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August 2010
August 26, 2010
August 20, 2010
Blood Sacrifice
In today's New York Times, the great sage Paul Krugman neatly outlines Hollingsworth Hound's complicated relationship with the Deficit Hawk:
"Notice, in particular, how suddenly Republicans lost interest in the budget deficit when they were challenged about the cost of retaining tax cuts for the wealthy. But that won’t stop them from continuing to pose as deficit hawks whenever anyone proposes doing something to help the unemployed."
He also writes about the economic sacrifices demanded in the name of invisible "bond gods" that reminded me of this Tom the Dancing Bug from a couple of years ago. Of course, he's talking about very specific "gods," the gods of budget deficit control that must be appeased to avoid a phantom borrowing crisis. I was referring to the general way we view the economic crisis compared to the way the Mayans reacted to the crises that eventually toppled their civilization. But the last panel in the strip makes for a nice illustration to his piece.
August 18, 2010
August 17, 2010
Afghan Trek
UPDATE: EASY LINKS
CARTOONISTS ACROSS AFGHANISTAN
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Cartoonists Ted Rall, Matt Bors and Steven Cloud are currently in Afghanistan, on their own (i.e, un-embedded), trekking across the northern and western parts of the country. Ted's a good friend (I just about begged him NOT to go), and I know Matt well as a great guy and a great cartoonist.
This is an amazing adventure, and you can follow their progress every day through Ted's DAILY comics (I hope he can keep this up)...
Matt's sketchbook drawings on his blog...
and Steven's photos (if he's posting sketches or comics, I haven't found them). Here is Matt and Ted TODAY drawing for some Afghan kids. I hope they like alternative, highly stylized, politically trenchant comics!
On twitter, you can follow Ted at tedrall, Matt at mattbors, and Steven at boasas
August 16, 2010
August 12, 2010
August 11, 2010
How to quit.
I find people's reaction to the raging Jet Blue Flight Attendant interesting. Most, including me, seemed to respond, "good for him!" even though what he did was irresponsible, dangerous and abusive to the 99% of the passengers who were innocent of being surly, uncooperative jerks.
I think it has to do with an escape fantasy. If he'd become famous for only cursing out the passengers, or quitting in some other spectacular way, such as toppling a beverage cart or flinging luggage, I don't think he'd have become a folk hero. But who among us, feeling trapped in a degrading situation/job/fuselage, and wouldn't dream of escaping by releasing a giant inflatable slide and jumping out into the sunshine? Every office, cubicle and work station should have a giant inflatable slide next to it for when that straw breaks the camel's back. So long, suckers!
There seems to be something in the air that's got people dreaming about quitting. This series of photos showing a woman quitting in a spectacular way has gone viral over the past couple of days. It's been pointed out that it's certainly a fake, and it's decidedly less funny as a scripted comedy piece than as real termination theater.
But it takes my good friends at Boing Boing to point out the very best "screw you" to an employer ever. And of course it's associated with the very worst job ever -- slave. Seems that in 1865, freed slave Jourdan Anderson was contacted by his former owner, P.H. Anderson with the request that he return to work at the plantation. The New York Daily Tribune published Jourdan's masterpiece of a response.
The highlights, culled by Boing Boing's Maggie Koerth-Baker:
"I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than any body else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable.
As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost Marshall-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for 32 years, and Mandy 20 years. At 25 dollars a month for me, and 2 dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to $11,608. Please send the money by Adam's Express, in care of V. Winters Esq., Dayton, Ohio.
Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when your were shooting at me."
I'm honestly overcome with emotion when I think of what this poor man has been through, and has yet to go through. But I can imagine that armed with this level of intelligence, wit and cool, he had a good chance to do all right for himself and his family.
And by the way, in case you feel any sympathy for the owner, now publicly revealed to have harbored rebel soldiers and killed a stranded union soldier, read the actual letter and you'll find a passage that takes an even darker turn to the story. How Jourdan was able to maintain an ironic stance in this letter, through the bitterness and rage he must have felt, is nothing short of unbelievable.
"In answering this letter please state if there would be any safety for my Molly and Jane, who are now grown up and both good looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve and die if it come to that than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters."