boiled down to this: as long as she’s on the ballot and there’s an R next to her name, she’s probably going to win. (She’d be primaried in the next cycle, of course, but that’s a year away.)

      3. Heavensrun

        I dunno, if she peddles it as a come-to-god moment and plays it off right, she might be able to turn it to her advantage. I mean, the public likes a redemption story, and this -is- a comic which not that long ago had a dramatic roller-skate superhero car chase. I mean, realism is not always a priority around here.

    2. Keulen

      Maybe? Robin’s “extreme reversals on social policy” could cause some lefty voters to switch to supporting her, but probably not enough to make up for her alienating her Republican voter base. Especially since the comic is currently in October of an election year so there’s less than a month to go. And many of those lefty voters might not trust that her reversal is genuine since she’s been supporting conservative Republican policies until recently.

  23. Tacos

    I actually think this plan might work…

  24. Jess

    cute cuTE CUTE C U T E

  25. Bagge

    I love Dina trying to comfort Becky. It’s an uncomfortable issue she barely understands, but she does her best.

  26. WateryBabe

    I love how seamlessly the politics get worked in! Keep it up!

  27. BenRG

    You know, Becky, I’m pretty sure that what you’re doing with Robin’s social media is illegal and could get you in serious trouble if the Powers That Be find out!

  28. Woomy

    Thanks for the reminder Becky, I’d forgotten what you were doing.

  29. Pebble

    Oh wow, there’s Dina saying she plans for them to be together for multiple years in future. Awwww. And Becky doing her best to have any future at all.

  30. Beef

    Looks like Becky’s joining the #YangGang

  31. Autoskip

    Universal Basic Income sounds awesome! Any idea how we can get it to actualy happen for more than a temporary experiment?

    1. BenRG

      Well, the cost of living probably needs to be driven down by about 20% for a start.

      1. MatthewTheLucky

        Okay, 40% tax on corporate income for the top 1% to fund in full living space, transportation, and food costs for the entire population.

        What next?

        1. BenRG

          Confiscate the passports of said top 1% to stop them from moving their entire wealth overseas.

        2. Delicious Taffy

          Honestly just physically hold them hostage in a gross warehouse until they cough up the economy, so the rest of us can have some of it.

        3. Solenoid

          probably the only circumstances when someone will say something about woke prison guards and mean it.

        4. Autoskip

          The way I understand it is that everyone pays a portion of their (non-UBI) income, which then gets sent out to everyone in small cost of living size portions. And it actually costs less then the standard options that we currently use. It actually lowers the un-imployment rate, because those that have a full-time job and either don’t want one or just want a part-time job can afford to do that, opening more full- and part-time jobs for those that actually want them. It also makes more people able to afford the extra education that they want for their dream job, or start their own business without worrying if they’ll start making a living from it before their savings run out. It helps everyone either directly or indirectly, but those making the decisions only really see the “we have to pay extra money so people don’t have to work” part of things.

    2. Kamino Neko

      For one thing have an electorate that won’t look at an incumbent, think ‘they’re corrupt! We needs to vote in someone with equal corruption, but opposite politics!’

      Frigging Ford…

  32. Hazel

    Dina is a very cool person and a very sweet girlfriend! I hope these two work out. Both of them deserve good things.

    Also, panel four Becky looks very cute

  33. JessWitt

    No greater paradox than going broke (through student loans) to make money (secure a high-paying job).

    1. Delicious Taffy

      Is there even a way to get a high-paying job without basically centering your entire existence around it and then dying of exhaustion before you can ever enjoy the benefits? Because if there is, maybe I’ll finally pull the trigger on this college education thing.

      1. JessWitt

        A possible way is being a dual citizen. I hold this myself and am taking my graduate studies outside the States. Doesn’t make grad school work any easier but it’s more affordable for me and no more additional freaking debt.

        Downside is, well, stateside jobs can be finicky about my international degree and I might have to prove my mettle with other means. Experience also matters, not just educational attainment. So higher ed is still a stressful nightmare for me but financial IOUs are one worry I can cross off.

      2. Reltzik

        You can inherit a large stake in a closely-held company that comes with a high-paying figurehead executive post and delegate everything to managers.

  34. brasca1

    You’d think Robin would have changed her password by now, but then again only a few weeks has passed and Robin probably doesn’t know how.

    1. BenRG

      This is Robin we’re talking about here. I’m not entirely sure she knows her passwords; she has aides to do tech stuff like that for her!

    2. Jhon

      Of course she’s changed her password! It’s now ‘password2’.

  35. GUIGUI

    About the alt-text, Universal Basic Income is actually a very neo-capitalist/libertarian concept.

    1. MatthewTheLucky

      Funny then, how many libertarians I’ve seen slinging threats when it’s brought up.

      INB4 no true scotsman

      1. GUIGUI

        Oh, I am not saying the support for the idea has got a change of supporter, but objectively, the point of the UBI is precisely to establish a market of “perfect” concurrency, with as little state intervention as possible. The concept usually stem from Hayek, who was a big proponent of non-inteventionism.

        The point of the UBI is that, as libertarian dream, an employee and a worker can negotiate their hiring contract without a third party interfering, in complete freedom. What the UBI does is that if the hirer has too ludicrous conditions, the employee can just go “fuck that, I don’t need to have this”, The UBI remove from the employer the threat of poverty for the worker.

        As for the employee, he can hire his worker at a much lower salary, and if the UBI also include complete health coverage, he doesn’t need to pay insurance for the employee either, thus it reduce the cost of having employee. this favor enterpernership, as there is less cost to hire more people to make your project bloom and also less risk, because, may his business fail, the employer can still fall back on the UBI too. Thus is means more poeple will take the risk to launch their own business.

        The best way to describe the UBI system is basically everyone working under the waiter/waitress system, where the boss only provide a small pay, but instead of the clients, it’s the state who provide a steady tip.

        the left, for a long time, opposed the UBI, before warning up to it. one of the reason is that UBI basically kill the need for an union. as the need for job security is not that necessary any more with UBI (again, if your boss is an ass, you can just leave, you still got your essential covered by the UBI), which is much more effective than needing to create a coherent front to ensure job security and quality, as union have to do.

        The other reason the left opposed for a long time UBI is because it basically kill the marxist dream of the workforce owning the means of production. With the UBI the business owner just get to have a pool of workers from then can take from and then throw back into without ever needing to once ownership to his workforce, as they don’t need to seize the means of production to ensure life security. Again UBI already cover that.

        For the UBI to work, there is a requirement of all work legislation to ensure job security to simply drop and cease to exist, thus allowing more flexibility for businesses. UBI tend to favor small business over big one as it make the rise of new competition easier. Hence why people who defend big corporation are not actually in favor of the UBI

        The issue with UBI is that people don’t agree yet on what it should cover, should it be enough to just live out of it (yet it should), should it cover the cost to always have access to education (yes it should), should it include healthcare and housing instead of just money (yes it should) ?

        Some people insist the UBI should maintain people on edge or they would not be motivated to work, but I disagree, anyone who has worked in marketing know that one is not satisfied with just the essential. there is no need to maintain the workforce under threat.

        1. GUIGUI

          Oh yes and one of the big point of the UBI is that employer will pay less than now for the same work. Which is something a lot of people are not too keen on.

        2. BBCC

          Alternatively, if people have enough to live on with a UBI, they may not want to work for someone if the pay’s not good. Plus unions do more than advocate for job security (though I don’t see why that would go away with UBI – just because you have enough to live on doesn’t mean people are going to be enthused about, say, termination at will employment) – they also deal with safe working conditions, benefits, etc. A lot of that would change under UBI, but I don’t think it’d go away entirely.

        3. GUIGUI

          Uber has shown that people are ready to work for a lot less than what Taxi Driver make if it’s considered as a complementary revenue isntead of the main income. With the UBI, you’d see a lot of hiring deal similar to Uber.

          I did exaggerate saying it would kill union, but it would made them weaker as less people would consider the need to join one.

          But yeah, unlike job security legislation, health safety regulations at work should remain strong and this is were union would still have a big role to play.

        4. BBCC

          Uber also has a high turn over and a lot of people who’ve left have talked about how Uber treated them terribly and the working conditions weren’t great – it’s to the point a lot of countries are considering regulating independent contractors in similar ways as employees to combat it, and you can bet wages will be part of it.

        5. BBCC

          Plus, taxi drivers are unionized in a lot of places (which is part of how they get paid so much), so if/when they get driven out of business, it’s only going to get worse when Uber jacks up the prices.

  36. TheFlamingonator

    Don’t forget universal healthcare under some name that doesn’t sound too leftist because for some reason socialism is evil.

    1. Eldritch Gentleman

      Might be because of pure socialism’s poor track record and high body count.

      1. MatthewTheLucky

        ‘Never implemented’ is a pretty poor track record, but zero isn’t a high number.

        1. Eldritch Gentleman

          Yeah you know, in science when an experiment keeps failing they just declare it a failure and don’t try again.

        2. MatthewTheLucky

          That’s… not actually true, or a valid metaphor in this context.

        3. Eldritch Gentleman

          Eh… look, they tried to implement it over and over and over again, most recently in Venezuela. And it always brings people misery. I should know, I’m from a country which was ruled by Communism for 50 years and it resulted in death and misery and we didn’t even have it as bad as say Chinese or Ukrainians (Holodomor). By comparison, we implemented capitalism just 30 years ago. our country’s wealth grew immensely even With all the corruption, our life expectancy is up, freedom is WAY up.

          I’m perfectly fine with some socialist policies but Pure socialism? With no private property and all that? No thanks, we tried that, it failed. Let’s move on.

        4. BBCC

          There has never been a purely socialist government – they’ve always been mixed with features of other ideologies, politically and economically. We can talk about why that is and whether or not it’s possible, but there’s never been a purely socialist government. Also, communism and socialism are not the same thing, though there are often many connections.

        5. BBCC

          Plus there’s a variety of branches of socialism so you’d need to be specific on what you mean by ‘pure socialism’ – what KIND of ‘pure socialism’ do you mean?

        6. thejeff

          But that’s that point. “some socialist policies” get smeared with “communism failed” as if any such policies lead directly to Stalin. The point being to block such policies by association when plenty of countries have succeeded quite well with many socialist policies.

        7. Eldritch Gentleman

          That is a reasonable point.

      2. GUIGUI

        Universal healthcare isn’t pure socialism. Many countries have it and are pretty capitalistic, so I don’t really see why you bring pure socialism as a counter to universal healthcare.

        1. Eldritch Gentleman

          I was referring to socialism as in the political and economic system. That’s why I referred to “pure socialism” instead of socialist policies.

      3. David M Willis

        you gotta have some friggin’ stones to harp about socialism’s “bodycount” when we’re talking about healthcare, when countless people die from lack of socialist healthcare every year because they can’t afford it

        a friend of mine died because he couldn’t justify the cost of calling for an ambulance, so maybe choose somewhere else to vomit this up

        1. Eldritch Gentleman

          I’m sorry for your loss but as I have said lower, I have nothing against socialist policies, it is the pure on communism that I cannot stand. My own country has suffered horribly under that regime, my own grandfather was a hairs breadth away from being murdered by the communists for being a land owner.

        2. GUIGUI

          ” it is the pure on communism that I cannot stand.” which is something no one here was defending. People here were talking about how people wave around the threat of communism every time there is attempt to implement some socialist policies and here you are, doing exactly that.

        3. Eldritch Gentleman

          Honestly I was tongue-in-cheek answering the question why Socialism is seen as evil. I never really wanted things to get This serious.

        4. thejeff

          Authoritarianism sucks whatever economic system it uses. The problem is the authoritarianism, not the socialism.

        5. Eldritch Gentleman

          Quite but sadly those two often go hand-in-hand since socialism very often needs violence to be implemented (overthrowing whatever system preceded the socialism) and maintained and that always puts the most horrible people on top.

        6. David M Willis

          You really sound like you’ve only read about a few communist revolutions and then decided every single other form of regime change was done through polite asking.

          Like, the United States overthrew a monarchy PRETTY VIOLENTLY, established a democracy, and then they were run by a bunch of slave owners, so, uh

          Kinda running on some hella strong confirmation bias, there.

        7. Eldritch Gentleman

          Honestly it might have to do with motivation and general organization.

          Correct me if I’m mistaken but the revolution against the British was generally an organized movement by both the people of the colonies and respected members and leaders of their community. It was more like kicking out oppressive invaders/occupation than people rising up and tearing down the entire political structure so they could start from the beginning.

          The revolutions I have experience with were more along the lines of “pissed off people tear down and murder everyone in any kind of position of power”. Also they were somewhat more… ideological in nature. Like the French Revolution or the Communist revolutions in the west. American revolution seemed more alongside the lines of rulership change. The system is left mostly intact and new people just fill the positions left by the ousted regime. The revolutions I’m referring to completely annihilated any structure and organization along with the people who occupied those positions. It was a complete chaos from which new structures had to be erected. And considering the violent and highly emotional state the revolutionary forces were in, those who were the most vicious and ruthless rose to power because they were the most effective at killing the “enemies of the revolution.” But after those revolutions ended those very people are left in power and they obviously don’t won’t to relinquish that power and install themselves as the new regime.

          The leadership of the American revolution was composed of people respected by the community whose character and abilities have been already verified and was trusted.

          The communist revolution on the other hand was composed of a mass of angry and violent people who first had to figure out their own hierarchy and leadership and considering the violent nature of the conflict they were dealing with those who rose to the top were the most underhanded, violent and ruthless. Those who had nothing against backstabbing each other in the back in the name of power.

        8. Eldritch Gentleman

          I think one more issue was the the American Revolution was a patriotic war against the external enemy. Communist revolutions on the other hand are essentially civil wars against fellow countrymen who are seen as enemies of the revolution. It’s an environment that can give birth to much hatred and resentment among fellow people. It’s a case of fighting an Internal enemy where no one can be fully trusted and anyone can be a filthy traitor rather than fighting an external one against whom all the people unite under one banner.

        9. David M Willis

          You are extremely good at compartmentalization.

          Like, if you asked plenty of people during the time of the American Revolution, they would have thought of the war as a civil war against fellow countrymen. The colonies were part of England! There were plenty of colonists who felt plenty fine about continuing to be a colony, felt loyalty to England, and regarded the war as a treasonous insurrection.

          Meanwhile, the United States’ own CIA is kind of infamous for orchestrating literal coups within smaller countries whenever they start to even breathe on the idea of socialism. We, a capitalist nation, have kneecapped so many governments in the name of preserving our own authoritarian flavor of capitalism that it is incredibly hilarious to see anyone go “oh no socialist uprisings are so violent, oh gosh oh gee.”

          You talk about the “bodycount of socialism.” That’s the same justification that we capitalists use to murder people over the fear of potential socialism. That rhetoric itself has a bodycount. Because it’s okay to kill people if you’re stopping socialism.

        10. Eldritch Gentleman

          I somewhat doubt that’s a compliment.

          I see. Then the issues I can single out here is probably resentment, leadership and ideology.

          What I mean by that is that in the case of American Revolution the issue was with people in general rather than the structure, organization. What I mean is, the people still obeyed the old rules and wanted to preserve the organization which existed, they merely wanted to change the people in charge.

          In the case of communist revolution it was a complete destruction of the old order. All the old structures, rules, everything was to be torched and annihilated. That involved religious rules which might have curbed the viciousness a bit, as unlikely as that may sound.

          This ties to the resentment part I mentioned. You see, the Russian people (and people from countries where the communist revolutions generally erupted) were nowhere near as independent or free as the American people. People in those regions were more often than not kept on a tight leash with those above them keeping a boot on their necks. Add the fact that one of the reasons why this revolution erupted was because the people were absolutely MISERABLE because of the First World War and you can see how they have built an enormous amount of resentment. There was a staggering amount of hatred and jealousy towards those above and the revolutionaries took all of that out on them. The Americans had, I believe, a certain sense of restraint instilled by their culture and society. It was something they built up themselves. The people who fought in the communist revolution had none of that, they were enraged, resentful… essentially former slaves, whipped into a frenzy by their ideology and hatred towards those they saw as the reason for their pain and misery.

          Finally there is the issue of leadership. It is my understanding (correct me if I’m mistaken) that the leadership of American revolution was composed of people who were already well-known and reputed long before the revolution itself erupted. They were trusted by their communities and their personalities were well known and accepted.

          In the case of a communist revolution the leadership was far more fluid and considering the violent nature of the conflict the ones who rose above had to Fight their way to the top with any means necessary. Any kind of moral limitations they might have had had been stripped by their ideology and the belief that the goal excused the means.

          Honestly I think we are simply on opposite ends of a cultural divide. I have a deep-seated dislike, hatred even for the communism and that might spill out into any kind of socialist talk. The communists (along with the Nazi of course) have absolutely gutted my country. They have murdered officers, intellectuals, religious leaders, they have killed people whose only fault was that they owed a bit of land. Like I mentioned my own grandfather was in danger of being murdered. Pretty much the only reason why he was not killed by the Soviet soldiers was because he didn’t look “wealthy” enough at the time when they visited him.

        11. Eldritch Gentleman

          Regarding the body-count. That comment was made more in jest than to be taken so seriously. I’m sorry for raising painful memories in you, I did not intend for things to get this serious.

          I would say however that this issue is just a bit more personal for me since I actually live in a country which has faced a lot of the horrors of the communism. I guess its just a case of cultural difference since I’m from Central Europe and I lack the complete understanding of how Americans see the whole issue.

        12. thejeff

          Hand in hand in that socialist revolutions do often end that way – though that in itself is an argument against socialist policies leading to tyranny, but my actual point is that socialism is far from necessary for tyranny. Right wing dictatorships are not exactly rare.

        13. Eldritch Gentleman

          I have a bit of a personal hatred for communist and socialist systems considering my family and country’s history and I believe I have over-reacted a bit for which I apologize.

    2. TheFlamingonator

      So obviously I didn’t think through my comment (language barrier) but I mean the Nordic model of social democracy

      1. Eldritch Gentleman

        Ah yes that works out very well.

      2. TheFlamingonator

        *and our healthcare system (which in some cases is flawed but still among the best in the world and I am proud of that)

        1. Eldritch Gentleman

          I still envy you, my country’s system, inheritance from the communist system, has you wait for months on end even when you have life-threatening problems.

  37. kilgaen

    Well this is good and terrible.

  38. Batz

    I get the bizarre sensation that this is somehow laying the seeds to get Robin and Leslie together in DOA canon.
    Maybe I’ve been on the internet too long. I’m starting to see/generate conspiracy theories based on the thinnest of possibility threads.

  39. Zaxares

    Becky, NO. Hacking into somebody’s account and posting false information under their name is a VERY BAD THING. *waggles finger furiously*

    I also wonder if Becky’s the type of person to whom showering their loved one with gifts is how they show affection. I’m the total opposite, having come from a family where we basically do not celebrate birthdays or special occasions at all, and I have to constantly remind myself that my experience is atypical, and that other people DO expect gifts on birthdays, anniversaries etc. It’s also gotten me into a few mishaps before with ex’s where I “didn’t seem particularly happy with the gift”. It’s not because I don’t like it! It’s just that growing up, getting gifts was NOT how love was expressed to me, so please understand that it’s not personal if my response is just a “Oh, thanks baby!” with a half-smile.

    1. BenRG

      Regarding gifts, I suspect that this is how Ross tried to ‘make up’ for what was likely an emotionally-distant and abusive upbringing. It wouldn’t surprise me if Becky has internalised this as the normal way to show affection to a significant other.

      1. StClair

        ouch. that is… dismayingly plausible.

  40. Lucy Gillam

    Go, Becky, Go!

  41. RaulTsi

    anybody else having issues with the comics not appearing when you first come in. it started on april 1 and I thought maybe it was a joke. but it’s been happening every day since. some days it comes back after I refresh about a dozen times. other days I give up and come back hours later.

    1. impartialbystander

      Yup. I only have the bottom half of my strip load.

  42. Mister Sparkle

    Twenty, on the other hand, is a very important birthday, in Japanese culture. Dina is playing the medium game.

  43. rtmq

    Anyone else thinking that somehow Becky’s meddling is going to bring Robin’s career back (to some degree) as a left-wing politician?

  44. C.T Phipps

    So, anyone think Robin will win the election because of this?

    1. rtmq

      And then she’ll come back to Leslie like “Look, I’m cool with the Lesbians now! Let’s get to it!” and Leslie will come back with “You haven’t changed, you’re still building your success on the backs of the victims of your past rhetoric! Do you even remember the name of the girl who’s responsible for your comeback?”

      “…It’s not some trick spelling like Mckayleigh, is it?”

  45. Minder

    Nineteen is also unironically my favorite number!

    1. Marsh Maryrose

      Also, 19 used to be important in some states. For example, when I was a college freshman in Minnesota, 19 was when you could legally drink.

      Although, with a full beard I looked 25 when I was 18, and carding was not a thing back then. But still!

  46. Cmd1095

    Love this Becky/Dina interaction on so many levels

  47. Bagge

    Toedad: “NO DAUGHTER OF MINE GOES TO PUBLIC COLLEGE. SHE WILL JUST BE A LEFTIE EVOLUTION-LOVING LESBIAN AND CUT HER HAIR”.

    1. Eldritch Gentleman

      Give this man a crystal ball and make him pay his debt to the society back by reading people’s fortunes.

      1. Bagge

        Of course, he also said stuff like “I am 100% sure Hank’s kid will never kick my ass because I’m very big and she’s a little girl and also God is on my side”, but here we are.

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