I’m just going to say this: though Canada is a rather multicultural place, and is widely known for its tolerance and its diversity, when you go out to the more rural areas and small towns of Canada, you’ll find the people there are racist as f#$%. Being a city boy and growing up in a rather diverse neighbourhood, I find this very difficult to deal with and sometimes I feel a very Puck-like desire to punch people in the face.
NEW VOTING INCENTIVE: PHOEBE IN SPACE!
So yeah, I came down with a wicked case of the flu all week, running a scarily high temperature and all that, so I didn’t get around to doing a voting incentive. Once I got better, though, I dedicated the duration of two ‘Game Grumps’ episodes to the creation of this … er … masterpiece. In HB pencil! With glorious no color!
To be honest, on a labor-to-satisfaction level, I do think this picture kind of rocks. Yay for cramming at the last minute!
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR PUCK!!! IN SPACE! WITH SHARKS!
Now, what I’m wondering is how long it’s going to take the bashing of/defense of Colin’s father’s casual racism to start in the comments section?
Hell, I wonder how long it’s going to take for the actual racism is going to take to start in the comments section.
Then again, since you control the comments section, I doubt anyone but you will see any of the latter…
As the descendant of family who lived in and out of Canada and the US, IMMIGRANTS are DAMN HOT if they are sexy enough to light up a camera. But then, that statement has no point. Unlike the pencils sitting on my kitchen table.
But what is your point Hito, baby?
My point is that I expect the worst from humanity at all times, and that this comic’s comments section needs to be monitored carefully so it doesn’t get out of hand.
And from what I’ve seen of the comments so far (five of which I’ve just edited to keep it on the windy side of the ad censors) you’re very, very correct.
well, i will give it a try.
technically its not racism since he said nothing about any race.
For all we know the immigrants are the same race as him and he has some other issue.
He doesn’t. Guys like Colin’s dad use the term ‘immigrant’ as a blanket statement to usually refer to anyone who isn’t white. So on that level, I’d call it racism.
Well that is silly, most non whites aren’t immigrants. Unless you count their ancestors in which case all whites are
Then again, racists aren’t known for their logic
Oh, they’re known for their flawed logic. It’s legendary.
With all due respect, I would suggest that the word “xenophobia” MIGHT fit better than “Racism”; how does Grandpa MacTavish react when the people around him speak French?
Maybe. But often the two go hand in hand. And he would react badly to French-speaking anything. Calgary folk are not well known for their tolerant perspective towards the Quebecois.
Racism is not something unique to some Caucasians.
Or English-Speaking people.
Oh, certainly not.
I’m just going to say that Archie Bunker lived in the suburbs.
But outside of the aboriginal population, everyone else is an immigrant. But if you want to get to the nitty gritty, We is all related baby.
I didn’t immigrate anywhere. I was born here. If not evolving here means my family are immigrants, then so are the “natives”. Since they just immigrated here over the land bridge during the last Ice Age, all they can claim to be is First Immigrants.
So spare me the we are all immigrants bull. How many generations does a family have to be born somewhere before they stop being immigrants? Cause if you get to declare me one based on your perspective, then I have just as much right to declaim them immigrants cause they didn’t evolve here either.
Does anyone but people living in Africa get to be ‘native’ to their land since they are all descended from immigrants from Africa at some point in their past?
PC crap, we are all immigrants. You are only an immigrant here if you weren’t born here.
Well, I don’t think there’s value in arguing about the meaning of the word ‘immigrant’, because its meaning is (quite obviously) disputed. What we know, and the reason I used it in the comic, is that a certain type of people, like Colin’s dad, use that term as a blanket, incorrect term to mean “people whose lineage comes from places that mine does not.”
Easy.
If you were born elsewhere, you’re an Immigrant.
If not, not.
yeah, the liberals loved how Archie Bunker set a stereotype that conservatives still can’t get out from.
kinda nutty when it’s the liberals who make all their decisions based on discrimination.
I grew up in the US army and somehow never really understood racism. hope I never do.
Oh, let’s not get all political here. I’ve seen rather discriminatory behaviour from people of all political stripes, so … yeah.
Most notably discriminating against anyone that identifies with their rival party.
*raises hand shamefully*
if you count liberal/conservative as parties, that is.
Me… I count them as anti/pro USA
“Archie Bunker lived in the suburbs.” ???
My definition of “The Suburbs” is lot sizes of at LEAST 1/4 acre, and that’s really small for a genuine Suburb.
I and my neighbors would define Archie Bunker as “City”, if not “Inner City”.
Like Puck’s House. You can call it Suburban, but it doesn’t fit my definition.
Puck’s house is, in Hamilton terms, the inner city. It was the burbs maybe in 1930 when the neighborhood was built, but now? It’s a rough zone, sandwiched between industry and the downtown core. And yeah, I’d qualify Archie Bunker as urban.
In Canada, it’s the natives who are really getting it…Interesting, innit? People pissing and moaning about getting invaded but never missing a chance to dump on “#$%#@!##$$”…Oh, well, heard the wife answer Americans complaining about “messycans” and “beaners” in Miami by sayin’ “We should have pushed the pale faces in the ocean when we had the chance…except me, of course…”(I’m the “face de farine” here…)
I’d agree that the biggest targets of racism in Canada are the native communities, though that depends on where you are in Canada too. I’m just saying that it’s not a land of milk, honey and tolerance.
I honestly thought “his father being kind? That’s… Kind of… Shocking” until I read the last panel. I have to agree with Puck on that one.
Also, funniest alt-text I’ve read in like… Forever, I’ll admit.
Glad it worked.
So… How long before Puck blows her top and either tells them all to leave and never return or a ambulance is required?
Give it time.
Ahhhhh, yes, so many family gatherings brought to a screeching halt thusly.
In yours too? I thought it was just me.
Well, from what we’ve seen, casual racism isn’t the worse in Collin’s family…
I mean, between a controlling bitch, a bitchy bitch and a nice casual racist dude, I know who I would choose to talk.
Of course, this is just choosing the lesser evil, but still.
I, for one, am more afraid of the pleasant racists. I’m disconcerted by the ugliness that they can so easily and effectively mask. Colin’s sister and mother are just front-up unpleasant. What you see it what you get, as it were, with them.
How did COLIN turn out so well with these influences anyway? I mean seriously.
I love how this exchange has suddenly made people think of Colin in a positive light. Which I think is a first.
Broad, sweeping comments about rural Canadians? Which flavor of discrimination is that?
I grew up in small town Saskatchewan, and I am no racist, Sir!
Well, you don’t have to be rural to be like this. I’m just speaking from familial experience, and familial experience shows that the further a person lives from a major urban center, the more likely he or she is to make such an outburst. I do believe, though, that the difference between urban and rural is not as much in the viewpoint as it is in what’s socially acceptable to voice in public. People in the city might know to avoid making statements like this, but it doesn’t mean they don’t think it.
Oh, and I’ve unfortunately never been to Saskatchewan, so maybe it’s a far more accepting place than rural Ontario.
It’s also more of a generational thing than anything else. Say Colin’s Dad is 55-60. He grew up during an era where everyone thought that race determined intelligence, work ethic, etc. And since there’s not a huge influx of young people moving to the boonies, there won’t be a lot of opposing viewpoints. Throw in cable news channels to keep him in a bubble, and what impetus is there to change?
True enough. Though Colin’s family is suppposed to hail from Calgary, and there’s no end of hardworking, highly successful immigrants there. It might be partly cultural, but I’m thinking it’s more obstinacy.
I am 54, and no, I did not grow up during an era where everyone thought, etc., etc.
I’m also 54. I didn’t come from a racist family, but I did hear more racist comments in the past than I do now. I also hear more from older people than from younger people.
The major exceptions are the news media, certain reverend spokespeople, and some vocal (and violent) inner-city people.
I find the further back in time you go, the more casual racism abounds. My wife’s grandmother is 96. She’s casually racist as anything. She’s also, mind you, a good person who can look past that and does have friends who are not white. But even then, she’s fond of saying things like “Well, Dhara’s a nice woman, not like those other Indians.” Some would say we’ve made little progress, I suppose, even with young people.
I wonder if Miranda will learn self-defense when she’s older.
Probably not an official style, but she’s likely to learn many unofficial ways of defending yourself by hurting others, just by observing her Mum. :p
Forget the immigrants, grandad, worry about the crack-dealers and the prostitutes… not to mention the new mayor.
=_=
Good point.
Canada has been fooling the USA for over one hundred years with the politeness and inability to commit. The largest number of illegal immigrants in the USA are Canadians, but no one says or does anything because they look “just like us” and speak mostly the same language. Then you get into how the Canadians treat their Native Population, and that malarkey wouldn’t float down here at all.
All points accurate.
Canadians are generally nicer people. We simply don’t have much trouble with violent crime from them. Also, they aren’t a burden on our welfare system. Why would they be? They can do better by staying home.
I mean I’m an immigrant. That’s right! I came from Krypton. Mind you, I destroyed it no matter what propaganda you read says. All us kryptonian immigrants come to the states and Canada. For the donuts and deep fried everything.
On Planet Mongo, we have real bacon…not baloney like the Canadians!
Canadian bacon. It’s only ham!
On the other hand, I’ve actually tried deep fried bacon. It’s…interesting. Tastes too salty for my liking and you can just feel the years of life expectancy just pour off of you. Still, I like my bacon crunchy so there’s that.
“Canadian bacon” can only be found in the US…In Canada, this is called “baloney”, or “firemen’s steak”,(that’s all fire tower guards on top of mountains had to eat)…
Would it make a difference to Mr. Mactavish if the guys running the crack house next door were Canadian-born?
(See? This week I remembered *some* of the continuity…)
Maybe. But I can definitely say that Stan, ruler of Crackistan, is 100% Canadian born and bred, of good European heritage. Like many crack dealers.
How about having a Puck vote comic devoted to Alexander the Great cutting the Gordian knot.
I never understood immigrant hate. You, me, everyone in North America and South America is or is the descendent of immigrants. Even the First Nations people’s ancestors came across the Bering Straight back when you didn’t have to have Jesus powers to cross it on foot.
And if you go back far enough, we’re ALL immigrants … from the sea! If you believe Darwin. But something tells me that Colin’s dad wouldn’t.
And even if he doesn’t, Eden was in Africa.
Ahem…Mine came to fight(and win) on the plains of Abraham(which belonged to a Scot immigrant, Abraham Martin), however, 30,000 years old arrowheads have been found in America, a time where humans were so few that humanity almost disappeared.
That’s real native, if you ask me. People could not come from the east because there was a wall of ice a mile tall between New England and England!
Indeed. A major part of America’s (and presumably Canada’s) greatness comes from being ‘the great melting pot.’
I find that generally the complaints that commonly get thrown around are not about immigration or immigrants in general, but rather about illegal immigration, and the host of problems that accompanies it. But one certain political side when discussing the issue always makes sure to drop the “illegal” part of the phrase in an effort to confuse the issue and vilify their rivals.
The thing with Canada is that, given its geographic position next to absolutely nothing (other that the U.S.), Canada gets very few illegal immigrants. So most of the immigrants are of the thoroughly legal variety, and often are highly educated and driven to succeed. Which means that Colin’s dad’s stance here is pretty much exactly what Puck is labeling it as.
Ok, Gecko.
First of all, PUCK is meant to entertain.
Anything you decide does NOT entertain is your call.
I will never be offended if you delete any post of mine.
Feel free to delete this one, too.
Meow !
(did i sound tough ? faked you out)
You are my buddy.
(got tuna?)
“All In The Family” Canadian version.
I knew this guy was too good to be true with that nose perched upon that fat ‘stache of his but honestly, this is a harsh reality of many people’s mindset. Not a shocker but still hard to swallow.
I sense that Colin’s family is also laced with a little socio-economical entitlement as well
Well I’m rooting for Team Puck at this point but I’d be lying if I didn’t find this funny. 😀
Economic entitlement is, indeed, the root cause of much of this jerkiness. Glad it’s staying funny, though.
I bet that when she’s older Miranda will study the great military minds of History and use their military skills to defend herself.
I love how NOBODY has brought the whole SHE’S A FAIRY OF LORE.
Nobody ever seems to catch on. Even English majors. Weird, huh?
Makes me wonder how the family would react if they realized it.
Jeese, people, everyone is a immigrant. Even the African people in Africa are immigrants, because their tribal boundaries got all $@&$ed up when the Europeans invaded, and then the American slave trade began. Or, conversely, no one is an immigrant because we all live in the same solar system. So either way, just shut the hell up about how awful immigrants are, please.
We as a species really need to be forever rid of this “them versus us” modes of thought. We’re all fundamentally the same and we need to stop pretending we’re not. Physically and even mentally, we may not be identically capable on an individual level, but in every way that matters, we’re the same.
Except for one group of people whom I will always hold a strong prejudice against: people with outie belly buttons. That’s just creeps, man. CREEPS.
American slave trade? Go a little further back in history and you’ll find Africans selling other Africans to Arabs for cheap labour. Slavery isn’t an American invention thank you very much. Its a greed invention and has existed in many cultures long before ours. Not saying we are any better but certainly not the worst either.
Yep. Humans have had a long and depressing tradition of being terrible to each other.
Colin’s dad doesn’t mean to be racist he is just from an earlier era.
Well, he’s old, but I don’t consider that an excuse.
Well Puck’s even older.
True dat.
My grandfather hated liberals and was casually racist. Then he met my father, a french liberal and he got better. I’m not even close to joking here.
And I’m not sure what to make of it. But good to know that some can change.
Indeed. A major part of America’s (and presumably Canada’s) greatness comes from being ‘the great melting pot.’
It’s a matter of actually meeting and interacting with ‘those people.’
I’m from “an earlier era” and no, it is not excusable or acceptable. We were fighting racism then and still doing so now. When I was in the Air Force during training, in our flight we had people of all kinds of ‘racial’ backgrounds. white, black, oriental, etc. We didn’t have any race problems. We all worked together. We all got along. We were all Airmen. Our sister flight, the training group in the other wing of the building on the same floor, looked to be completely white. But we quickly heard about the racism problems they were having in their own group. Because a couple were not of the exact same Caucasian heritage. Got to see during one morning assembly as two members of their group got themselves pulled out and disciplined for racist remarks they made about people in their own flight. What was stupid then, is stupid now and continues to be stupid. And there is no excuse for it. As for racism itself and the supposed differences it makes, we are all of one race. Human. That is the meaning and totality of it. You cannot even consider the variations between different groups to even count as different breeds. Simply not enough to distinguish between them. As you can see with some other species, color variation occur even in the same lines. Location of birth is coincidental at best. Racism is totally a contrived concept we as a species should not practice. Long since past time for it to go away.
Amen to that, dude.
Sometimes I wonder how somebody as smart as you can be a member of the human race.
We have proven ourselves so utterly stupid thru history, you have to wonder if the apes got it right.
I have a problem with illegal immigration. But it’s not the immigration part I have the deal with. All of our best (and worst) moments as a country have dealt with immigrants in one way or another. Our status as a superpower is thanks to immigrants or ancestors of immigrants. Marie Curie, Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, the list goes on. The US is great because of our immigrant population.
It’s the illegal part I don’t like. We don’t have the most difficult or harshest laws on immigration and people just skip the border without respect of these laws and then get upset, sometimes protesting, when people get up in arms about it. Again, it’s not the legal immigrants I have an issue with, it’s just the feeling of disrespect I get from the illegal portion of illegal immigration. I don’t know if that makes me seem racist or not, it’s just something that bothers me. Everyone deserves a fair shake, but at least respect the laws of the nation you enter.
Well, Canada has less of that. It’s definitely there, but the current government has recently been unusually harsh in throwing out anyone and everyone who hasn’t come into the country through legitimate means (including a fair number of Americans who’ve been thrown out for … why? Paperwork not submitted on time? That sort of thing).
Oi, I know how Puck feels. I live in a southern Kentucky town called “Oak Grove” and go to a school in Hopkinsville. There are plenty of diverse people (by “diverse” i mean I see more African Americans and Latinos instead of Asians or Arabs) here, but I think we need more variety. Of course, My dad hates every race “equally” though he talks more about the African Americans a lot more than the other races.
Ah, bigotry, humanity’s favorite hobby. Seriously, I think it’s hardwired into our DNA, or something. A “They ain’t of our tribe, so let’s shun/kill ’em to protect our resources.” gene would explain a great deal, including why we hate mimes and clowns. I mean, besides the obvious (they’re mimes and clowns). Still, the difference between a human being and a naked ape is that human beings try to rise above their genetics, while naked apes wallow in the shallow end of the gene pool.
I’m on the same page as you. Because a lot of really nasty crap is hard-wired into our genetics, but we can, nay must, strive to go beyond that every day. Not our fault we’re too fast for evolution to keep up.
If it make you feel better, rejoice in the fact that only a few hundred years ago, most humans lived in slavery…actually were not really part of the official human race, free men living a life of farniente(doing nothing), depending on indentured labor. Credit Christianity for fighting it and finally overtaking and making slavery illegal. Did you know that Diogene the “cynic”(the dog) was considered a lunatic for preaching that the only life worth living was the “FREE LIFE”, meaning free of the slaves’ labor, or not depending on the toils of other people, i.e. carrying your own weight. If you consider the horrors of slavery, racism is fairly minor, a wart where cancer used to fester. The mind blight of idiots, really.
Don’t think for a moment that there is not a “Ruling Class” than wishes the majority of us to be Slaves/Serfs all over again.
And, largely, they are succeeding.
Ilive in montana pretty much whole state is full bunch hicks…but I have met plenty of racists in cities..to just saying dont lump all people in rural areas as racists.
Yeah, you can find them all over the place. Around these parts, they’re just often more vocal in rural areas. They’re quieter in cities, but they’re definitely there.
I’ve traveled a lot and I find anywhere people tend to be homogenous with little exposure to other cultures/ethnicities/scary folk from THREE towns over, there is usually a bit of racism, sometimes like Colin’s dad and sometimes unintentional.
Yeah, no geographic region is free of this junk.
LMFAO
Poor Puck
Of course Dad would be the most accepting;)
For the daughter-in-law, the dad can often be the least painful member of the family. Son-in-laws usually have it harder with daddy, though…
You’d think he meant black people, but he might mean the ogres in this comic.
In this part of the world (Hamilton, ON) he’d probably be referring to people of Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian or Indian descent. But it might be ogres too. I’ve never drawn an ogre in the comic. Might be interesting!
I’ve read scientific articles that describe racism being a more common thing in rural areas than in big cities. The theory is that if you grow up in a very diverse area, like New York city for example, it’s a lot harder to perceive all these people you’ve been around your whole life as “other” or “not part of the tribe”. It doesn’t eliminate the subtle bias of unconscious word association between for example “black” and “bad” (where we get the term “black hat”), which is particularly unfortunate for black people, but there are ways to overcome it with time, apparently the most effective method being exposure.
I’m glad that my neighbor on one side is black after we moved into this new house. As much as I get all nervous (because I’m autistic and anything that’s potentially controversial is a little nerve-wracking), I hope that it will help me to be less biased and hopefully it will also help me to better understand the experiences of black people (in as much as that’s possible). Because if I have a better understanding of their experience, then I think I can be a better neighbor/friend/etc. I may even become a better writer.
Casual racism just amuses me… mostly because it usually means I’m not the target. There are far worse things people can be than casually racist… e.g. casually religious.
In Quebec, it is actually ILLEGAL for any sign to be in anything but French (right?).
What’s diverse about that ?
Yet I support the French Canadians. They have a unique, beautiful culture, and a right to honor and maintain it.
I believe there are many wonderful cultures on Earth, and all have the right to do whatever they wish to continue them.
Which includes English-Speaking cultures, that wish to do likewise.
How horrible it would be if we were all exactly the same !
They have rules regarding French and signs. They can have English on them, but the French needs to be there, be above the English, and be larger than the English. Which is honestly fine by me. They’re a linguistic minority in a sea of dominant English, and the whole language would be quickly subsumed if they didn’t carefully guard it.
I happen to really like Quebec. Good people. Good food.
In the USA, it is very acceptable to dismiss other Americans, that may live in Rural Areas, or simply south of Washington DC, as “Hicks”, or “Rednecks”. They are assumed to be dull, ignorant, stupid.
Southern Accent = Simpleton.
In actual fact, studies have been conducted on America City Dwellers, and their lack of knowledge on very basic things is astounding.
City Children were asked where Milk comes from: “The Refrigerator”. Smarter Children: “The Store”. A significant percentage could go no further.
I don’t live in the sticks, but I would trust the judgement of some Small Town Farmer against some smug NYC Lawyer any day.
I’m not racist……I hate everyone equally.
Except for people that won’t eat, or don’t like bacon. Everyone should like bacon. How can you trust someone that doesn’t like the single greatest thing ever? Seriously. I mean…. It’s BACON!
Bacon is the force that binds us together.
Puck’s response: “Oh I KNOW! These dirty Scotts just stroll right in here like they own the place! I thought good ol’ King Edward was supposed to breed them out when he instituted Prima Nocta, but they keep reproducing like roaches.”
Mister MACTAVISH: “… I’ll acknowledge the brilliant burn, if you’ll be at least a bit sheepish when it occurs to you that you’re holding one of those ‘roaches’.”
You write with flair.
Thank you. It’s one of my better skills, that I’ve unfortunately not found any real opportunity to monetize. 🙁