I always hated my step-mom, but it took me until my dad divorced my step-mom and got a new girlfriend that I was finally confident that I didn’t hate her just because she was my step-mom, but because she was a genuinely unpleasant person. Dad’s new girlfriend, in contrast, is great!
Leorale
Hooray for leveling up (from yucky step-mom to great girlfriend)!
My stepfather never liked me (or my brothers). From Day 1.
Roborat
I have heard that statement before from friends from blended families and never understood it. Why would you marry (or live with) someone who already has kids if you don’t like the kids, it is pretty much a package deal.
Vincent
My very limited online dating experiences so far seem to indicate “partner had kids, didn’t bother to mention it” might be part of the explanation. Like, I’m not sure what the idea here is – you’re afraid someone won’t be cool with you having a child so you hide that fact so you can get them to like you before dropping that one them..? Would you really want someone who sees children from a previous relationship as an issue?
(I am not very interested in dating single mothers – it’s an experience gap inferiority complex at a guess. But mostly the ones I’ve seen have basically listed wine, travelling and sports as interests aside from being mothers, so a bigger part of it is not really having anything in common)
Seems like it. So Robin’s yet to get over the stage of your life where you idealize the crappy parent who’s never there being a parent and you resent the one who actually WAS there. This is not unusual but she’s in her fucking 30’s and should probably have some adult perspective on this shit at some point but she’s Robin. The fact that she compares her relatively normal childhood angst to Becky’s situation is just fucking typical of her level of immaturity.
Uh. I mean her first comment about other people having crappy dads aside, Becky was the one who explicitly and enthusiastically drew that comparison. She may have been saying stuff in the first panel not to draw comparisons to herself, but to justify not being impacted by becky’s story, which is how I initially read it. So like… still terrible, but for the same reasons as in last comic, not anything new.
And like, Becky’s been intentionally downplaying this for normalcy’s sake anyway, calling him her jerkass dad instead of, like, her dangerously unhinged and abusive one. Quite frankly, someone insisting on making a huge deal about it would be more uncomfortable for her than this thing that she’s explicitly asking for anyway. See also, that time in the diner Joyce tried to say she couldn’t complain about her own parents and Becky did not agree.
Yeah yeah I’m another shortpacked Robin fan with unjustified hope for the character here, whatever man.
fillerusername
In the previous comment Becky brought up her dad who kidnapped her and then immediately following that Robin went, “You’re not the only one with a crappy dad,” Becky was willing to go along with it for the sake of bonding but Robin is the one who equated the two dads first.
fillerusername
Comic not comment. The previous comic.
Socks
No, what I mean is, I read that as another refusal to acknowledge what Robin sees as a political ploy to win her over, not that she INITIALLY was talking about her own dad. Guess it could go either way, but until I saw Becky’s response, I didn’t take it as comparison between the two of them. It coulda just been like “well your sob story won’t work, there’s other sob stories out there (and I as a politician have seen lots of them because politics)”.
And Becky’s over and over tried to keep her situation relatable to other people, so like… that’s presumably what she would have wanted either way? Kid wants to be normal except in the ways that are cool, like having a superhero car chase. But otherwise, like she said to Dina that one time, she doesn’t wanna be a downer, her identity is wrapped up in wackiness and a lack of real problems. Whether or not that’s ultra psychologically healthy is another deal, but it’s what she’s done at pretty much every opportunity.
Rosstifer
I dunno, I read it as Robin trying to equate Becky’s absolutely horrific shotgun threatening dad with having a stepdad who is a bit of dork. Robin is being fucking awful basically.
Li
I mean Becky asked if she has a crappy dad and Robin says no, so I don’t really see this.
Kris
I was gonna say this yesterday but I guess I can say it here. Robin isn’t the horrifying and unredeemable character she seems or that people have labled her as.
She’s guilty of a lot of things: Lack of empathy, obliviousness, complacency, pandering, hypocrisy, doing the bare minimum. I don’t know how she got her job but she keeps it by leaning the way her supporters want. If this comic was in say California. (I only use California because it’s a traditionally blue state and generally queer accepting…also I live there) and the bill she voted on was to say…allocate funds to housing for at risk youth. She would be a hero for doing the same thing she’s doing now. Sitting on her ass, tweeting bullshit, and voting whichever way the wind blows her party. No this doesn’t actually justify anything Robin’s done. In a way it makes it worse because it means she probably doesn’t have any values. But it does mean she’s probably susceptible to persuasion and education with enough time.
This is my opinion. Thank you.
Minder
Robin being redeemable is not the issue. Robin being evil is the issue, the issue being, she is evil, your opinion is not acknowledging how many people her acting term in Congress in comic means and always will mean she is accountable for legislation that goes through or doesn’t go through or even gets argued on the floor. She is a Republican and her giving her vile supporters what they want so she can have what she wants means that entire groups of people get to be murdered en masse and there aren’t more consequences.
Minder
Robin is killing people. Sitting on her ass and tweeting bullshit in a position where you decide whether or not to give the laws of your country the time of day is knowingly going for the job that makes you the decider and you decide anyone but you can just die, and then they do die.
Goblin Scribe
Robin is a closeted gay congresswoman in a district that doesn’t want her to exist. Putting aside ludicrously simplistic “she’s evil” narratives, what do you expect her to *do*? She doesn’t actually wield that much power, especially not now—now, with her campaign flagging, with her having to confront things about herself that she’s studiously avoided thinking about for years.
As for her being “evil” for failing to take proactive action to pursue legislation that would have no chance of passing—do you think pre-DOA Joyce would have done anything different, in her situation?
Because if not, pre-DOA Joyce was “evil”, too. Let’s just keep that perspective when we go making these sorts of claims. The difference between “evil” and “not evil”, by your logic, is a few conversations to challenge a worldview. Y’know, like the conversations Robin is having right now.
Greenygal
Robin wasn’t born into being a Congresswoman, or forced into it. She chose to work her way into a position of power, and I will absolutely judge her for the actions she takes or doesn’t take while in that position. What do I expect her to do? Something, anything, except take only the actions she thinks will keep her in power and never give a second thought to the responsible use of that power. (Well, no, that’s exactly what I expect her to do, but then that’s why I’m judging her.)
trlkly
There’s nothing simplistic about the “evil narrative.” It’s a fundamental issue you have to take into account. Evil is a real thing (even if it is only a concept), and it has to be dealt with. Too much sympathy for evil people creates a desire to overlook how evil they are and easily be misled when they inevitably try to make cosmetic changes that don’t deal with the underlying problem.
Robin being evil is important to keep in mind. She is not merely some good person who has reasons for doing bad things. That may be true, but it makes her no less evil.
And I will repeat why I think this is important. Because I believe this attitude of ignoring evil is why people were able to defend someone as clearly evil as Trump.
The reason I was so upset at him winning was knowing how many people don’t seem to know the difference between Good and Evil anymore. Evil is not corruption. Evil is not maybe making mistakes with email or making the wrong military decision. Evil is hurting people, either intentionally, or because you just don’t care about anyone else but yourself.
And Robin is Evil in that second category (while Trump has some of both.)
I fear context has not done these types of defenses much of a favor. Like, yeah, a shitty democrat would be a shitty incurious democrat, but right now, the republican dominated house has sweetened their deal to kill millions of Americans by making it even more transparently cruel while their chosen leader is about to make it legal for health care professionals to straight up deny me care based on who I am.
So yeah, not really feeling the “all sides are the same” shallow tribal reads at the moment.
Also, the example you provide kind of reveals the central problem. Yes, if Robin instead of voting to actively harm queer youth and make it actively harder for them to survive had instead supported programs to make it easier for folks to survive, she probably would be viewed better.
And it’s not because “following constituents” or “tribal loyalty” but because one example you give is one where she is actively helping people survive and in one she is actively making it harder for people to survive.
Like, if we are really so far gone around that we can’t recognize the stark moral contrast there, then I’m not sure what else we can do.
Leorale
Yeah. It’s a serious false equivalency because a shallow spineless Democrat who votes for whatever the party wants will like, try and feed some poor folks, while a shallow spineless Republican will literally cause people to die. They’re both shallow and spineless, but their impact is nowhere near the same ballpark.
thejeff
While it may make her worse in some abstract moral sense, I’d much rather be dealing with the cynical, believes in nothing, out for themselves politician than a true believer. Unless the true believer agrees with me, of course. As you suggest, the cynical ones can learn. They can negotiate and compromise.
To frame it in the ACA repeal, it’s the difference between the more moderate Republicans being swayed by their constituents saying they need to keep their coverage and the Freedom Caucus demanding a total repeal with no compromise.
I didn’t get the feeling she idolized her crappy parent. Panel two reads to me as Robin saying that her view on dads in general is that they suck. Like, she’s not saying her biodad is great because he’s great, he’s great because he went away and she never sees him.
Same as Cass here. I don’t get the feeling that she thinks dads can be good period, what I do get is the feeling that she’s not telling the whole story of what’s wrong with her stepdad. She thinks it’s good that her bio-dad is not involved in her life! What kind of shit is she projecting on the possibility that he could have been?
I know lots of people have been complaining in the comments about how many people are turning out to have had crappy parents, but the thing is… lots of people have crappy parents. Like, that’s a pretty true to life part )=
Deanatay
Sounds like a debate worth starting: If you’re a crappy parent, or believe you would be one, is it better to stay in your kid’s life, or to remove yourself? Is it better for a child to have abusive parents, or no parents?
I mean, clearly, the best result is to have neither.
dralou
If you have reasons to think you would be crappy parents, don’t make/adopt kids. But… Well, if people were responsible enough to reflect upon themselves and be honest on their capacity to educate a child, child abuse wouldn’t be a thing, now, would it ?
And it’s better to have no parents than having bad parents, if only because with a bit of luck, other parental figures, good ones, can be found.
Misteline
Sometimes kids are a legit accident. Even keeping them can be compulsory.
dralou
Please, don’t take this the wrong way, I honestly ask because I don’t understand: how can it be compulsory to keep a child when you know that their life environment would be bad for them ?
I can see cases where someone discovers that they’re pregnant too late for an abortion to still be legal, or where said abortion could have dire consequences on their health, but if they honest-to-goodness believe that a child shouldn’t be living with them… isn’t it why adoption centers are partly for ? Aren’t there governmental organisms put in place specifically to protect the children ?
It depends on how much you hate Star Trek, apparently? Looking up Robin’s mom’s appearances in Shortpacked, it looks like she never remarried, so his tie collection is the only thing we know about Mark.
Also according to the alt text another huge flaw of his is that he’s always telling Robin he’s proud of her. So he likes star trek and he’s supportive of her career. I mean that does imply his politics might be shit.
zoelogical
star trek is a lot more of a liberal narrative, tho
fillerusername
True but I’m wondering how proud of Robin he could be if her weren’t a republican himself. I guess he could just have a rule about supporting her but never actually discussing what she believes. I mean it’s not like anyone but (we can assume) Roz would really be eager to make a thing about it.
zoelogical
mmmm or maybe he’s a moderate and on the side of “trying to understand everybody’s viewpoints”, which would be pretty star treky
MatthewTheLucky
Robin doesn’t have a view on most of the things she does though. She just does them because they’re easy.
zoelogical
but see that is also a viewpoint
you really can’t slither your way out of having viewpoints when neutrality is itself a viewpoint. choosing the easiest way is a political opinion, especially if you work in politics. it’s not an easily defensible opinion, but it’s still an opinion.
Socks
My stepdad would be out of his mind proud if I became a congressperson, and he’s like, really conservative. Some people only take politics so seriously, regardless of their ideals, and while he’s voted straight ticket republican for like ever, pretty sure if I ever demanded passionately that he just not vote on an issue or something, he’d humor me. Lotta people don’t care THAT much, so the pride of having a congressperson child could still win over whatever they actually are doing in office. It’s a pretty big accomplishment.
Basically I don’t think we can infer much of anything about Mark besides that he is complicit in withholding everyday cereal from his stepchildren, so far.
I’m intensely depressed that folks like this are what’s going to kill me and everyone I love.
Masumi
You sound especially frustrated today – what’s wrong? May I offer internet hugs? (Jeeesh, I don’t even know how to ask such things without sounding all insensitive)
It’s just been really really shit politically of late.
Today, Trump will sign the Religious Freedom EO which will now mean everything I try to do as a trans person will now be a roulette wheel of whether or not they consider me enough of a person to do their job and that includes emergency services.
And the House is really close to enough votes to pass their version of the AHCA, which, yeah, most of my loved ones are lower income folks relying on ACA for any form of coverage and are taking medicine that is critical for whether or not they kill themselves or whether or not they stay alive. (So if any of you has a red representative, please spam their phone number). And would also mean the return of pre-existing condition bans. Being trans was a pre-existing condition. Hell, most things were.
We just had Comey joke and laugh around about his role in a deliberate act of treason to “elect” a dangerous fascist while the news media that aided him continue ranting about Obama and Clinton as if the world wasn’t burning right now.
And a woman is about to go to jail for a year, because she dared laugh at AG Sessions while all the “free speech” assholes who’ve been tongue-bathing nazis for the last three years have gone conspicuously silent.
And it’s all happening because of this toxic mix of tribalism and “both-sides fetishism” that is allowing the normalization of a party who is entirely about finding inventive new ways to actively hurt and kill marginalized folks just trying to get by.
And it’s all… a little much.
Masumi
Wow, that sucks far worse than I’ve heard from the news, unbelievable level of assholery. Sorry to hear that. But remember, there are still good people out there. (e.g. I wouldn’t think emergency doctors are the type to care about any stupid religious freedom stuff, hopefully?) Stay strong 🙂
Li
It…
Okay first of all you’re just wrong about doctors, period. Doctors are people. Often they are wealthy people. They are not less prejudiced than the average bear; in fact, they tend to be worse on prejudices like anti-fat bias (where literally tumors go undiagnosed for years because fat patients get told that the pain in their knees will get better if they lose weight, and that’s the end of their consultation). As any trans person will tell you, the medical community is hella transphobic.
Second, emergency care is not a substitute for health insurance. And it also is not free — emergency doctors will treat you and then send you a bill that you have no way to pay and sic collection agencies on you to ensure they get their money.
Like there’s a reason why people in this country sometimes break the law so that they can go to prison and be treated for free by prison doctors.
Third, Cerberus knows there are still good people out there. She’s just still upset and she has every right to be, because the mere presence of good people won’t save anyone if this shit becomes law.
Masumi
*sigh* apparently I failed at not sounding all insensitive. I just tried to be supportive, and theres not a whole lot I can do from over here :/
Kim
I’m thinking he may also just be a super supportive guy.
Maybe putting her politcs aside to be encouraging, and honestly proud of her achiving the level of political office that she has 🙂
3oranges
Star Trek is more of a liberal narrative, but in a way that people somehow entirely miss. I’ve seen it held up online as an example of golden age sci fi, when it was about tech and not SJW nonsense. At one point the head of the NSA made an Enterprise bridge out of his command center, apparently without noting the two display rather opposite values.
Temperaryobsessor
That could be a real abuse tactic if he’s not doing that for everybody.
You can make an argument for 7 because hey you need one for every day of the week. Maybe even 14 because sometimes you have to put off doing laundry a week cause life. 16? 20?! Maybe question some of your life choices.
Leorale
Does one launder ties?
I mean I guess if you spill something on them.
Or maybe Mark uses them to floss his armpits. I don’t know his life.
well just because they’re all Star Trek ties, doesn’t mean they’re the same ones. There’s like five different captains to begin with, different characters, all in various shades and colors, and just because you feel like wearing a tie with Worf on it in one week, doesn’t mean that next week, you might not prefer to have a simple one color with just the Star Trek symbol on it some other time…. just saying…
BenRG
Wear them? Wear them?!? Philistine! Collectables like that should be kept vacuum-wrapped in cellophane and displayed in a glass-fronted case! Certainly they should never suffer the indignity of contact with the human body… or even unfiltered air!
317 thoughts on “Star Treks”
Ana Chronistic
Becky’s collecting twinsies like Pokémon
GOTTA SNATCH ‘EM ALL
eruditeCaptain
Heh….
…. you said snatch… I’m sorry.
Shaunock
Heh….
… so did you.. heh..
Pablo360
Heh…
… you said dotdotdot
a/snow mous/e
And that’s Morse code for S! S as in SNATCH!
Znayx
Could you explain your display name?
xKiv
Read it upside down.
Shaunock
OH GLOB!
Falling Star
GENIUS
Ana Chronistic
well https://www.dropbox.com/s/nw9st8euqb0agsm/2017-02-05%2016.07.05.jpg?dl=0
David M Willis
the label is the best part
David M Willis
btw, saving for reference
AnvilPro
Alt-text confuses me. Is Mark actually a decent, if dorky guy? I look forward to these plot developments.
Kris
I didn’t like my “step dad” for a long time even though he never did anything wrong. I use quotations cause he never actually married my mom.
Toad
I always hated my step-mom, but it took me until my dad divorced my step-mom and got a new girlfriend that I was finally confident that I didn’t hate her just because she was my step-mom, but because she was a genuinely unpleasant person. Dad’s new girlfriend, in contrast, is great!
Leorale
Hooray for leveling up (from yucky step-mom to great girlfriend)!
Woobie
My stepfather never liked me (or my brothers). From Day 1.
Roborat
I have heard that statement before from friends from blended families and never understood it. Why would you marry (or live with) someone who already has kids if you don’t like the kids, it is pretty much a package deal.
Vincent
My very limited online dating experiences so far seem to indicate “partner had kids, didn’t bother to mention it” might be part of the explanation. Like, I’m not sure what the idea here is – you’re afraid someone won’t be cool with you having a child so you hide that fact so you can get them to like you before dropping that one them..? Would you really want someone who sees children from a previous relationship as an issue?
(I am not very interested in dating single mothers – it’s an experience gap inferiority complex at a guess. But mostly the ones I’ve seen have basically listed wine, travelling and sports as interests aside from being mothers, so a bigger part of it is not really having anything in common)
fillerusername
Seems like it. So Robin’s yet to get over the stage of your life where you idealize the crappy parent who’s never there being a parent and you resent the one who actually WAS there. This is not unusual but she’s in her fucking 30’s and should probably have some adult perspective on this shit at some point but she’s Robin. The fact that she compares her relatively normal childhood angst to Becky’s situation is just fucking typical of her level of immaturity.
Lingo
Is she in her 30s though? She ran for congress at age 25. I agree with you though.
fillerusername
I just assume 30’s I have no idea how old she actually is.
BBCC
Mary confirmed she’s 30.
Socks
Uh. I mean her first comment about other people having crappy dads aside, Becky was the one who explicitly and enthusiastically drew that comparison. She may have been saying stuff in the first panel not to draw comparisons to herself, but to justify not being impacted by becky’s story, which is how I initially read it. So like… still terrible, but for the same reasons as in last comic, not anything new.
And like, Becky’s been intentionally downplaying this for normalcy’s sake anyway, calling him her jerkass dad instead of, like, her dangerously unhinged and abusive one. Quite frankly, someone insisting on making a huge deal about it would be more uncomfortable for her than this thing that she’s explicitly asking for anyway. See also, that time in the diner Joyce tried to say she couldn’t complain about her own parents and Becky did not agree.
Yeah yeah I’m another shortpacked Robin fan with unjustified hope for the character here, whatever man.
fillerusername
In the previous comment Becky brought up her dad who kidnapped her and then immediately following that Robin went, “You’re not the only one with a crappy dad,” Becky was willing to go along with it for the sake of bonding but Robin is the one who equated the two dads first.
fillerusername
Comic not comment. The previous comic.
Socks
No, what I mean is, I read that as another refusal to acknowledge what Robin sees as a political ploy to win her over, not that she INITIALLY was talking about her own dad. Guess it could go either way, but until I saw Becky’s response, I didn’t take it as comparison between the two of them. It coulda just been like “well your sob story won’t work, there’s other sob stories out there (and I as a politician have seen lots of them because politics)”.
And Becky’s over and over tried to keep her situation relatable to other people, so like… that’s presumably what she would have wanted either way? Kid wants to be normal except in the ways that are cool, like having a superhero car chase. But otherwise, like she said to Dina that one time, she doesn’t wanna be a downer, her identity is wrapped up in wackiness and a lack of real problems. Whether or not that’s ultra psychologically healthy is another deal, but it’s what she’s done at pretty much every opportunity.
Rosstifer
I dunno, I read it as Robin trying to equate Becky’s absolutely horrific shotgun threatening dad with having a stepdad who is a bit of dork. Robin is being fucking awful basically.
Li
I mean Becky asked if she has a crappy dad and Robin says no, so I don’t really see this.
Kris
I was gonna say this yesterday but I guess I can say it here. Robin isn’t the horrifying and unredeemable character she seems or that people have labled her as.
She’s guilty of a lot of things: Lack of empathy, obliviousness, complacency, pandering, hypocrisy, doing the bare minimum. I don’t know how she got her job but she keeps it by leaning the way her supporters want. If this comic was in say California. (I only use California because it’s a traditionally blue state and generally queer accepting…also I live there) and the bill she voted on was to say…allocate funds to housing for at risk youth. She would be a hero for doing the same thing she’s doing now. Sitting on her ass, tweeting bullshit, and voting whichever way the wind blows her party. No this doesn’t actually justify anything Robin’s done. In a way it makes it worse because it means she probably doesn’t have any values. But it does mean she’s probably susceptible to persuasion and education with enough time.
This is my opinion. Thank you.
Minder
Robin being redeemable is not the issue. Robin being evil is the issue, the issue being, she is evil, your opinion is not acknowledging how many people her acting term in Congress in comic means and always will mean she is accountable for legislation that goes through or doesn’t go through or even gets argued on the floor. She is a Republican and her giving her vile supporters what they want so she can have what she wants means that entire groups of people get to be murdered en masse and there aren’t more consequences.
Minder
Robin is killing people. Sitting on her ass and tweeting bullshit in a position where you decide whether or not to give the laws of your country the time of day is knowingly going for the job that makes you the decider and you decide anyone but you can just die, and then they do die.
Goblin Scribe
Robin is a closeted gay congresswoman in a district that doesn’t want her to exist. Putting aside ludicrously simplistic “she’s evil” narratives, what do you expect her to *do*? She doesn’t actually wield that much power, especially not now—now, with her campaign flagging, with her having to confront things about herself that she’s studiously avoided thinking about for years.
As for her being “evil” for failing to take proactive action to pursue legislation that would have no chance of passing—do you think pre-DOA Joyce would have done anything different, in her situation?
Because if not, pre-DOA Joyce was “evil”, too. Let’s just keep that perspective when we go making these sorts of claims. The difference between “evil” and “not evil”, by your logic, is a few conversations to challenge a worldview. Y’know, like the conversations Robin is having right now.
Greenygal
Robin wasn’t born into being a Congresswoman, or forced into it. She chose to work her way into a position of power, and I will absolutely judge her for the actions she takes or doesn’t take while in that position. What do I expect her to do? Something, anything, except take only the actions she thinks will keep her in power and never give a second thought to the responsible use of that power. (Well, no, that’s exactly what I expect her to do, but then that’s why I’m judging her.)
trlkly
There’s nothing simplistic about the “evil narrative.” It’s a fundamental issue you have to take into account. Evil is a real thing (even if it is only a concept), and it has to be dealt with. Too much sympathy for evil people creates a desire to overlook how evil they are and easily be misled when they inevitably try to make cosmetic changes that don’t deal with the underlying problem.
Robin being evil is important to keep in mind. She is not merely some good person who has reasons for doing bad things. That may be true, but it makes her no less evil.
And I will repeat why I think this is important. Because I believe this attitude of ignoring evil is why people were able to defend someone as clearly evil as Trump.
The reason I was so upset at him winning was knowing how many people don’t seem to know the difference between Good and Evil anymore. Evil is not corruption. Evil is not maybe making mistakes with email or making the wrong military decision. Evil is hurting people, either intentionally, or because you just don’t care about anyone else but yourself.
And Robin is Evil in that second category (while Trump has some of both.)
Cerberus
I fear context has not done these types of defenses much of a favor. Like, yeah, a shitty democrat would be a shitty incurious democrat, but right now, the republican dominated house has sweetened their deal to kill millions of Americans by making it even more transparently cruel while their chosen leader is about to make it legal for health care professionals to straight up deny me care based on who I am.
So yeah, not really feeling the “all sides are the same” shallow tribal reads at the moment.
Also, the example you provide kind of reveals the central problem. Yes, if Robin instead of voting to actively harm queer youth and make it actively harder for them to survive had instead supported programs to make it easier for folks to survive, she probably would be viewed better.
And it’s not because “following constituents” or “tribal loyalty” but because one example you give is one where she is actively helping people survive and in one she is actively making it harder for people to survive.
Like, if we are really so far gone around that we can’t recognize the stark moral contrast there, then I’m not sure what else we can do.
Leorale
Yeah. It’s a serious false equivalency because a shallow spineless Democrat who votes for whatever the party wants will like, try and feed some poor folks, while a shallow spineless Republican will literally cause people to die. They’re both shallow and spineless, but their impact is nowhere near the same ballpark.
thejeff
While it may make her worse in some abstract moral sense, I’d much rather be dealing with the cynical, believes in nothing, out for themselves politician than a true believer. Unless the true believer agrees with me, of course. As you suggest, the cynical ones can learn. They can negotiate and compromise.
To frame it in the ACA repeal, it’s the difference between the more moderate Republicans being swayed by their constituents saying they need to keep their coverage and the Freedom Caucus demanding a total repeal with no compromise.
Cass
I didn’t get the feeling she idolized her crappy parent. Panel two reads to me as Robin saying that her view on dads in general is that they suck. Like, she’s not saying her biodad is great because he’s great, he’s great because he went away and she never sees him.
Liliet
Same as Cass here. I don’t get the feeling that she thinks dads can be good period, what I do get is the feeling that she’s not telling the whole story of what’s wrong with her stepdad. She thinks it’s good that her bio-dad is not involved in her life! What kind of shit is she projecting on the possibility that he could have been?
I know lots of people have been complaining in the comments about how many people are turning out to have had crappy parents, but the thing is… lots of people have crappy parents. Like, that’s a pretty true to life part )=
Deanatay
Sounds like a debate worth starting: If you’re a crappy parent, or believe you would be one, is it better to stay in your kid’s life, or to remove yourself? Is it better for a child to have abusive parents, or no parents?
I mean, clearly, the best result is to have neither.
dralou
If you have reasons to think you would be crappy parents, don’t make/adopt kids. But… Well, if people were responsible enough to reflect upon themselves and be honest on their capacity to educate a child, child abuse wouldn’t be a thing, now, would it ?
And it’s better to have no parents than having bad parents, if only because with a bit of luck, other parental figures, good ones, can be found.
Misteline
Sometimes kids are a legit accident. Even keeping them can be compulsory.
dralou
Please, don’t take this the wrong way, I honestly ask because I don’t understand: how can it be compulsory to keep a child when you know that their life environment would be bad for them ?
I can see cases where someone discovers that they’re pregnant too late for an abortion to still be legal, or where said abortion could have dire consequences on their health, but if they honest-to-goodness believe that a child shouldn’t be living with them… isn’t it why adoption centers are partly for ? Aren’t there governmental organisms put in place specifically to protect the children ?
Vincent
Sort of feels like Robin never really had any interest in growing up.
Cattleprod
It depends on how much you hate Star Trek, apparently? Looking up Robin’s mom’s appearances in Shortpacked, it looks like she never remarried, so his tie collection is the only thing we know about Mark.
fillerusername
Also according to the alt text another huge flaw of his is that he’s always telling Robin he’s proud of her. So he likes star trek and he’s supportive of her career. I mean that does imply his politics might be shit.
zoelogical
star trek is a lot more of a liberal narrative, tho
fillerusername
True but I’m wondering how proud of Robin he could be if her weren’t a republican himself. I guess he could just have a rule about supporting her but never actually discussing what she believes. I mean it’s not like anyone but (we can assume) Roz would really be eager to make a thing about it.
zoelogical
mmmm or maybe he’s a moderate and on the side of “trying to understand everybody’s viewpoints”, which would be pretty star treky
MatthewTheLucky
Robin doesn’t have a view on most of the things she does though. She just does them because they’re easy.
zoelogical
but see that is also a viewpoint
you really can’t slither your way out of having viewpoints when neutrality is itself a viewpoint. choosing the easiest way is a political opinion, especially if you work in politics. it’s not an easily defensible opinion, but it’s still an opinion.
Socks
My stepdad would be out of his mind proud if I became a congressperson, and he’s like, really conservative. Some people only take politics so seriously, regardless of their ideals, and while he’s voted straight ticket republican for like ever, pretty sure if I ever demanded passionately that he just not vote on an issue or something, he’d humor me. Lotta people don’t care THAT much, so the pride of having a congressperson child could still win over whatever they actually are doing in office. It’s a pretty big accomplishment.
Basically I don’t think we can infer much of anything about Mark besides that he is complicit in withholding everyday cereal from his stepchildren, so far.
Cerberus
I’m intensely depressed that folks like this are what’s going to kill me and everyone I love.
Masumi
You sound especially frustrated today – what’s wrong? May I offer internet hugs? (Jeeesh, I don’t even know how to ask such things without sounding all insensitive)
Cerberus
It’s just been really really shit politically of late.
Today, Trump will sign the Religious Freedom EO which will now mean everything I try to do as a trans person will now be a roulette wheel of whether or not they consider me enough of a person to do their job and that includes emergency services.
And the House is really close to enough votes to pass their version of the AHCA, which, yeah, most of my loved ones are lower income folks relying on ACA for any form of coverage and are taking medicine that is critical for whether or not they kill themselves or whether or not they stay alive. (So if any of you has a red representative, please spam their phone number). And would also mean the return of pre-existing condition bans. Being trans was a pre-existing condition. Hell, most things were.
We just had Comey joke and laugh around about his role in a deliberate act of treason to “elect” a dangerous fascist while the news media that aided him continue ranting about Obama and Clinton as if the world wasn’t burning right now.
And a woman is about to go to jail for a year, because she dared laugh at AG Sessions while all the “free speech” assholes who’ve been tongue-bathing nazis for the last three years have gone conspicuously silent.
And it’s all happening because of this toxic mix of tribalism and “both-sides fetishism” that is allowing the normalization of a party who is entirely about finding inventive new ways to actively hurt and kill marginalized folks just trying to get by.
And it’s all… a little much.
Masumi
Wow, that sucks far worse than I’ve heard from the news, unbelievable level of assholery. Sorry to hear that. But remember, there are still good people out there. (e.g. I wouldn’t think emergency doctors are the type to care about any stupid religious freedom stuff, hopefully?) Stay strong 🙂
Li
It…
Okay first of all you’re just wrong about doctors, period. Doctors are people. Often they are wealthy people. They are not less prejudiced than the average bear; in fact, they tend to be worse on prejudices like anti-fat bias (where literally tumors go undiagnosed for years because fat patients get told that the pain in their knees will get better if they lose weight, and that’s the end of their consultation). As any trans person will tell you, the medical community is hella transphobic.
Second, emergency care is not a substitute for health insurance. And it also is not free — emergency doctors will treat you and then send you a bill that you have no way to pay and sic collection agencies on you to ensure they get their money.
Like there’s a reason why people in this country sometimes break the law so that they can go to prison and be treated for free by prison doctors.
Third, Cerberus knows there are still good people out there. She’s just still upset and she has every right to be, because the mere presence of good people won’t save anyone if this shit becomes law.
Masumi
*sigh* apparently I failed at not sounding all insensitive. I just tried to be supportive, and theres not a whole lot I can do from over here :/
Kim
I’m thinking he may also just be a super supportive guy.
Maybe putting her politcs aside to be encouraging, and honestly proud of her achiving the level of political office that she has 🙂
3oranges
Star Trek is more of a liberal narrative, but in a way that people somehow entirely miss. I’ve seen it held up online as an example of golden age sci fi, when it was about tech and not SJW nonsense. At one point the head of the NSA made an Enterprise bridge out of his command center, apparently without noting the two display rather opposite values.
Temperaryobsessor
That could be a real abuse tactic if he’s not doing that for everybody.
Kickback
Dawwww
Kris
16 is a little overboard.
Emperor Norton II
I agree, 15 is enough.
Danni
mark needs 20 star trek ties
TheKelliestKelly
Mark needs 20 *more* Star Trek ties
Danni
right, i misspoke, mark needs 20 more star trek ties
Tacos
Mark needs ALL of the Star Trek ties.
Kris
You can make an argument for 7 because hey you need one for every day of the week. Maybe even 14 because sometimes you have to put off doing laundry a week cause life. 16? 20?! Maybe question some of your life choices.
Leorale
Does one launder ties?
I mean I guess if you spill something on them.
Or maybe Mark uses them to floss his armpits. I don’t know his life.
Danni
http://www.ties.com/blog/how-to-clean-a-tie
Liliaeth
well just because they’re all Star Trek ties, doesn’t mean they’re the same ones. There’s like five different captains to begin with, different characters, all in various shades and colors, and just because you feel like wearing a tie with Worf on it in one week, doesn’t mean that next week, you might not prefer to have a simple one color with just the Star Trek symbol on it some other time…. just saying…
BenRG
Wear them? Wear them?!? Philistine! Collectables like that should be kept vacuum-wrapped in cellophane and displayed in a glass-fronted case! Certainly they should never suffer the indignity of contact with the human body… or even unfiltered air!