The Sorensen Monologues
Science for Sale
It was hard to fit all the relevant details into this cartoon, so I suggest reading this ThinkProgress article for background on the questionable Smithsonian exhibit, which reportedly presents a far too cheerful and uncomplicated view of the challenges posed to humanity by climate change.
An interactive game in the Koch Hall actually asks visitors to design a future human body adapted to “really hot” temperatures. “How do you think your body will evolve?” it asks. “Will you have a tall, narrow body like a giraffe? Or more sweat glands? Touch to choose the one you want.” This phrasing seems to imply that your own body is capable of magically transforming itself into a sweaty giraffe-person. This puts an awfully nice spin on the “death” part of natural selection. Moreover, dramatic temperature changes are predicted well before we’d be seeing those extra glands dominating the gene pool.
David Koch sits on the boards of both the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Laughable exhibits aside, our scientific institutions should avoid even the appearance of corruption by mega-polluting donors such as the Koch Brothers.
When your college degree is garbage: A comic by Jackie Roche
I wanted to share a comic by Jackie Roche that I’m proud of having edited — it’s a beautifully-rendered look at the disappointments of graduating college only to find soul-crushing job prospects that utilize none of your skills. In Jackie’s case, that involved weighing garbage, among other things. Check it out.
Texas Takeover
For more info on the “Jade Helm 15” set of conspiracy theories, this TPM article offers a nice rundown. Fears are so widespread that Wal-Mart literally just issued a statement denying involvement in a U.S. military invasion of Texas.
To think we could have had Wendy Davis as Governor instead of Greg Abbott… it is to weep.
Bikes and Cars
I’ve long been meaning to do a strip about the incompatibility of bikes and cars, and Earth Day week seemed as good a time as any. Besides, it was either this or making fun of the clown car that is the field of Republican presidential candidates, and I’m not quite up for that yet.
I dream of a dedicated bike path between me and the Post Office. I would do everything by bike if it didn’t involve competing with 5,000-pound missiles. Let’s not even get into what those missile operators are doing while they’re supposed to be watching the road. A friend told me he saw someone crocheting on the highway during stop-and-go traffic the other day.
My truck grille-drawing skills seem to have improved since I moved to Texas. Clearly there’s some R. Crumb influence creeping in here too. I named the truck in the last panel a Ford Glacier because we’re always naming giant vehicles after things we’re destroying (See also: the Tundra).
“The Late-Night TV Circus”
In the past year, we’ve seen a changing of the guard (or planned change) on The Tonight Show, NBC’s Late Night, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show. That’s six major nighttime TV shows, exactly zero of which have chosen a woman as replacement host. (Yes, I am aware of Samantha Bee getting a show on TBS. I’m talking about the heirs to longstanding franchises here.)
Most people seem to just nod their heads and accept this without realizing how utterly weird it is. Women comprise over half the population. There are lots of female comedians. Yet the entertainment industry clearly believes that America is not ready for a woman in such a role. Don’t get me started on the “not enough ladies in the pipeline” excuse — I’m reasonably certain that if a woman had Jimmy Fallon’s standup abilities, she’d still be doing open mics at the Crab Shack instead of pulling down $12 million a year like Fallon.
As a female-type person who deals in political humor, I can’t help but take this stuff personally. To me, it feels like these are impossible biases that we’ll never overcome. It makes me wonder whether this country is capable of electing a female president. My guess, I’m sorry to say, is that we’re not.
On a lighter note, this would be my first Family Circus parody, which was fun to draw. I don’t think “Jeffy,” who now draws the strip, will mind — he bought me beers once.
The Submerged State: South Florida’s climate change rebellion
Now, this is a speech crisis: being unable to talk about global warming as a Florida state official when Miami may well be underwater by the year 2200. For more on the story, check out this Slate article.
Afterword on responses to college rape comic
My recent graphic journalism piece for Fusion about my friend’s sexual assault got a large response. Here’s a post I wrote on the feedback I received.
“Conversations” we won’t see at chain restaurants
Many a wisecrack has been made about Starbucks’ “Race Together” campaign, which until Sunday had encouraged baristas to write the slogan on coffee cups and initiate philosophical conversations. There are some discussions begging to be had about low-wage work, but most multinational chain restaurants probably wouldn’t want to go there.
Graphic journalism: “The phone rang. It was my college rapist.”
Today I can finally share a big project I’ve been working on for weeks: a comic account of my friend’s sexual assault in college. 33 years after the incident, she received a phone call from her assailant.
If you haven’t checked out Graphic Culture, the comics section I edit for Fusion, please do. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook!
