The Comic

[shoebox10]

<p>You know what I'm talking about. Any predictions on the million random, and sometimes really absurd, schemes people have thought of happening? (aka, closure of CavDaily, honor violation of the artist, a total racial war, etc etc etc)</p>

[cavalier302]

<p>Don’t care. Stupid stuff like this happens every semester. The administration can’t close the Cavalier Daily and I don’t know what honor violations the artist could have violated.</p>

[Dean_J]

<p>Did the hypnotist do something even more tasteless than in the past?</p>

[ehiunno]

<p>I thought that comic was hilarious. They can get over it.</p>

<p>I also thought Chen’s comic about the quantum mechanic was funny. Im undecided about Chen himself…</p>

[UVAMalex09]

<p>Being Eritrean (Eritrea is the country north of Ethiopia), I can give you dissenting opinion. I don’t believe that Woolard has committed an honor violation or that the Cav Daily needs to be shut down over this. However, I did find the comic tasteless for its ignorance. You can’t laugh at hungry people fighting over food. That’s just disgusting. Plus, the failure on Woolard’s part is that he was making fun of the great famine in Ethiopia that was over 20 years ago. Ethiopia is a lot better now than it was back then, but it could be better. The only thing that I dislike is that someone else other than the Editor-in-Chief make notice that the comic is a little offensive. Maybe it bothers me because I have been to Addis Ababa and seen children in clothing too big for them waiting in line for kerosene for their family. I am just saying that Woolard made a mistake and needs to make a formal apology for his comic. I accept the Cavalier Daily’s apology, but an apology from Woolard is what I want.</p>

<p>Don’t take ridiculous comments like “bringing down Cav Daily” or “Woolard for Single Sanction” divert yourselves from the prevalent issues here.</p>

[hazelorb]

<p>woolard continually makes “offensive” comics that get pulled and retracted multiple times each year. either people need to stop being offended or the cav daily needs to just pull his comics. because this whole getting upset cycle that we are in is not doing anything for anyone.</p>

[ehiunno]

<p>I the cav needs to pull him f they are sick of people complaining. Thats probably true. Do I think they should? Not really, but I dont get offended very easily. Its not that I don’t think Malex has a point here, because I do, I just think the uproar it has caused is unnecessary and unreasonable. Im not gonna say that I didn’t laugh when I read the comic, but im also not going to pretend that I know the context of it nearly as well as Malex does. I still have always thought uproars over someones use of free speech to be a bit ridiculous, but I’ll say that if the people should be mad at anyone, its the cav for letting the comic through if they thought it might be offensive, they control what goes in their paper, and if they deem their artists inappropriate, they should do something about it.</p>

[Protean]

<p>well the comic is all over grounds now. 4 or more alone are at the bus stop next to the AFC posted by those opposed to the comic strip, who naturally want everyone to be exposed to it. I always find that ironic.</p>

<p>I can see how it might be funny to some but it’s very low humor.</p>

[hazelorb]

<p>

Dear Brown, </p>

<p>I wish to explain my comic and the rationales behind its creation so that critics of the comic may know what they are condemning. </p>

<p>Despite what has been written about the comic, not a single source has consulted me concerning its meaning. So I would like to take this opportunity to, once and for all, explain this with my own voice. </p>

<p>What does this comic mean? </p>

<p>I would first like to disambiguate the caption, “Ethiopian Food Fight.” Let us examine the first word. Why use Ethiopia as an example, especially considering that the country is not currently suffering a famine? Although famine today has by and large been eradicated in Ethiopia, this problem has plagued the nation in recent memory, The devastating famine experienced by Ethiopia in the 1970s and 1980s remains indelibly imprinted in the minds of recent generations as of one of the worst cases of human suffering. Hence, I used Ethiopia not to perpetuate a false image of the country today, but to invoke a strong reminder of a hardship that actually occurred in Ethiopia and is still occurring in many parts of the world today. This was by no means intended to negatively portray Ethiopia or its people. Similarly, depicting the Irish Potato Famine by no means implies a negative portrayal of Ireland. As for the depictions of the figures themselves, there have been criticisms that they are unnecessarily crude in an attempt to disparage Africans. Browsing through any of my other comics will make it clear that this simply a consistent and distinctive artistic style. Returning to the second half of the title, the term “food fight”, was not meant to imply that the figures were fighting for food, but rather with food, as the common usage of the term suggests. In the most extreme cases of famine in many parts of the world, people have had to resort to eating what would otherwise be considered inedible in order to survive.
Therefore, I am implying that, in a hypothetical situation, were anyone to have a food fight during a severe famine, these seemingly inedible objects would be used as “food”. This surrealistic hypothetical situation invites the reader to realize that what initially appears to be a joke reflects a sobering reality. For too many people in the world, this is what they have to eat to survive.</p>

<p>Does your comic trivialize starvation?</p>

<p>My comic does not trivialize starvation. Subject matter presented through the medium of a comic should not be assumed to be trivial. In fact, works such as those by Art Spiegelman, Marjorie Satrapi, or Peter Kuper, prove that comics can be a powerful medium for social commentary. Sometimes, the atrocities of the world are so outrageous as to render one speechless. At such times, comics can present the absurdities of reality in a way that other media cannot. This strip invites the reader to make a connection by presenting a surrealistic hypothetical situation based on a serious reality.</p>

<p>The message of a comic must be terse by its nature. This, unfortunately, often lends itself to multiple misinterpretations. Needless to say, this comic has been widely misinterpreted and was by no means created to suggest that certain people are “barbaric” or “inferior”, as others claim. As a comic artist, I feel that it is sometimes necessary to address sensitive issues. However, had I anticipated the number of people hurt by this comic, I would not have deemed it worth running. I am upset that, due to previous comics, Quirksmith has gained a reputation for being merely offensive. As any one of my fellow comic artists can attest, I have always devoted much thought, time and effort into every comic I produce. I try to construct a work with substance, so it pains me when the message is obscured by misunderstandings. In the future, if tackling a sensitive issue, I will exercise much more consideration as to what could potentially be misconstrued as hurtful. For those who have been hurt by this recent comic, please understand that I have no ill intent. </p>

<p>Sincerely,
Grant

</p>

<p>for some reason quoting does not count towards your character limit…</p>

[jags861]

<p>i still don’t understand the fuss</p>

[UVAMalex09]

<p>I got what I wanted out of this. So, yeah. Who’s up for another failure tomorrow?</p>

[shoebox10]

<p>Since i started this, i’ll put in my two words: it’s stupid. The whole thing that exploded around it was just dumb. Was it offensive? Maybe, to some. Was it uncalled for? Could’ve been. But at the same time, I don’t think anyone did anything wrong here. Grant just used his first amendment, and frankly, most people found it entertaining or even mind-opening (a girl I know went “where’s Ethiopia? People live there?”). And to those offended, there was an apology. But frankly, there’s been much worse, and this shouldn’t have been such an issue (the facebook groups for cavdaily to shut down were the extra edge).</p>

<p>Maybe there should be a cartoon about the plantation of Duke and how the Virginian boys are going to demolish them tomorrow. Hah. Everyone enjoy the tailgaiting/pre-game festivities, the actual game, and tomorrow night.</p>

[ehiunno]

<p>

@Shoebox's retarded friend

where’s Ethiopia? People live there?

</p>

<p>Did you promptly take some action to ensure that she never reproduces?</p>

[shoebox10]

<p>I think my utterly stunned, “you’re a frickin dumb@$$” look and then my walking away will make her re-think about her life. But, yes, I truly wanted to kick her in the baby-maker.</p>

[Untilted]

<p>is she hot?</p>

[cool_beans]

<p>

Dear Brown, </p>

<p>I wish to explain my comic and the rationales behind its creation so that critics of the comic may know what they are condemning. </p>

<p>Despite what has been written about the comic, not a single source has consulted me concerning its meaning. So I would like to take this opportunity to, once and for all, explain this with my own voice. </p>

<p>What does this comic mean? </p>

<p>I would first like to disambiguate the caption, “Ethiopian Food Fight.” Let us examine the first word. Why use Ethiopia as an example, especially considering that the country is not currently suffering a famine? Although famine today has by and large been eradicated in Ethiopia, this problem has plagued the nation in recent memory, The devastating famine experienced by Ethiopia in the 1970s and 1980s remains indelibly imprinted in the minds of recent generations as of one of the worst cases of human suffering. Hence, I used Ethiopia not to perpetuate a false image of the country today, but to invoke a strong reminder of a hardship that actually occurred in Ethiopia and is still occurring in many parts of the world today. This was by no means intended to negatively portray Ethiopia or its people. Similarly, depicting the Irish Potato Famine by no means implies a negative portrayal of Ireland. As for the depictions of the figures themselves, there have been criticisms that they are unnecessarily crude in an attempt to disparage Africans. Browsing through any of my other comics will make it clear that this simply a consistent and distinctive artistic style. Returning to the second half of the title, the term “food fight”, was not meant to imply that the figures were fighting for food, but rather with food, as the common usage of the term suggests. In the most extreme cases of famine in many parts of the world, people have had to resort to eating what would otherwise be considered inedible in order to survive.
Therefore, I am implying that, in a hypothetical situation, were anyone to have a food fight during a severe famine, these seemingly inedible objects would be used as “food”. This surrealistic hypothetical situation invites the reader to realize that what initially appears to be a joke reflects a sobering reality. For too many people in the world, this is what they have to eat to survive.</p>

<p>Does your comic trivialize starvation?</p>

<p>My comic does not trivialize starvation. Subject matter presented through the medium of a comic should not be assumed to be trivial. In fact, works such as those by Art Spiegelman, Marjorie Satrapi, or Peter Kuper, prove that comics can be a powerful medium for social commentary. Sometimes, the atrocities of the world are so outrageous as to render one speechless. At such times, comics can present the absurdities of reality in a way that other media cannot. This strip invites the reader to make a connection by presenting a surrealistic hypothetical situation based on a serious reality.</p>

<p>The message of a comic must be terse by its nature. This, unfortunately, often lends itself to multiple misinterpretations. Needless to say, this comic has been widely misinterpreted and was by no means created to suggest that certain people are “barbaric” or “inferior”, as others claim. As a comic artist, I feel that it is sometimes necessary to address sensitive issues. However, had I anticipated the number of people hurt by this comic, I would not have deemed it worth running. I am upset that, due to previous comics, Quirksmith has gained a reputation for being merely offensive. As any one of my fellow comic artists can attest, I have always devoted much thought, time and effort into every comic I produce. I try to construct a work with substance, so it pains me when the message is obscured by misunderstandings. In the future, if tackling a sensitive issue, I will exercise much more consideration as to what could potentially be misconstrued as hurtful. For those who have been hurt by this recent comic, please understand that I have no ill intent. </p>

<p>Sincerely,
Grant </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Wow, that’s the worst non-apology I’ve ever read. He’s essentially saying that he’s being misunderstood and that those criticizing the cartoon are missing some grander point that he had in mind, a point which, for some reason, he can merely allude to but can’t seem to explain. Look at this passage:</p>

<p>

My comic does not trivialize starvation. Subject matter presented through the medium of a comic should not be assumed to be trivial. In fact, works such as those by Art Spiegelman, Marjorie Satrapi, or Peter Kuper, prove that comics can be a powerful medium for social commentary.

</p>

<p>This is self-aggrandizement at its finest. He sidesteps the issue of his own cartoon and pretends that he was called upon to defend the very medium of comics.</p>