armed banner heroic struggle bourgeois revanchist stooges funny

September 20, 2006 7:58 AM

What's Liberal About The Liberal Arts? The Graphic Novel. Downloading only one .pdf file this year? Make it this one. (Not credited in the file. It's by Chris Clark.).)
posted by jfuller (49 comments total)

Can I have my 10 minutes back? KTHXBYE
posted by anomie at 8:17 AM on September 20, 2006

Very funny. And while we're on the subject, can we ditch the term "graphic novel" and go back to "comic book," please?
posted by QuietDesperation at 8:18 AM on September 20, 2006

While we're on the subject of ripping off illustrations and writing horrible captions thinking you're really clever, I'd also have to say I'd like my time back. Yech. Too bad that took up my single alloted PDF download of the year... sum'bitch.
posted by prostyle at 8:19 AM on September 20, 2006

What did I just read?
posted by boo_radley at 8:24 AM on September 20, 2006

I'm sure the LGFB and Freeper crowd think this is the height of wit.

Wonderful stuff.

/ :rolleyes:
posted by C.Batt at 8:36 AM on September 20, 2006

Wow, Chris Clark is one of the rising talents of the ham-fisted, shittily-executed comic book world. Keep an eye out, folks!
posted by COBRA! at 8:37 AM on September 20, 2006

What a joke. This was some stupid-ass Horowitz-style shit, oh those liberals, always blaming Bush for one thing or another.

Did you actually laugh at this? Please indicate which part has the jokes.

reading further: oh, what a surprise. They actually did do a little Horowitz-ball-sucking in here. Pathetic.

This is a sterling example of neocon projection: "braindead socialist liberals, always toeing the party line... SOOOO much different from us Republicans, taxing the fuck out of America to forcibly impose our vision of the world. When WE do it, it's not socialist! Really! Honestly!"

read to the end: sucked the whole way through, and my estimation of jfuller falls through the floor.
posted by sonofsamiam at 8:37 AM on September 20, 2006

Clearly, he had an potentially funny idea but failed to properly plan for the piece.
posted by srboisvert at 8:38 AM on September 20, 2006

There's a difference between comic books and graphic novels. This is simply an example of a pretty straightforward comic putting on the airs of a graphic novel.
posted by jefgodesky at 8:39 AM on September 20, 2006

armed banner heroic struggle bourgeois revanchist stooges funny

Most.
Incomprehensible.
Title.
Ever.

uhhh...tags?
posted by pdb at 8:39 AM on September 20, 2006

What a giant turd. Someone crack open a window, please?
posted by psmealey at 8:41 AM on September 20, 2006

Perhaps some of you didn't get the joke. Chris Clark is a liberal environmentalist (hell, he co-founded Pacifica radio).

This is a parody of conservative attitudes about higher education - particularly those of Horowitz, et al.
posted by The Giant Squid at 8:48 AM on September 20, 2006

Guys, it's satire. Here's the author's review of the Bérubé book.
posted by gigawhat? at 8:48 AM on September 20, 2006

Looks like he reads MetaFilter, too.
posted by gigawhat? at 8:50 AM on September 20, 2006

This sucks as earnest and it sucks as parody.

The reason we don't call graphic novels like this one 'comic books' is because they aren't funny. I had an argument with a comic store clerk about this once - "Goddamit, Batman hasn't been funny since the fifties! I'll show you a *comic* book, get me the latest Archie!"

Good times, good times...
posted by Pastabagel at 8:53 AM on September 20, 2006

I think you have to be in a university to get it. . . and actually be in a class where the teacher is hardcore liberal who usues his authority has the teacher to quell debate (i've seen this although it is extremely rare). The story really doesn't pick up until 'the conservative revolt.' It seems to be this is making fun of partisan tools at the university and not just liberals. As for the funnyness, its so-so.
posted by j-urb at 8:55 AM on September 20, 2006

Yeah, why do we have to call them "graphic novels"? Do they need credibility so bad? They are "comic books". Let's call them that.
posted by xmutex at 8:57 AM on September 20, 2006

Now that I just saw this was a parody, I'm changing my views. . .
posted by j-urb at 8:58 AM on September 20, 2006

This sucks as earnest and it sucks as parody.

Bingo. Ham-fisted imitations of ham-fistedness are, well...
posted by COBRA! at 8:59 AM on September 20, 2006

I liked this line:

As she did from time to time, Chanterelle struck a social-realism pose to collect her thoughts.

Cute.
posted by Mister_A at 9:03 AM on September 20, 2006

I'm not crazy about this piece in particular, but that site's full of great writing. I'm especially enjoying The Top 25 Most Dangerous Fictional Unhinged Characters Who Are Dangerously Hurting America. Thanks for the heads up, jfuller.
posted by gigawhat? at 9:04 AM on September 20, 2006

Normally I love stuff like this, but I got bored halfway through.

And this is no comic book -- if it is, then so is pretty much every illustrated children's book, which is far beyond what most people mean by "comic book." It isn't really a graphic novel either, although that is a more slippery term. That's right, I have opinions on these issues.
posted by brain_drain at 9:05 AM on September 20, 2006

Found it entertaining for one reason, and one, alone; the nostalgia factor. My mother dabbled in socialist ideaology when I was a child and I actually owned the propaganda/comic book on which this is based.

In fact, I had a whole series of them.
They were okay, if a bit preachy.

In truth, I preferred the Monkey Warrior series we got at the same underground bookshop.

(Ah, San Francisco in the 70's.)
posted by squasha at 9:05 AM on September 20, 2006

That was mildly amusing. Very mildly.
posted by languagehat at 9:09 AM on September 20, 2006

this is crap.
posted by casconed at 9:10 AM on September 20, 2006

I liked it.
People have a hard time with satire. I once took a class in which the majority of the students were convinced that Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" was serious.
And they will always be comic books to me.
posted by bstreep at 9:13 AM on September 20, 2006

I thought it was pretty funny. It gave me a few chuckles.
posted by Telf at 9:14 AM on September 20, 2006

sucks either way you slice it.
posted by destro at 9:37 AM on September 20, 2006

I was ready to like it, but it was boring and stupid.
posted by peeping_Thomist at 9:46 AM on September 20, 2006

C.Batt writes "I'm sure the LGFB and Freeper crowd think this is the height of wit."

Oh and a number of mefites, but maybe they are in denial. There's nothing wrong in being an LGFB or Freeper, it is not a lifetime condemnation...the problem is being in denial or showing sign of mental instability, wheter on meta or anywhere else..for instance I just picked this from a thread "somewhere"

How can the leader of the one true religion have "respect" for a religion that denies the basic tenet of his one true religion -- that Jesus is God Incarnate?
You can TOLERATE another religion. but I cannot respect any religion that does not acknowledge that Jesus is God.I wonder if the translator got it wrong.

See the confusion ? That is the equivalent of "ok, you are a complete vermin unbeliever, but as long as you don't bother me I will tolerate you" . He is all for Jesus , but what would have Jesus said on the topic ? That never crossed his/her mind.
posted by elpapacito at 9:47 AM on September 20, 2006

Yeah, why do we have to call them "graphic novels"? Do they need credibility so bad? They are "comic books". Let's call them that.

Or you could call them "Cheryl" or "ham sandwiches." Who gives a fuck? Read them or not, but can we bury this stupid clatter about what they're called?
posted by Skot at 9:55 AM on September 20, 2006

I was amused.
Great use of comic sans.
posted by pointilist at 9:55 AM on September 20, 2006

Satire, but too long and without enough, y'know, punchlines. Having just sat through an excruciating lecture on satire this morning, and having had to deal with "oppressed" conservatives, I can say that a lot of it was pretty close to the weltanschung that they believe in. Still, that's the reason that you draw new art to go with your writing— so you're not stuck with the clumsy vagaries of an appropriated text.
posted by klangklangston at 10:10 AM on September 20, 2006

No, it's neither a comic nor a graphic novel. It's merely an illustrated story, like any kids book. Pictures + words don't necessarily make a comic.

As far as whether it's funny or succeeds as satire, I agree with those who thought it was a good concept but need a little work on the execution.
posted by doctor_negative at 10:32 AM on September 20, 2006

In. Sip. Id.
posted by hank_14 at 11:55 AM on September 20, 2006

Comics books and graphic novels have speech balloons.
posted by BeerFilter at 12:13 PM on September 20, 2006

And don't I feel stupid for enjoying it. I thought it was great. Creative mixing of maoist propoganda, pokes at all political persuations and some ideological sheep.

Why if this is done with music it's hailed as brilliant (The Grey Album) but with literature it's derided? I just kinda saw it as a mash up, and thought it worked in that context.
posted by Keith Talent at 12:22 PM on September 20, 2006

Not necessarily. This is a comic, just not a good one. (It's sequential narrative art).
posted by klangklangston at 12:22 PM on September 20, 2006

Ok, so it's an unfunny collage. I agree, it's not funny sincere or as satire. I also wonder why someone, as a progressive, would make a silly story up like this that satirizes right-wing views of liberals, when a.) this piece can be read as sincere, as many here have done, thus giving the right some ammo, however paltry, and b.) let's see...well...YOU'VE GOT COMIC GOLD IN THEM THAR REPUBLICAN HILLS! The Bush administration is a satirist's dream, a bumper crop of greed, stupidity, corruption, weird characters, etc. Oh yeah, and they're harming tons of people around the world. Why not satirize the real criminals? This could have worked, given more imagination, talent, and conciseness (19 pages?)
posted by pantufla at 1:57 PM on September 20, 2006

Someone should tell this guy that brevity is the soul of wit.
posted by bardic at 2:01 PM on September 20, 2006

I hate to use the word "meme," but I believe this is where the meme of spoofing David Horowitz with references to Maoist cartoons began. For the clue-impaired, the use of Maoist cartoons is relevant when spoofing Horowitz, because of Horowitz's prior history of dabbling in Maosim while a member of the 1960s Left and the creepy Cultural Revolution overtones of his half-assed efforts at compiling academic blacklists.
posted by jonp72 at 2:05 PM on September 20, 2006

And four hours later when their benefits under the graduate student health plan had been used up......


Ahh it wasnt that bad. This prof gives: A- for effort, C- for using innapropriate pictures of our differently-symmetry-eyed, height-challenged non-white friends from the east!
posted by lalochezia at 2:12 PM on September 20, 2006

At this point I'm almost as sick of liberal parodies of conservative clichés about liberals as I am of actual conservative rhetoric. Hey Tom Tomorrow, why don't you tell me the same fucking joke you've been cobbling up for the last 7 years! Conservatives - they think liberals are fucking crazy! But in fact we are quite reasonable... perhaps to a fault! Hee-larious.

(This sucked ass).
posted by nanojath at 2:14 PM on September 20, 2006

“Don’t forget!” said Mei-Ling: “A piece of writing may signify anything we deem politically important, except what the author says it means!”
posted by Brian B. at 2:25 PM on September 20, 2006

I thought it was funny that people thought it was funny and by funny I mean scary. Except the second time. That funny is still supposed to be funny unlike the first funny which isn't really a funny at all.
posted by srboisvert at 2:27 PM on September 20, 2006

If I only had a penny for every funny...
posted by elpapacito at 3:56 PM on September 20, 2006

Link is dead. 404. WEAK.
posted by delmoi at 4:34 PM on September 20, 2006

I believe this is where the meme of spoofing David Horowitz with references to Maoist cartoons began.

I've seen those and did not get this at all.
posted by sonofsamiam at 5:15 PM on September 20, 2006

I quite enjoyed this, especially the "Four hours later..." bit pointed out above. I imagine it helped to know the author's position going in, but I laughed at several points throughout, which doesn't often happen for me with online humor.
posted by UKnowForKids at 6:32 AM on September 21, 2006