I imagine that for the past few hours the inbox of cartoonist David Willis has blown the hell up. All because of a cartoon. His Dumbing of Age strip is great and quite popular, but just in looking at the comments section alone you can see that people are responding vocally at a rate 100 times greater than before.
Some are complaining about the timing of the strip. Well screw that for a multitude of reasons - one being that Mr. Willis is a pro and has a buffer going back months. I know this because he humble brags about it sometimes and because I’m jealous of that. Also -WHAT TIMING? We average a mass shooting in this country at a rate just over 1 per day.
You can read the strip here.
For those of you who don’t read the strip, it’s mostly about a group of college freshmen who are discovering themselves. One such kid, a girl named Becky, has come out of the closet and is hiding from her insanely religious father. You can see how insane from reading today’s strip.
You know what Mr. Willis in NOT doing? ACTUALLY SHOOTING ANYONE!!! It’s a cartoon for crying quietly.A freaking cartoon! Lines and color and words. Yes, they’re put together with skill and power but still, can’t you get mad about something real? Like actual people dying?
And yes, I’m ranting about a cartoon too, from the other side. Insert Alanis Morrisette’s “Isn’t It Ironic” up your ass. Or in facebook.
There’s something my oldest child and my youngest have both said to me, separately, that resonates through my head. They have both told me that every time there is a shooting like this it keeps getting closer. Sometimes physically, sometimes demographically, sometimes just because of the press. But what it feels like is that the danger of these events keeps coming closer and closer. It already feels too damned close.
It’s sad to say but most American adults actually know someone civilian who has been shot or shot at. And before you jump up and scream at me sit down and think about your extended circle of friends. I promise you that if you’re reading this you know at least one. I know five. That’s just pathetic for a country that isn’t war-torn.
If we can’t fix this before our children can make the same claim, then we’re done. I have friends who live overseas and believe me, I’ve contemplated the same. The stuff that makes America great - and there’s a lot - doesn’t outweigh the possibility of getting shot.
Our Founding Fathers would projectile vomit.
P.S. For the record, I’m a fan of David Willis’ cartoons, and have been for nearly a decade.