I figured out the approximate time it gets posted in my time zone, go to the website then, then mash F5 until the comic updates.
No idea about the others tho, but probably similar.
Miri
That’s around 5AM for me. If I’m up, it’s usually the rare occasion I’m rescuing a child (these days, most likely one who’s been unwell)… Sometimes insomnia, but then I’m usually pretending I’m asleep…
Not quite. Robin is very serious about whatever she’s talking about–in the moment. However, her attention lapses more often and more rapidly than Trump’s marriage vows.
What Jason needs to do is find a good vintage store that has a bunch of old-timey keys he can put on a ring; anytime Robin gives him a bizarro assignment, he can whip out the keys and jangle themn for several seconds before continuing the discussion as if it’d never happened…
Yeah, you can tell, because she says “Wow, you believed that” rather than “Wow, I completely forgot I said that”.
I know, I know, it’s all part of the gag. As long as Jason has no choice but to never question her because the alternative is being deported, she will keep doubling down on her absurd instructions rather than tell him “Dude, I was kidding.”
I guess I just prefer a Robin whose an erratic narccissist than one who’s an outright sadist.
That thought did occur to me, but I could also see her being the kind of person who had beef with AI, albeit for unusual reasons compared to most people with AI aversion.
If she had to do that herself I feel like she might develop her own very personal beef with AI quite quickly. Then again she might get bored with it, before that happens.
The hard part is figuring out what she will want beyond 5 minutes. A coffee she will probably remember asking for. A book, she obviously won’t. You learn the balance and you’re golden.
My personal joke headcanon is that DoA!Dargon is still a dimension hopper, but cannot conquer the world due to the effects of the Sliding Timescale Tag preventing a change that massive lest it throw the Dumbiverse too far out of sync with reality.
My question is whether or not customizing the “new” item is more expensive than the price at which it will be introduced.
Just in the here-and-now, I know after 6 months they’ll increase the price while removing the custom options on the prior menu that made it possible in the first place.
That’s why I refuse to let myself get attached to anything at Taco Bell except the plain-ol’ regular taco.
Same goes for the other fast food chains, honestly. I’m still mad at McDonalds for discontinuing the Big n’ Tasty, but you know the Whopper isn’t going anywhere any time soon. (RIP to Burger King’s thick, gritty shakes.)
For some reason this puts me in mind of a sub shop I used to frequent back at the turn of the century. You could get a BLT sub or, for about 10% less, you could get a veggie sub add bacon and usually wind up with more bacon than on the otherwise identical BLT. For all I know it’s still true.
I sense within him this… This desperation. This man wants things to make sense. He wants that, if his professors are going to be “zany” at best and “whimsical, egotistical tyrants” at worse, at least the schemes should last more than 5.4 seconds. He so desperately wants to feel that anything he does matters, if only in a lowly minion way, he’s thrown his lot with Ruth, who’s not exactly in love with him – but making do.
Jason is periodically oblivious like that. Like when he couldn’t figure out why Sal had sex with him. He should be more savvy than that, but he’s not.
I saw a House MD last week, where the “a-ha symptom” was the patient thought everything people said was in earnest, and House, naturally, had been very sarcastic. Does Jason have an artificial hip that’s giving him cobalt poisoning?
Chapter I: Bane of the Constitution ‐ The American People
Chapter II: The Five Interdependant Branches of Government
Chapter III: The TriCameral Legislature – Senators, Representatives, and Lobbiests
Chapter IV: Presidential Authority and the Emergancy Powers Acts
Chapter V: The American System of Regulatory Capture
Chapter VI: It’s Good to Be Supreme
Chapter VII: Our Civil Masters
Chapter VIII: Ammendments From the Founding of the Republic to the End of Democracy
Chapter IX: The Importance of Not Seeing the FNORDS
Chapter X: Hacking the Press
Chapter XI Black Ops and the Shadow Government
Chapter XII: A Civil Career and the Opportunities for Perfectly Legal Graft
Chapter XIII: There Is No Chapter XIII
Chapter XIX: Political Parties and a Really Fun Time
Chapter XX: Assembling Coalitions of Convenience
Chapter XXI: Cronie Capitalism and the Finest Government Money Can Buy
Chapter XXII: Your Fundamental Rights as an American Citizen and Other Illusions
Chapter XXIII: The National Debt – Why No-One Actually Cares
Chapter XXIV: The Importance of Political Donations and Pulling the Wool Over Your Own Eyes
Chapter XXV: New Political Movements of the Twenty-First Century
Chapter XXVI: Exit Strategies and Golden Parachutes
Chapter XXVII: On the Importance of Being Robin
INTRODUCTION
Hey peeps. First of all I’d like to thank all the little people who did the hard work of writing this essential textbook. No, really. I didn’t even read the thing. Not even this Introduction…
Pergola
Saved, for Great Justice.
( and my future political career )
OBBWG
This is brilliant and accurate.
Sarah Lea
I fed this into ChatGPT with some basic background from the previous few strips. ChatGPT suggested this as the first few paragraphs for Chapter 1:
Chapter I: Bane of the Constitution – The American People
Welcome, dear reader, to the twisted tale of American politics. In this riveting saga, we shall embark on a journey through the labyrinth of democracy, a system designed by the people, for the people, but somehow managed by anything but the people. Yes, we are talking about you, the American citizenry, the unwitting protagonists in a tragicomedy of errors, where your votes are counted, your voices heard, and promptly forgotten in the cacophony of bureaucratic banality.
From the hallowed halls of Capitol Hill to the bustling streets of Smalltown, USA, the American people stand as both the bedrock and the bane of the Constitution. With a mixture of fervent patriotism and blissful ignorance, they navigate the treacherous waters of civic duty, armed only with their opinions and the occasional protest sign hastily scrawled on cardboard. But fear not, dear reader, for in these pages, we shall dissect the paradox of American citizenship with surgical precision, exposing the inherent contradictions and absurdities that make it simultaneously noble and utterly confounding.
So, buckle up, my fellow citizens, as we delve into the heart of the American experiment, where the only certainty is uncertainty, and the only constant is change – albeit at a glacial pace. Prepare to be enlightened, amused, and perhaps even a little disheartened as we unravel the enigma wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in red, white, and blue. Welcome to the United States of Irony, where the people reign supreme, except when they don’t.
Sarah Lea
Chapter 1’s Outline:
I. Introduction to the American People:
A. Brief overview of the American populace as the central actors in the political landscape.
B. Introduce the paradoxical relationship between the people and the Constitution.
II. The Illusion of Democracy:
A. Exploration of the idealized notion of democracy in the American psyche.
B. Discussion on how this ideal often clashes with the reality of political processes.
III. The Tyranny of Apathy:
A. Examination of voter turnout statistics and political engagement levels.
B. Analysis of the factors contributing to political apathy among American citizens.
IV. The Spectacle of Partisanship:
A. Overview of the deeply entrenched partisan divisions within American society.
B. Examination of how partisanship shapes political discourse and decision-making.
V. The Influence of Special Interests:
A. Discussion on the role of special interest groups and lobbyists in American politics.
B. Analysis of how these groups exert influence over policymakers and legislation.
VI. The Cult of Personality:
A. Exploration of the phenomenon of celebrity politics and the cult-like devotion to political figures.
B. Examination of how personality-driven politics can overshadow policy substance.
VII. The Challenges of Political Literacy:
A. Discussion on the importance of political education and literacy.
B. Analysis of the barriers to political understanding and engagement among the populace.
VIII. Conclusion:
A. Recap of the complexities and contradictions inherent in the relationship between the American people and the Constitution.
B. Call to action for greater civic engagement and awareness among citizens.
Sarah Lea
All right, guys. I’ve lost it.
I always was a little more Joyce/Dorothy than Joyce/Dorothy…
Discussion (112) - “Governingable”
Ana Chronistic
if you don’t like Robin’s plans, wait five minutes
Ana Chronistic
Dumbing of Age Book 469: Is That Even Still a Thing?
…wait no
Bash
I am in favor of the sentence immediately following.
Miri
Or “I’m Going to Wish I’d Been Deported Instead of Having Gotten This Job, Aren’t I?” Pretty sure that’s a solid, catchy title right there!
a/snow/mous/e
i think there’s been several long titles
alternately you could stop at “deported”
Needfuldoer
ADHD, thy name is Robin DeSanto.
IntangibleMatter
We stan an impulsive queen.
IntangibleMatter
I almost beat Ana today but my internet lagged.
LaGrosseLegume
How you guys even do it so quickly?
HueSatLight
Are they langoliers?
LaGrosseLegume
Oh no. I don’t want to be eaten by time-cosmic horror.
IntangibleMatter
I figured out the approximate time it gets posted in my time zone, go to the website then, then mash F5 until the comic updates.
No idea about the others tho, but probably similar.
Miri
That’s around 5AM for me. If I’m up, it’s usually the rare occasion I’m rescuing a child (these days, most likely one who’s been unwell)… Sometimes insomnia, but then I’m usually pretending I’m asleep…
IntangibleMatter
It’s about 9:13 pm for me, so it works fine on my end :p
Though I do wonder why the server is about 13 minutes off…
Slartibeast Button, BIA
DYW uses time twisting technology to maintain his huge buffer. The 13 minute gaps are a minor side effect.
NGPZ
Just remember where she keeps her cadbury cream eggs
Theluxland
The Cadbury eggs are probably gonna help her write her book. It’s just that she won’t remember the subject of it.
That is if she even remember the subject of it even without the eggs.
DailyBrad
You know, I should have expected this to be what would happen, that’s on me.
HueSatLight
oh wow, she wasn’t serious after all.
Freemage
Not quite. Robin is very serious about whatever she’s talking about–in the moment. However, her attention lapses more often and more rapidly than Trump’s marriage vows.
What Jason needs to do is find a good vintage store that has a bunch of old-timey keys he can put on a ring; anytime Robin gives him a bizarro assignment, he can whip out the keys and jangle themn for several seconds before continuing the discussion as if it’d never happened…
HueSatLight
she wasn’t being serious at all.
Daibhid C
Yeah, you can tell, because she says “Wow, you believed that” rather than “Wow, I completely forgot I said that”.
I know, I know, it’s all part of the gag. As long as Jason has no choice but to never question her because the alternative is being deported, she will keep doubling down on her absurd instructions rather than tell him “Dude, I was kidding.”
I guess I just prefer a Robin whose an erratic narccissist than one who’s an outright sadist.
HueSatLight
I read her as someone who doesn’t take herself seriously 95% of the time, not someone who has had a psychotic break.
When a person does a joke that doesn’t land, they have a choice of trying to make the other person feel bad or letting it go.
BBCC
Welp, easy come, easy go.
Needfuldoer
Little high, little low.
reed
Let’s be real Robin would just have an AI write her book for her.
Doctor_Who
Hell, Robin would have an AI teach her class for her, if she weren’t half convinced Jason WAS one.
DailyBrad
That thought did occur to me, but I could also see her being the kind of person who had beef with AI, albeit for unusual reasons compared to most people with AI aversion.
devil's wellbuilder
If she had to do that herself I feel like she might develop her own very personal beef with AI quite quickly. Then again she might get bored with it, before that happens.
Nono
Is Robin an easy boss to work for, or a hard one?
Because on one hand, unrealistic demands… on the other hand, give it five minutes and she’d probably forget what she demanded.
staszu13
Five more minutes and she demands the head of Alfredo Garcia
Doctor_Who
I’ve had bosses somewhat like this. Really, it depends on your ability to manage yourself.
Anon A Mouse
The hard part is figuring out what she will want beyond 5 minutes. A coffee she will probably remember asking for. A book, she obviously won’t. You learn the balance and you’re golden.
Tawdry Quirks
The correct answer is both, all at once.
Mturtle7
She strikes me as exhausting, but manageable, so long as you don’t care too much about any of your job’s normal duties.
staszu13
Cheer up, Jason. You could have been born to an evil dimension-crossing industrialist who let his native universe die a heat death out of spite.
You did mention your dad had an eye patch?
RassilonTDavros
My personal joke headcanon is that DoA!Dargon is still a dimension hopper, but cannot conquer the world due to the effects of the Sliding Timescale Tag preventing a change that massive lest it throw the Dumbiverse too far out of sync with reality.
StClair
Currrses!
M!a
Mind you, the absolute value of the sliding timescale is *itself* sliding. I wonder how long before it asymptotes to the vertical.
That will likely coincide with the introduction of whichever villain(s) was/were capable of time travel.
thakoru
Breaking: Former Congresswoman Robin DeSanto capable of eating non-sweet food. More at 11.
David DeLaney
what, you don’t think she’s gonna COVER it with sugar and maple syrup?
–Dave, they apparently go wih bacon, after all
Masumi
Fast food sauces tend to contain copious amounts of sugar, so the ‘non sweet’ is up for debate.
Schpoonman
My question is whether or not customizing the “new” item is more expensive than the price at which it will be introduced.
Just in the here-and-now, I know after 6 months they’ll increase the price while removing the custom options on the prior menu that made it possible in the first place.
Needfuldoer
That’s why I refuse to let myself get attached to anything at Taco Bell except the plain-ol’ regular taco.
Same goes for the other fast food chains, honestly. I’m still mad at McDonalds for discontinuing the Big n’ Tasty, but you know the Whopper isn’t going anywhere any time soon. (RIP to Burger King’s thick, gritty shakes.)
clif
For some reason this puts me in mind of a sub shop I used to frequent back at the turn of the century. You could get a BLT sub or, for about 10% less, you could get a veggie sub add bacon and usually wind up with more bacon than on the otherwise identical BLT. For all I know it’s still true.
Pergola
Does it come with Frequent Fryer Miles?
Schpoonman
Aren’t those reward points that just about every restaurant’s app has?
Larathiel
What I don’t understand is why he took the textbook thing seriously to begin with. I feel like Jason is more savvy than that…
Dante
I sense within him this… This desperation. This man wants things to make sense. He wants that, if his professors are going to be “zany” at best and “whimsical, egotistical tyrants” at worse, at least the schemes should last more than 5.4 seconds. He so desperately wants to feel that anything he does matters, if only in a lowly minion way, he’s thrown his lot with Ruth, who’s not exactly in love with him – but making do.
Jason’s is a litany against nihilism. Poor dude.
M!a
Sooooo he was looking for Monty Python and got Animaniacs instead. Check.
David DeLaney
yeah, if he wants MontyPython extended comedic scenes he neesds to meet Carla
HueSatLight
Jason is periodically oblivious like that. Like when he couldn’t figure out why Sal had sex with him. He should be more savvy than that, but he’s not.
I saw a House MD last week, where the “a-ha symptom” was the patient thought everything people said was in earnest, and House, naturally, had been very sarcastic. Does Jason have an artificial hip that’s giving him cobalt poisoning?
Bash
I want to argue that he did know and convinced himself otherwise, but I’m not even sure at this point.
HueSatLight
It’s the accent, maybe. Americans hear an English accent and think, “golly, they must be smart.” Meanwhile, Piers Morgan.
C.T. Phipps
Yes, Jason never slept with Sal because he was trying to extort sex. He assumed she was overwhelmed with their massive chemistry.
clif
That and the bow-tie.
Amelie Wikström
Dangit now I want to read Become Ungoverningable.
Jamie
Just read Art of the Deal.
clif
How much are you willing to pay?
Amelie Wikström
I should mention in my head the book is an exhaustive biography of Robin built on Dorothy’s research and Becky doing Robin’s voice.
clif
Chapter I: Bane of the Constitution ‐ The American People
Chapter II: The Five Interdependant Branches of Government
Chapter III: The TriCameral Legislature – Senators, Representatives, and Lobbiests
Chapter IV: Presidential Authority and the Emergancy Powers Acts
Chapter V: The American System of Regulatory Capture
Chapter VI: It’s Good to Be Supreme
Chapter VII: Our Civil Masters
Chapter VIII: Ammendments From the Founding of the Republic to the End of Democracy
Chapter IX: The Importance of Not Seeing the FNORDS
Chapter X: Hacking the Press
Chapter XI Black Ops and the Shadow Government
Chapter XII: A Civil Career and the Opportunities for Perfectly Legal Graft
Chapter XIII: There Is No Chapter XIII
Chapter XIX: Political Parties and a Really Fun Time
Chapter XX: Assembling Coalitions of Convenience
Chapter XXI: Cronie Capitalism and the Finest Government Money Can Buy
Chapter XXII: Your Fundamental Rights as an American Citizen and Other Illusions
Chapter XXIII: The National Debt – Why No-One Actually Cares
Chapter XXIV: The Importance of Political Donations and Pulling the Wool Over Your Own Eyes
Chapter XXV: New Political Movements of the Twenty-First Century
Chapter XXVI: Exit Strategies and Golden Parachutes
Chapter XXVII: On the Importance of Being Robin
INTRODUCTION
Hey peeps. First of all I’d like to thank all the little people who did the hard work of writing this essential textbook. No, really. I didn’t even read the thing. Not even this Introduction…
Pergola
Saved, for Great Justice.
( and my future political career )
OBBWG
This is brilliant and accurate.
Sarah Lea
I fed this into ChatGPT with some basic background from the previous few strips. ChatGPT suggested this as the first few paragraphs for Chapter 1:
Chapter I: Bane of the Constitution – The American People
Welcome, dear reader, to the twisted tale of American politics. In this riveting saga, we shall embark on a journey through the labyrinth of democracy, a system designed by the people, for the people, but somehow managed by anything but the people. Yes, we are talking about you, the American citizenry, the unwitting protagonists in a tragicomedy of errors, where your votes are counted, your voices heard, and promptly forgotten in the cacophony of bureaucratic banality.
From the hallowed halls of Capitol Hill to the bustling streets of Smalltown, USA, the American people stand as both the bedrock and the bane of the Constitution. With a mixture of fervent patriotism and blissful ignorance, they navigate the treacherous waters of civic duty, armed only with their opinions and the occasional protest sign hastily scrawled on cardboard. But fear not, dear reader, for in these pages, we shall dissect the paradox of American citizenship with surgical precision, exposing the inherent contradictions and absurdities that make it simultaneously noble and utterly confounding.
So, buckle up, my fellow citizens, as we delve into the heart of the American experiment, where the only certainty is uncertainty, and the only constant is change – albeit at a glacial pace. Prepare to be enlightened, amused, and perhaps even a little disheartened as we unravel the enigma wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in red, white, and blue. Welcome to the United States of Irony, where the people reign supreme, except when they don’t.
Sarah Lea
Chapter 1’s Outline:
I. Introduction to the American People:
A. Brief overview of the American populace as the central actors in the political landscape.
B. Introduce the paradoxical relationship between the people and the Constitution.
II. The Illusion of Democracy:
A. Exploration of the idealized notion of democracy in the American psyche.
B. Discussion on how this ideal often clashes with the reality of political processes.
III. The Tyranny of Apathy:
A. Examination of voter turnout statistics and political engagement levels.
B. Analysis of the factors contributing to political apathy among American citizens.
IV. The Spectacle of Partisanship:
A. Overview of the deeply entrenched partisan divisions within American society.
B. Examination of how partisanship shapes political discourse and decision-making.
V. The Influence of Special Interests:
A. Discussion on the role of special interest groups and lobbyists in American politics.
B. Analysis of how these groups exert influence over policymakers and legislation.
VI. The Cult of Personality:
A. Exploration of the phenomenon of celebrity politics and the cult-like devotion to political figures.
B. Examination of how personality-driven politics can overshadow policy substance.
VII. The Challenges of Political Literacy:
A. Discussion on the importance of political education and literacy.
B. Analysis of the barriers to political understanding and engagement among the populace.
VIII. Conclusion:
A. Recap of the complexities and contradictions inherent in the relationship between the American people and the Constitution.
B. Call to action for greater civic engagement and awareness among citizens.
Sarah Lea
All right, guys. I’ve lost it.
I always was a little more Joyce/Dorothy than Joyce/Dorothy…
Here’s the start of Becoming Ungoverningable: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-gOKPwRgZt3XwzVweJlArmxPd9ZqPQ0XRbxIms10eok/edit?usp=sharing
Feel free to contribute!
Pergola
Bravo!
If I were teaching a PolSci course, I would hand this out to my students and invite them to pick a section and expand on it.
devil's wellbuilder
I’m sorry to say this is exactly as good as I would have expected from ChatGPT.
thejeff
Why did you skip Chapter IX?
clif
Keep up the good work.