[1183 – 1185] Nightmares
└ posted on Wednesday, 10 June 2020, by Novil
- Policeman: Hands up!
- Sandra: Woo!
- Policeman: Oops, wrong house.
- Rioter: How do you like that, racist scum?!
- Richard: You don’t have to worry, Sandra. There haven’t been any riots in the country for a week.
- Sandra: I know, but…
- Sandra: I’ve been having all kinds of nightmares for weeks now. And they keep getting worse!
- Eugene Tyson: Please excuse the intrusion, but let me tell you that such nightmares shouldn’t be taken lightly!
- Richard: Oh! How would you know?
- Eugene Tyson: My name is Eugene Tyson. I was professor for oneirology at Yale. My therapies helped dozens of people to overcome severe trauma!
- Richard: You were professor at Yale,… and now you’re working as a sweeper?
- Eugene Tyson: I posted something wrong on Twitter…!
- Richard: You’re lucky to still be alive!
Yeah, this pretty much sums up PC Culture
heya everyone!
Not trying to be a gatekeeper here, but I’d like to ask all the fans of this strip to try and wait and see where this arc is going before throwing shade.
This is a story that the writer and artist feel need to be told, and for all the excitement and fun they’ve given us through the years, in return all of us need to be our best selves until the arc is resolved.
Thanks.
Leomon wrote:
Are you kidding? I love this!
THANK YOU OLIVER AND POWREE!!
Excellent work, catches the anxiety nightmares very well. I suffered from PTSD for years, now I don’t wake up pinching, makes my wife happy. The bit of humor st the end was just the right touch.
I think posting everything at once was a good idea! I think I might have ragequit the comic after the first two without seeing the third one. This is quite different from the usual light-hearted humor…
Not that I don’t appreciate this post! Thank you Oliver and Powree!
That… actually went much better than I expected after that rather foreboding announcement.
And yeah, screw twitter. It’s astounding how much dumber social media made people in the short time since their invention.
Dangerous move, equating Antifa with the fucking fascist cops.
I’ve read this comic for years, Gaia as well. I’ve never felt the need to comment until now.
I am disappointed in you. You had other options. You could have supported the protestors. You could have just stayed silent and continued on as always. But you took a side. The side of the status quo. There is no “both sides are bad” here. And the attack on “PC Culture makes it even worse. You’ve definitely lost a reader today. EUE
@ Dan:
Seems ok to me. They both hurt people.
Thank you for waiting to post all these in succession. I loved the jab at Twitter in the end.
Dan wrote:
Only dangerous because Antifa will assault anyone who doesn’t support their terrorist actions. After all, terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims” and Antifa regularly does this.
Bad cops should be punished like anyone else, but so should violent extremists like Antifa. After all, simply naming yourself something good doesn’t mean everyone who opposes you is bad by definition when you happen to be doing morally reprehensible things. Labels themselves don’t matter, actions do.
Arawn_Emrys wrote:
Violent people who attack innocent people are in fact bad no matter their side, be it bad cops or Antifa/rioters. PC culture has been attacked by this comic for ages, so if you really are a long time reader you would know that. How did you possibly miss the entire arc maligning modern day feminism? PC culture on both sides has always been made fun of, so the only ‘status quo’ being kept here is the comic’s own.
Protesters (with an e, not an o) being supported is fine, but you take issue to the rioters and violent thugs known as Antifa being lambasted which shows a great deal of bias. There are in fact bad people in every walk of life, and it is important that all bad apples are called out, not just those on the team opposite your own.
At least you weren’t banned from reading the comic like you were banned from the hyper progressive hugbox that is Spacebattles.
@ Arawn_Emrys:
Wake up Arawn. The ones who want to disband the Police are the ones staging, supporting and committing the crimes. I can support the protest but “Peaceful” protest does not result in 17 dead people.
@ Arawn_Emrys:
Seems to me we can distinguish supporting the protesters, and supporting the rioters. They’re both real, you know, as burned buildings and looted stores ought to tell you.
And I can never understand people pretending the Antifa aren’t violent. The Antifa themselves don’t pretend to be non-violent! The go out to punch “Nazis”, but their working definition of “Nazi” is anyone who isn’t a communist; They’ve never been a force for liberty, they only oppose fascism because it’s a competing form of totalitarianism from their own.
Arawn_Emrys wrote:
Well, that’s the problem. There are good policemen, and there are peaceful protestors. But riots and murders get more press coverage; press coverage being the important thing for our teenage protagonist in-comic.
I don’t see how these comics “take a side”. Sandra is afraid of rioters. Rioters are a real thing, even though peaceable protestors are with them (or were with them until curfew). The third comic tempers it with the new character and note on how the riots are slowing down.
I hear people are “making lists” of people who didn’t post black squares on Instagram. The pressure to stay on nobody’s bad side is real, especially when crazies show up.
Or maybe I’m also on the wrong side. I don’t know. Will I regret posting this? I don’t know.
@ Name:
” After all, terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims” and Antifa regularly does this.”
What I think you meant to say is “the cops,” because that sure is what’s happening as of late. Also, “Antifa” isn’t an organization – it’s more of a philosophy. It means “anti-fascism,” and at this point, we’ve seen in the news in various states in the US that cops are maiming peaceful protesters and buddying up with white supremacists. They’re also tear gassing civilians, and tear gas isn’t even allowed in war. You want to show how many police officers have been brutalized by “Antifa,” if that’s even possible to do? There are more than enough stories of civilians being wrecked by the cops, though, including that old man in the wheelchair who got his face broken.
Lotus wrote:
“ISIS isn’t an organization, it’s more of a philosophy”. This is your level of thinking.
There are actual Antifa organizations and groups in existence, but yes pretend that they do nothing wrong. Just because a terrorist or terrorist cell isn’t directly connected to a greater whole doesn’t make them not a terrorist.
And as you may notice I pointed out that there were bad cops in my own comment and that they should be prosecuted like anyone else. Nice try to strawman, but I’m against anyone who breaks the law: be it abusive police who disgrace their good counterparts, or be it wannabe revolutionaries assaulting anyone they believe is to the right of communism.
Willful ignorance is still ignorance, so please look outside your echo chambers. They aren’t healthy for you.
I’m wheezing in laughter, you’ve outdone yourself both Novil and Powree
@ Lotus:
I don’t know who your news source is but it seems that CNN is the main news source outside of the US. Could I suggest oann.com as an alternative source of news and let CNN fade into obscurity.
@ MJ:
So you solution to getting away from a biased left wing news source is to go with a biased right winged one? That seems like just going to the other side of the see-saw
Well done.
And to those that don’t like these strips and feel a need to us about it, maybe this comic isn’t right for you? I’ve quit following a few comics over the years as they veered away from my values. Sandra & Woo may not be for everyone.
How timely. Today’s SMBC comic strip about opinions:
https://www.smbc-comics.com/
This really shouldn’t have to be pointed out, but because apparently some people fail at basic reading comprehension, the first two strips are about BAD COPS, just as much as the next two are about RIOTERS/LOOTERS. Clearly, today’s strips are against EXTREMISM on BOTH SIDES, which I would like to think we can all get behind…
@ Name:
Yeah, nice whataboutism there. It isn’t that there are bad cops, it is the fact that the system allows these “bad cops” to not only do these acts with impunity but get slaps on the wrist for punishment and support from their “brothers” is what is wrong. Also, take a look at just a couple months ago. Take a look at Cliven Bundy and his little standoff. And then take a look at Tulsa, MOVE, and countless other race riots that happened before the 1950s. You look at all that and you sit your ass down.
Depicting the uprising as something to be afraid of is just echoing the propaganda of the state and capital. Leaving aside provocateurs and and the violence frequently initiated by police, the “rioting and looting” (read: rebellion) is best understood as a spontaneous reaction to years of oppression under an occupying force. There’s no excuse for pretending the destruction is directed at anything but the mechanisms of that oppression.
Renadt wrote:
How cute, you believe that my response to someone engaging in whataboutism is whataboutism. Reading comprehension is apparently not something you have put skill points into, but at least you got access to the Zealous trait.
One will note that in my posts I have said that bad cops ought to be punished like anyone else, IE treated no differently than others who break the law. This means that yes the system should not protect police officers who act out of line any more than it does a civilian.
So yes, bad cops should be punished. I’ve said so twice already, and alluded to the fact that they should receive no special treatment. It is also entirely possible for rioters, looters, and literal terrorists like Antifa to break the law, and I expect them to be treated accordingly too.
Take a look at the innocent people who have been murdered in these riots like retired police captain Dorn, a black man who tried to defend an innocent business, and when you do realize that the world is not made of black and white (pun unintended but such is the saying). People like him deserve justice just as those slain by police brutality do. Is it truly that difficult for you to believe that everyone deserves for justice to be upheld, or are you really just that poor at reading?
Wow, this thread got real nasty, real fast.
Urodov wrote:
I am certain the people who have looted Target really just were taking those televisions to bring about justice and equality in the world and that doing so is in no way a counterproductive action which will bring harm to an otherwise just cause. /s
Martin Luther King Jr. did say that riots were the language of the unheard, but he also has stated that they are destructive and counterproductive and that he would rather not have them occur. Destroying the lives of others is wrong no matter who does it, be it ruining a business since not all businesses have insurance for riots and looting, or be it taking the life of someone daring to protect a business because they stood in your way.
Creating victims out of innocents is wrong, even if what sparked the riots was itself an injustice: you do not fix such problems by victimizing others. Doing so is literal textbook terrorism, and for those who are just doing it for a free TV are just opportunists seizing the moment to indulge in their petty desires.
The peaceful protesters should be commended and lauded. Those who are committing violence, theft, or breaking other laws should be treated accordingly by the law just as cops ought to.
Arawn_Emrys wrote:
You, sir, are a troll.
People of all nations and opinions, please don’t feed trolls!
Kindly keep in mind that Antifa means Anti-fascist and that they walk in the footsteps of those who hit the beaches June 6, 1944. Don’t let the fascists tell you otherwise. Where was your grandfather on D-day?
AnotherBear wrote:
If I name a group of criminals I form the “Good Party” I guess that makes everyone who opposes me bad, right? It’s not like someone can take up whatever name they want and still do horrible things to innocent people, as Antifa has regularly done over the years. No, because they claim to be fighting fascists it means they can act like thugs and fascists themselves! /s
Antifa would classify all of the allied force men on D-Day fascists for simply not holding Antifa’s present day world view if said soldiers were around today, just as they do to anyone to the right of Stalin.
Everyone, EVERYONE, supportive or not, knows that “antifa” refers to the justification of extralegal violence against the right. This “our name is anti-bad-guy” routine fools no one. (Especially since most of us know at this point that it’s actually short for “antifascist action.”)
(This is not a defense of either police or Trump, by the way, for those steeped enough to think it would be in the Manichaeism that at some point in the past ten years became such a cardinal virtue as to pretend a half-dozen dead don’t exist.)
Like I said last time, I knew this strip would be spicy.
@ Arawn_Emrys:
I would contend that Powree did not attack protestors. The vast majority of protestors did not commit a single act of violence.
Raen wrote:
For what it’s worth, I disagree. Antifa is not an organized movement, there are many different people who claim to be be Antifa, and even more who are claimed to be Antifa by others. Claiming Antifa is one single thing with a common factor is like claiming that US Republicans are one single thing with a common factor. There’s a lot of different people under that name.
To all people that get pissy for Novil showing riots in a negative light should I remind you that PROTESTERS THEMSELF are catching rioters and looters(most of whom are white btw) and turning them over to the police.
So the people that actually protest try to stop all vandalizing and looting and scream at the top of their lungs that they not asked for this and this isn’t helping.
Kinda makes the whole argument in support of riots mute, doesnt it?
Yeah I can see why you released this in a batch.
In my opinion,
this strip isn’t maily about how bad police and antifa is
it isn’t about who is worse or who is better
it doesn’t neccesarrily take a stands for one side or the other.
it’s a strip about anxiety. It’s about seeing your world upside down and the stress that comes with it.
And that is ok. Even though I have very clear positions regarding police, antifa and most other stuff. I’m not gonna say them to further distract from the point of the comic (even though, I really would like to say them)
Many people would say that this isn’t the biggest problem right now, but honestly, it’s not what this is about. It’s a fear that many (or probably most) people have right now, no matter on what side they stand on.
I’d like to point out that these events aren’t really happening even within the framework of the comic. They’re Sandra’s nightmares. They represent fears that may not even be realistic within the comic’s continuity. So far it looks like the story is about dealing with the stress of political upheaval.
I would like to note that Novil is coming from a pretty different political culture than most of the commenters here. Reading his strips, I’ve gathered that he is somewhere in the liberal side of Christian Democrats, perhaps in the Free Democrats or a rightist Social Democrat. In American politics, any of these would correspond the middle of the Democratic party. (It has been joked that Obama is so right-wing in the European perspective that he would not find home in the German Christian Democrats.)
However, in Germany, Antifa is in the extreme left, and they are despised by anyone who is not on the extreme left wing of the Greens or PDS. In Germany, Antifa are actual, real-life people who take joy in beating people up and turning peaceful protests into riots. They are, very much, the same people who formed the RAF and conducted terror campaigns in 1970’s and -80’s, bolstering the support of the right-wing parties. In America, the Antifa are mostly a fictitious danger that has been cooked up by certain sections of the media, so it is much easier for an American Democrat to tolerate them.
So, a German person with Novil’s politics is naturally at odds with Antifa.
@ Lurker 2:
Most sensible comment so far – by a long shot
AnotherBear wrote:
On June 6, 1944, my Jewish grandmother was in a mass grave in a concentration camp. Antifa claiming they are fighting “fascists” defiles the memory of the victims of Hitler, in my humble opinion.
@ Ratfox:
Ratfox wrote:
I believe you, and you alone, on this. Since you say “US Republicans,” I’m guessing you aren’t American, and that explains why. (Since you argue for the humanity of Republicans, I’m certain you aren’t an American antifa.) “Antifa” is not a single organization, but all organizations which take that name, and most individuals, are built around a single ethos. I know people in those organizations, hell, more than I know who aren’t, and they justify this sort of thing at every turn, even as they trot out this tired line (and the one about WWII as well – never mind that the very name comes from 1930s German left-wing militants who wound up doing far more harm than good – one, perhaps, in particular).
I am pleasantly surprised at this.
And I would laugh at the last, but alas it’s too true.
Of course, it’s not enough for the radicals posting here. Nothing ever is.
@ Name:
Yeah, you’re right… “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims” is definitely what terrorism is. So why hasn’t Donald Trump and his followers been labelled as terrorists? The moment he said “If the cops can’t stop the protests, I’ll use the military to do so” should have immediately gotten him kicked from office as 1. that is 110% illegal, so he can’t, and 2. by the definition you just gave, he has declared himself a terrorist. Also, 3. that’s literally what cops are doing, using unlawful violence and intimidation against civilians. Are we fighting a terrorist group called police with terror? Sure, if you wanna call it that, I suppose, but I recall that in 1773, a group of civilians rioted and threw a bunch of tea overboard on a ship, and that lead to us becoming a separate country who was able to make our own laws. You decide if you want to be listed on the bad side (Germany, England, etc, of our respective wars with them), or if you want to be on this good side when history is written. Your choice.
can’t wait to see how you will get bashed on twitter… will it be glorious? will it be “NPC” style? hehehehe
I’ll make it short and simple:
Thank you, Oliver and Powree.
AnotherBear wrote:
The Pacific Theatre, in the Navy, fighting the Japanese. It was my Great-Uncle who was in Europe (Italy, not France), in fact, with Patton. Liberating Dachau, later.
“We’re the Antt-Bad Guy Squad. So obviously we only fight bad guys. So if you oppose us, that makes you a bad guy too!”
There’s your circular logic. “It’s in the Name!” Yeah, and the Nazis we “National SOCIALISTS,” too.
Stacks on the mill, it’s the new witch-hunt.
Seems like there are lots of people circling around everywhere nowadays, hoping to be outraged. Even some commenters on here….
There’s obviously a big difference between those who frequently make outrageous statements (Trump, Bolsonaro) and those who post an ill-advised or poorly-worded tweet and instantly regret it – a bit like Larisa’s nude selfie “Whoopsie”.
As a UK citizen it is hard for me to fully understand the issues in the US relating to law enforcement.
I cannot comment on whether it is all corrupt or if the actions of a few police are maligning the entire force.
What I can say is that anywhere you go, the breaking of a country’s laws and violence against those not sharing your views is wrong!
I don’t care what label you hide it under, if you believe the only way to get your point across is to break the law and hurt others, you have failed! Property damage and violence will never endear you to those of us who want humanity to judge each other fairly, and not by labels (Black, White, Male, Female, Young, Old, Heterosexual, Homosexual, etc.).
Prejudice and Bigotry sit in individuals, not labels.
Dan wrote:
Who did so? Sandra is having nightmares about the stuff she’s seen on TV and its potential impact on her life and her loved ones. That doesn’t mean the stuff she’s seen on TV was all equally bad or that any of it was an accurate representation of what’s actually been going on in her world, and her world and ours differ.
Taylor Harbin wrote:
303 Squadron and Jagdgeschwader 52. There may be other details worth considering.
MJ wrote:
According to several reports, the ones staging crimes are often white supremacists from out of state trying to make the peaceful protestors look bad, and some of the others committing more crimes are white supremacists who joined the police for a badge, a gun and a chance to get away with murdering black people.
17 dead people? 80 to 100 per month killed by the police.
2.9 of every million white people, 6.66 of every million black, 10.13 of every million Native American in a year.
Jack wrote:
Thank you for understanding that. I was starting to feel a little lonely.