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[penguinofhonor]

It's got good points. It's got bad points. None of its good points aren't done far better elsewhere.

[kaijyuu]

Anyone, by the sweat of his own brow, if he works hard, can overcome whatever misfortune and make a better life for himself.

"Better" does not always mean "good." The "American Dream" is a load of bollocks. A lie meant to keep people content with being working class heroes.


Though I'll agree on the comic's nihilism being annoying.

[Strife26]

It's got good points. It's got bad points. None of its good points aren't done far better elsewhere.

That's true enough, although thinking about it, that applies just about everywhere, doesn't it?

Anyone, by the sweat of his own brow, if he works hard, can overcome whatever misfortune and make a better life for himself.

"Better" does not always mean "good." The "American Dream" is a load of bollocks. A lie meant to keep people content with being working class heroes.


Though I'll agree on the comic's nihilism being annoying.

It's a lot better than anything else, I'd contend. Worker's paradises tend not to be, and I'd argue that the common worker can always build at least an "acceptable" life for himself, whatever that may be (and in comparison to even the lives of two generations ago, there's not much of a case that the worker is worse off now). If anything, I think we're seeing the backlash now of the American Dream working too well. Everyone back then made a better life for their children, now we've got a shortage of people willing to do manual work for a living. Figure that Mike Rowe had a damn good set of points.


Honestly, I think that I found my raging at it somewhat cathartic, so I guess that there's some value there.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

There's not a man in this world who isn't a flaming hypocrite.

What.


What is with this thread?

[SalmonGod]

There's not a man in this world who isn't a flaming hypocrite.

What.


What is with this thread?

A person shared an emotional experience ("I went through this and these were my thoughts as it was happening").  That in turned sparked a wide range of emotional reactions.  The comic means different things to different people.  Now people are sharing and comparing those emotional reactions.  Everybody learns a little about each other, and grows up a bit.  This, to me, is what art is about.

Plus, as long as judging the author's character is going to be the focus of the thread, I think it should be noted that the author lampshaded many of the criticisms you guys have listed.  It doesn't seem to me like he lacks self-awareness of his flaws.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

From my perspective it is an asinine viewpoint on life causing extensive eye-rolling at said viewpoint.

However, I was specifically questioning Strife calling everyone in the world hypocrites out of nowhere.

[Strife26]

There's not a man in this world who isn't a flaming hypocrite.

What.


What is with this thread?

All his drawing of people who aren't him (or his cat, I s'pose). That religious people talk about tolerance while hating Muslims and gays, or anyone happy with their life being vapid and obsessed with pointless things.
Everyone's hypocritical about many things, or at least a bad person when you color in their lines properly. No exceptions, there, so I don't see why it's a point that his view of the Middle Class as being especially bad.

[SalmonGod]

This, to me, is what art is about.

I thought art was now about laying down a load of random sticks, tacking on some bullshit meaning to it, then selling it off.

or just nicking a urinal from a public toilet and doing the same.

That's what us in the New Media department would refer to as "Fine Art" with finger quotes and a roll of the eyes.

[kaijyuu]

If you consider satire or absurdity to be art, then yes those things are art too

[penguinofhonor]

It's got good points. It's got bad points. None of its good points aren't done far better elsewhere.

That's true enough, although thinking about it, that applies just about everywhere, doesn't it?

Yeah. After I posted that I realized it wasn't much of an argument.

So I guess I'll amend that to "The good parts aren't exceptionally good." Though I'm still not sure if that's a good argument. I'm bad at critiquing.

[Cthulhu]

It started out pretty good but steadily dissolved into something unpleasant, and not in a good way.

It's obvious he realizes how much of a sad sack he is, there's none of the veiled narcissism of most self-loathing introverts (The "I hate communicating with you but that's not your fault" sequence would've been "I hate communicating with you because you're shallow and empty, and even in this malaise I still think I'm better than you" had most similar people I've seen done it) but somehow that makes him even less sympathetic.

The actual imagery and art was good though.

[Lectorog]

This, to me, is what art is about.

I thought art was now about laying down a load of random sticks, tacking on some bullshit meaning to it, then selling it off.

or just nicking a urinal from a public toilet and doing the same.

Art is expression. If someone is genuinely expressing something by calling sticks or a urinal art, then it's art. The urinal itself is not art. The meaning of the urinal is art. Most people trying to make art like this will not make art, they will make ugly crap that people might pretend to appreciate. This comic was art / had art in it. It expressed some abstract and complex ideas in meaningful ways. Most of it was a rant full of negativity accompanied by pictures, which wasn't very artistic.

You can probably get away with pissing on a canvas and calling it art, nowadays.

I'm not good with names, but there's a famous artist who threw paint onto the canvas.

[kaijyuu]

yeah, I never did understand modern art. paint something amazing, it requires skill, gather a load of sticks (like they did at one art gallery) and lay them down randomly, that requires no skill and makes me think you are an idiot for believing it's art.

You can probably get away with pissing on a canvas and calling it art, nowadays.

In defense of modern art, you have to look at the point and purpose of art to understand why it's still valid. Art isn't all about painting pretty pictures. It's about communicating ideas, thoughts, and emotions.

The problem with most modern art is that succeeds as "expression," but fails to actually communicate it to most people. IE, it's pretentious. Which is amusing since the whole movement came as a response to pretension what with all the convoluted rules about what is and isn't "art."

[nenjin]

I enjoyed, even though it was difficult to read all of it. I like it in the same way I like Garbage Pail Kids. Reluctantly.

As for his meta-point....meh. Once in my life I may have identified with that, but I rose above myself.

[penguinofhonor]

I'm not good with names, but there's a famous artist who threw paint onto the canvas.

Jackson Pollock.