So yeah, there you go. What's Wrong With Gene, in a handful of pages, straight from mom. Not that she thinks anything's wrong at all, of course. I'm not convinced she's even capable of noticing if there were. I mean, she's sitting there and telling his friends she thinks he's a-okay, with her granddaughter two feet away and showing her own twenty-something father how to spell his name.
Pretty brutal.
I have a friend who showed this comic to his mom, a while back. She's in social work, and she remarked that she found the idea of a man like Gene taking care of a kid solo pretty scary. Not an unreasonable concern, really. And he wouldn't be capable, I don't think, if it weren't for the half-dozen safety nets he has strung around every corner.
TODAY: All the commissions I have finished so far will ship. (If your commission's shown up in my DA gallery/I've emailed you the finished image, this means you! Sorry for the delay!) All the shirt orders I had as of yesterday morning shipped yesterday, and the recent book orders will go out tomorrow.
Ack.
Please be patient with me, especially about emails. You guys cut me way too much slack, I swear. But don't think I'm not grateful.
...woah. Wait, so... Gene was shaking... and his mum took him to an indian doctor?
............... There's somethin' wrong with that woman.
Aww! Look at that little evil instigator grin. Oh, Reagan-chan.
In her mind, she did what was right. Remember, she said she was 15 when she gave birth, add that to the fact she's part of a religion that sounds like it's based off one of Hunter thompson's peyote addled ramblings, (although the idea of medicinal tattoos does have a certain appeal). Gene is alright, h's taking care of himself (reasonably) he has a daughter he loves and cares for (as best he can) and to him, everything's Jake, so to speak. I'm sure gran is proud of her boy and her grandaughter.
Man, Reagan in the last panel? That is me right now.
But so far, I'm pretty much unable to dig up any real hate for Gene's mom. It seems like if not for Gene, she would have absolutely nothing. I understand how she would sort of hold on to that beyond the point of reason.
Not saying she doesn't have ignorant beliefs, just, y'know. I think it's a little too easy to look down on her.
This chapter has been a good insight as to what Gene's talents are. He can repeatedly get a perfect score on what appears to be a music-based game, yet can't quite get the hang of spelling his own name.
Also, I'm curious to see what she has to say about the fourth man, whichever race it refers to. So far she's had nothing but good things to say about all the other races, which is rather odd for this sort of thing.
Brain damage from asphyxiation during birth. This explains much. And mom didn't get him proper medical attention, no, instead she brought the obviously brain damaged infant to a man armed with tatoo needles and said "preforate my newborn's tender skin until he's better." Remember, even a tiny cut feels like life-ending agony to a small child. I'm going to bet this tatoo guy was the back alley sort that wasn't on top of the whole sanitation and sterilization routine, either.
Is it bad that right now all I'm thinking is that I hope he doesn't get his hair all cut off?
Zora seems remarkably well-adjusted all things considered. She'd better hope those safety nets stay in place another decade or so.
Reagan as a social safety net. Geez.
I hope I'm not the only one who has a deep respect for Gene's mom. I'm turning 15 this friday and I couldn't fathom having a kid, let alone giving birth by myself. And then the baby acting like that? That's wild.
I just realized -- his mother used medicinal tattoos to cure what sounds like seizures. She got them while he was fairly young.
Regardless of his age she also *got his netherbits, or at least the skin around them tattooed*.
I'm not a guy, but, I'm guessing that's full of about 5 million kinds of ouch regardless of age.
And it just occurred to me that I used the phrase "regardless of age" pretty much consecutively in my last comment. Dur.
Is it bad that all Mabus's comment did was make me realize that Gene most likely isn't circumcized, considering that one of the basic tenants of his mother's religion seems to be 'no medical intervention' and/or 'leave your body the way it was when you were born'-- minus the tattoos, of course?
And Reagun's grin frightens me. I get the feeling that the fourth man is going to be something very very bad or offensive.
Guess that's one thing she did all right. Circumcision is crazy stuff. And kind of icky. Not quite as crazy as medicinal tattoos for infant epilepsy, but hey. It's something.
I don't know, I consider medicinal tattoos a lot less crazy and weird than cutting off parts of a baby's genitals for no real reason.
Religious reasons are still real reasons, whether or not you believe in them.
HEAR THAT SOUND? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME THROWIN' DOWN THE GAUNTLET.
(lawl not really.)
You guys seem pretty sure about the medicinal tattoo thing - are you sure that's what it was that she got the medicine man to do? Sounds more like some kind of herbal remedy, on the surface.
Also, I can't respect Gene's mom. Instead of doing whatever would save her kid - getting professional medical help - she considered her religion more important and caused permanent brain damage. The fact that she THOUGHT she was doing what was best for him just indicates she has poor judgement.
I admire faith, but I admire sense more.
Wait, I just figured it out. "Ink fixed him." I was reading that as a name.
Fourth man is clearly Devil Man. And there's only brown [Arabic and Oriental Indian, possibly ] people, pacific islanders, and inuit/eskimo left. It's like an exciting surprise!
I feel dirty for thinking it but I absolutely adore Gene. He just seems like such a sweet guy. :(
Oh ... and are all those kids Gene's? xD
Fourth man will probably be the Australian aboriginal.
If you ask me, Fourth Man is looking to get herself in trouble. Grinning like that.
No, Reagan is Third Man, remember?
In my opinion "You are amazingly grateful"
Fourth man is probably the Jewish man. Jake started the religion in the late 30's, when being Jewish was considered more an ethnic than a religious distinction. Also, there was a lot of anti-semitism going around at that point of time. On that note: Could Reagan be Jewish? Possible, I think. It would make things interesting if she were.
Assuming, of course, that I'm right about this.
Kevin: Reagan wears a cross. While being Jewish and wearing a cross would be in keeping with Reagan's sense of the ostentatious affront, I'm pretty sure she isn't Jewish. We also know she's Italian. Well, American Italian. Not to say that rules out Jewishness ...
Wow! We sure have a deeper understanding of poor Gene. It makes me wonder what he'd had been like if he hadn't had brain damage. He's a very sweet guy, though. I LUV Reagan's facial expressions. It's obvious she knows something is up with the "fourth man."
"I don't know, I consider medicinal tattoos a lot less crazy and weird than cutting off parts of a baby's genitals for no real reason." < di'Taykan
^^^ Yeah, that. ^^^
I'm glad I'm not the only person who feels that way. I was all for it until I found out how it was done. It's pretty darn crazy....like some sort of medieval brutal torture. It was so shocking to discover anesthesia is rarely used and parts are not cut off...they are crushed and then ripped off. Yuck. Tattooing a baby (even near or on the naughty bits) would actually be less painful.
Dotcom, the traditional Jewish "bris" ritual is not the sole method of circumcision, and when performed by doctors under medical conditions, anesthetics are often used.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_n2_v52/ai_17281985
I'm not trying to change your mind, I would just like people to be properly informed.
In regards to Reagan's faith, I believe Spike said at some point that Reagan describes herself as "recovering Catholic" or something to that effect.
Maybe I'm alone here, but I think you're being a little harsh on the Jakeskin mythology. Sure, it's backwards and creepy, but it doesn't seem to be racist in the sense of placing any one ethnicity as dominant or superior to another. All things considered, there are worse cultural traditions in the world.
And another thing! Speaking as a circumcision "survivor", I think it's a unfortunate tradition and would never have it done to my own child, but despite my maiming I consider my neither regions to be perfectly functional, thank you very much.
I'm sure they are! It just really annoys me that female circumcision is regarded as mutilation legally, and referred to as such, but male circumcision-- which is essentially the same thing, seeing as the male foreskin and female clitoral hood are analogous-- is not. I'm told that, had I been born male, my parents would have watched me like hawks to make sure that I remained intact (stemming from my dad's own botched circumcision that made later, additional surgery a necessity).
And I think the Jakeskin religion is interesting. I wonder if Gene's mom started it herself?
Oh, and I'd say that you are a survivor. Babies do die as a direct result of having been circumcised, whether from infection or blood loss or shock, or anything else I'm forgetting at the moment.
"It just really annoys me that female circumcision is regarded as mutilation legally, and referred to as such, but male circumcision-- which is essentially the same thing"
WHUT?
No.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_circumcision
"I'm sure they are! It just really annoys me that female circumcision is regarded as mutilation legally, and referred to as such, but male circumcision-- which is essentially the same thing, seeing as the male foreskin and female clitoral hood are analogous-- is not. I'm told that, had I been born male, my parents would have watched me like hawks to make sure that I remained intact (stemming from my dad's own botched circumcision that made later, additional surgery a necessity)."
ok, it really depends which sort of female circumcision you're talking about. in many places in africa they remove the clitoris and the girl's legs have to be bound together for ten days to avoid letting her bleed to death.
sometimes they sew the vulva mostly shut using thorns or *likely unsanitized* stitches.
the practices are aimed at preserving chastity or faithfullness.
male circumcision is odd and somewhat brutal and i'm sorry if your father suffered because of it, but the more extreme forms of female circumcision/female genital mutilation/whatever they decide on calling it is far more extreme and unnecessary.
I'd like to make one big comment, because this discussion is never ever ever productive. You know how attached you are to your foreskin? I don't have one, so I'm not. I've never had one, and I wasn't conscious of having mine removed. I know that pop psychology ascribes all kinds of wacky crap to infancy, but then again half of the pop culture seems to think 'life begins at conception' has medical weight worth worrying about.
Anyway! I know you're really enthusiastic about circumcision being worse than the Holocaust, but seriously, infant circumcision is basically a non-issue. I would never endorse adult circumcision, because the idea of having an active, sensate part of my penis lobbed off is horrifying to me and I don't doubt it is to you too. But infants barely have bone yet, let alone developed sexual nerves. Humans are notoriously slow in developing; the kind of anencephalic children with saline sacs for brains don't even start acting different from normal children until somewhere between 6 and 12 months.
So, OK. I can accept that circumcision is ultimately bad and I'd like to see it *phased out* - but bear in mind that kids have a LOT to worry about at puberty, and going through life being part of the 20% of the population with weird dicks is really awful, and ideally we'd never want to see teenagers circumcising themselves. So no, it's not something we can just go and stop on a dime.
And if any one of you compares my dick to jerky I'm going to fuck-start your head.
I don't think that circumcision is worse than the holocaust, and I'm offended that you seem to think that I do. I have no idea why anyone would compare your dick to jerky, Alec, but it certainly would not and won't be me. I also think that, even undeveloped, sexual nerves are nerves and definitely capable of feeling pain-- yes, anesthetic is used, but pain medication is often not prescribed for the days/weeks following the procedure.
There are also types of female circumcision that only involve removing the hood of the clitoris, and that's the kind that I was comparing male circumcision to. Sorry if there was any confusion.
Also, I find the tempest in a teapot aspect of female circumcision as an issue REALLY worrisome. You know, like the people who weep big fat tears about the oppression foisted on chador-wearing Iranian women and then turn around and blame rape on sluts underdressing.
For the most part, where it happens female circumcision is pretty uninvasive, and FWIW the more observant people tend to be about Islam the better it tends to be - the Koran's position on f.c. is 'if you're going to do it at all, do it with as little damage as you possibly can'. The kind of FGM that gets the most press (and is pretty rare outside of the horn of Africa, although *that* nobody tends to add) is about as close to circumcision as would be lobbing off an infant's dick.
And to turn this into a hat trick of being an asshole, I have no sympathy whatsoever for Mamma Gene, but that's because I'm pretty hardcore irreligious and bio-mechanistic. The real-world equivalent of the Jakeskin medicine beliefs are unfortunately prevalent, and the anti-vac movement in particular has taken a lot of innocent lives. Evidently Britain's had more children dying from measles in the last few years than they had since 1990. Gene's lucky to be *alive*. ._.
Both male and female circumcision (removal of the labia) were popular in the US until the turn of the 20th century. A lot of the reasons people cite for doing it (ex- cleanliness, to prevent infections, etc...) actually are more logical arguments for female (labia) circumcision.
These days, many hospitals don't use anesthesia and that which is used is very weak because the infant is so small and giving them anything that works very well is high-risk. IOW, the poor kids still usually experience immense pain. I've met nurses who got to hold the babies while they are bawling their eyes out afterwards. Babies who don't cry are usually in a state of shock.
The thing they strap the boys down in is disgusting. Even in cases where the foreskin is not "ripped off" it does get torn before it's cut. The foreskin is fused to the head of a baby's penis much like a fingernail is fused to a finger. It detaches naturally as the child grows and/or starts to explore his body (much like a young girl's hymen breaks). A big reason uncircumcised men have sometimes encountered health issues in the US (and not other countries) is because a lot of people (including doctors) don't understand this and try to forcibly retract the foreskin too early and even wash it with soap (a big "no no").
I apologize for derailing today's comment box, and will not discuss this here anymore.
"...ideally we'd never want to see teenagers circumcising themselves." I would like to see this idea introduced to the emo crowd, more for entertainment than any other reason. For the record, I'm uncut, but I'd lop it off in a second if someone offered me a free procedure. (I picture this as a man in a long coat approaching me on the street and saying in low tones, "Hey buddy, want a circumcision?") All it does is get in the way when I pee. And keep my glans from chafing, I guess.
And regarding Jakeskin race theory, it's not that she's not saying nice things - it's the fact that, by ascribing strength to Scip and intellect to Ben, she's effectively saying that Ben isn't strong and Scip isn't smart. And we all know a certain smart person of African extraction, which is why theories of this kind are borderline offensive.
I can't deny being a warrior man, tho'. ^_^
Look, all I'm saying is, man-bits look plenty cute in their little turtlenecks. Is it really necessary to make them go naked? Poor little penises. All alone in the cold.
wait, someone said lopping off the foreskin in analogous to cutting out the clitoris (too lazy to check who...).
Except that the clit is used for sexual stimulation, while the foreskin.... isn't.
It get rolled back, out of the way. It gets infected, gets in the way- seems like one of those things leftover from evolution (like the appendix on your big intestine). So if it just causes problems, then why not "cut out the problem" (baaad, pun)
[/end biology lesson]
wait, someone said lopping off the foreskin in analogous to cutting out the clitoris (too lazy to check who...).
Except that the clit is used for sexual stimulation, while the foreskin.... isn't.
It get rolled back, out of the way. It gets infected, gets in the way- seems like one of those things leftover from evolution (like the appendix on your big intestine). So if it just causes problems, then why not "cut out the problem" (baaad, pun)
[/end biology lesson]
Hmm...strange religious beliefs. I have to say I prefer the Jakeskin (so far) way to other marginal faiths I've grown up around. Such as my friend who informed her mother that her new stepfather had raped her...and her mothers response was something along the lines of "Oh, how nice! That means he likes you too! So you can marry him as well, and we'll be one big happy family!" Buhh? A little medicinal tattooing and early weapon use doesn't seem so bad, comparatively.
(I don't think that circumcision is worse than the holocaust, and I'm offended that you seem to think that I do.)
Well, because stereotypes are fun.
(I have no idea why anyone would compare your dick to jerky, Alec, but it certainly would not and won't be me.)
I appreciate it. Unfortunately, the comparison gets made a lot, and I've always found it kind of insulting. I've also been informed in great seriousness that my lack of a foreskin makes me desperately seek out the pleasure that this cruelty has denied me by going from partner to partner, which is certainly an innovative appraisal of my sex life. As I said, you're right that circumcision is, on the whole, bad - the problem is that the anti-circumcision movement has a lot of people with really, really terrible ideas. One of those is that my dick is meat. The comparison seriously gets made - I've actually been told as much three times that I can remember. As a big fan of my own penis and beef jerky, I can't really see it.
(I also think that, even undeveloped, sexual nerves are nerves and definitely capable of feeling pain-- yes, anesthetic is used, but pain medication is often not prescribed for the days/weeks following the procedure.)
This is true. On the other hand, I'd dispute that a seven-day old infant has the capacity for suffering. Pain, yes - suffering, no. One is nervous, the other is psychiatric. Big difference, and one that pretty much defines sapience. An infant has the capacity for pain in the direct, nervous sense that a cat or a dog would, and as such it's not moral to hurt an infant for no reason. But it's still an entirely different ballgame from a toddler, child, teenager, or adult. You kind of need to be conscious to experience suffering. And then there's the pretty strong lack of solid evidence of the necessary components of long-term memory before about 14-18 months. It's really, really impolitic to say it, but human life as we know it doesn't really seem to kick off until after the ninth trimester. [In some areas, it takes even longer - it's really creepy to think of the fact that children tend to develop language skills years before they develop a *conscience*.]
(There are also types of female circumcision that only involve removing the hood of the clitoris, and that's the kind that I was comparing male circumcision to. Sorry if there was any confusion.)
I'd say the comparison is about apt. There's an unfortunate dearth of good information on the long-term effects of hood circumcision qua male circumcision, largely because it's commonplace (along with other procedures generally called FGM) to do it after the first menstruation. While it's one thing to disregard the pain of an infant, children are quite another matter - they're capable of understanding what's hurting them and translating that pain into terror and dread.
In other words, if it were conducted the way foreskin circumcision is, I don't know if hood circumcision would be a whole lot to write home about. Similarly, if it were commonplace to circumcise nine-year-olds here - Jesus, that'd be awful.
coyoteweeps: :(
Then there's the Moonies, who advise girls who find themselves being raped to try and bite off their tongues and choke on them so that they won't go to Hell for having sex outside of marriage. Hell of a world, isn't it!
Wow.
The comments are almost as good as the comic!
"wait, someone said lopping off the foreskin in analogous to cutting out the clitoris (too lazy to check who...)."
No. I said that it was analogous to cutting off the HOOD of the clitoris, which is the clitoral version of a foreskin.
"Except that the clit is used for sexual stimulation, while the foreskin.... isn't."
Yes, it is. It has a rich supply of erogenous nerve receptors, and the nerves of the inner and outer foreskin are active and giving pleasure from foreplay to orgasm.
"It get rolled back, out of the way. It gets infected, gets in the way- seems like one of those things leftover from evolution (like the appendix on your big intestine). So if it just causes problems, then why not "cut out the problem" (baaad, pun)"
Lessee... it has a gliding mechanism that aids in penetration and intercourse, while helping to keep the fluids a woman produces when aroused where they need to be. A woman's genitals have a hell of a lot more folds and don't get rolled back, UTIs are rarely caused as a result of having a foreskin. In fact, the foreskin actually helps to protect against infections by acting like a flap valve and preventing the entrance of bacteria. The thing has at least sixteen different functions through various times of life.
For you dudes who like the nude sunning, it's also pigmented and will protect the glans from getting crispy-crittered. For you dudes who like the snow, it helps protect the glans against frostbite.
I can't hate on Gene's mom. The idea of giving birth alone in a motel bath scares the crap out of me *now*, and I'm nearly twice the age she was. I think she did the best she could with the *information* that she had- maybe it "wrong" but she stepped up. (And hey, even the placebo effect helps, and one could make the tattoo= acupuncture argument. I won't because I don't know enough about either, but I think it's possible).
And on the cutting- I remember reading in a few different sources that boys circumcised during a bris cried less (shorter time and less intensity) and showed less signs of physical stress in general as compared to their hospital snipped counterparts. They attributed it to the environmental differences- having a happy, excited family around and it being a joyous occasion (vs the clinical, less warm hospital environment). I agree that a positive environment can make that much of a difference, but my sons are keeping their foreskins (my dad's had his for 60 years with no problems).
... Hunh.
Spike, you've got a flame war about circumcision goin' on in here.
Nice.
Can't wait to see who the fourth man is.
People! That’s probably plenty enough posts pertaining to people’s peener problems!
Let's talk about how ridiculously cute and well-adjusted Zora is instead!
And how she was about to grab a knife by the sharp side before she was distracted!
What I'd like to know is why none of the scores are attributed to Eugne.
Penis
I'd like to know how one billion is fifth place, when it's equal to all of the top seven.
Presumably, Gene Can Music well enough to break the poor game's math.
I'd like to know how one billion is fifth place, when it's equal to all of the top seven.
Presumably, Gene Can Music well enough to break the poor game's math.
I'd like to know how one billion is fifth place, when it's equal to all of the top seven.
Presumably, Gene Can Music well enough to break the poor game's math.
I'm not going to comment on the ethics of the whole thing, other than to say that I fully support the rights of a mother to kill her child if she is unable to support it (or find someone else who can provide it with enough nutrition/support). These rights extend up to the age of four, which is the age miners or slaves were generally able to at least work a little bit.
That said, a woman's vagina is a swimming sea of bacteria, just like most people's mouths. Saying that removing the labia is likely to change the infection rates seems... rather strange.
Also, no one has cited their damn sources. shame shame.