THE ANODYNE OF "THE COMICS," or TORCHING THE LIE WITH THE VENOM OF TRUTH!

THE ANODYNE OF “THE COMICS,” or TORCHING THE LIE WITH THE VENOM OF TRUTH!

James R. Fisher, Jr., Ph.D.

© June 10, 2010

* * *

Readers, who still read newspapers, are likely as not to read “the comics” if they read newspapers at all.

There is something about reading comics that assuages tension and guilt of “things as they are.”

Graphic arts can get away calling "a spade a spade," without bringing grief to the artist.

It occurred to me today reading the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES that the comics should be taken more seriously because they have more meaning in them than the pomposity of op-ed writers, and cleaner prose.

* * *

Doonesbury, for example, writes about the new lexicon with such meaningless words associated with the British Petroleum fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico as “top kill,” and “junk shot,” and “hot tap.”

Today’s comic goes on to remind us of the words common to the Obama administration such as “study,” and “review,” and “commission” in addressing this oily disaster with words in the scheme of things.

Nature pays words no mind as oil spurts out its poisonous liquid into the gulf with killing impunity.

Other words in the game such as “liability,” and “crime,” and “jail” are also bandied about without meaning or moment.

Doonesbury says, "We want words to motivate us not put us to sleep."

* * *

Meanwhile, 633 dead birds have been collected from the Gulf Coast, along with 272 dead turtles, 36 dead porpoises, while as many as 50,000,000 gallons of crude oil have polluted these waters since the rig exploded.

This happened in the Gulf of Mexico, in the lazy South, the semi-tropical climate of the Big Easy, Cajun country, where blood and culture mix into a smorgasbord of taste, far from the WASP country of the East where life is reduced to fine manners and sartorial splendor. One wonders what would have been the response of the oil company and the government had the oilrig disaster occurred off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. This comparison doesn’t escape Doonesbury.

* * *.

Dilbert punches giant holes into corporate duplicity, chicanery and hubris.

Today the comic has the CEO looking at a display chart that applauds “employee satisfaction,” which is the result of firing smart people.

Dilbert is often on such an attack. Unfortunately, the corporate world sees the humor and not the pathos in this, as Delbert fails to penetrate the psyche of those in charge.

Everyone knows who has worked for a corporation that the “safe hires” survive while the smart independent and self-regulating “trouble-making” people are vulnerable to dismissal once economic tension invades the premises.

Corporations applaud creativity but award compliance; applaud an open door policy as long as those that cross that threshold resonate with the company message.

Dilbert is often ridiculous but never as ridiculous as that of everyday corporate behavior.

* * *

Non Sequitur is often off-the-wall, and is meant to be. Today it has a man in a straw hat with an American flag sticking out of the top, sitting at a desk passing out petitions to return America to the original constitution.

A black woman says, “Ok,” she’ll accept the petition, and then adds, “But how about this time, we make it legal for Black People to own White People, and only Women have the right to vote?”

The comic shows the petitioner worker losing his head, “Foom!”

How powerful this simple cartoon!

With a few words, the Black lady turned pomposity on a dime. I found I couldn’t move beyond this anecdotal suggestion.

* * *

Being male and white, but a serious student of my time, it is hard to imagine that Women much less Black People could muck up things worse than my gender and race have.

We want change as long as we are in charge and as long as it doesn’t cost us anything.

The comics remind us of this fact. They get away with it because they are anodyne to our dilemma. I pray that newspapers will always be extant if for no other reason than to perpetuate the comics!

* * *