# I don't quite get today's "Questionable Content" strip **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [April 13, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967 "2010-04-13T17:48:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 93
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1841 "2015-06-07T02:02:59Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > “Cis” is the opposite of “trans”. It’s not an acronym, it’s a prefix. So what is it a prefix for? It seems to mean, “I’m happy with how I am”. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1842 "2015-06-07T02:16:25Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > So what is it a prefix for? It seems to mean, “I’m happy with how I am”. “Cis-” is the opposite of “trans-”. A cisgender person is one whose body at birth coincides with the gender that their brain is. A transgender person is one whose body at birth is either noncoincident with their “brain gender” or whose sexual characteristics at birth were ambiguous and were assigned the incorrect actual gender. The two prefixes are used in other contexts, as well. Cisalpine and transalpine, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1843 "2015-06-07T07:41:30Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m with **Kamino** on this one - i don’t think that’s a necessary inference. Besides, it would be too much of a rehash of Martin and Dora’s relationship. I agree. I think Claire is just kinda wondering “WTF?” in general. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1844 "2015-06-07T14:12:47Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > So what is it a prefix for? It seems to mean, “I’m happy with how I am”. It’s a prefix for anything, although most commonly in this context “gender” or " man" or “woman”. It has nothing to do with happiness, just as “trans” doesn’t. So, if a transwoman’s gender identity doesn’t match their DNA, a ciswoman’s would. It’s not a new term, it’s ancient, and has been used in many contexts before. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1845 "2015-06-07T18:36:18Z")
“cis” is Latin for “on this side”, and “trans” is Latin for “on the other side”. So if “trans” is used to describe a man who identifies as female (or vice versa), then “cis” can be used to denote the alternative. It is used in organic chemistry to describe the arrangement of functional groups across a non-rotating bond - cis-trans isomerism. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1846 "2015-06-08T03:50:34Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > This doesn’t follow at all. Dora is a neurotic, insecure mess. Claire isn’t. As a female character in QC, Claire is at least a bit neurotic. Also, Dora has a lot more relationship experience to counterbalance the neurosis; Claire may be more stable, but she also has less experience of a partner hanging out with other women and has to rely more on speculation about what might happen. And again, she is, just because of her history, be prone to feeling like she’s being settled for, even without the specific reasons Dora felt Marten in particular was settling for her. > [@Miller](#): > > I’m with **Kamino** on this one - i don’t think that’s a necessary inference. Besides, it would be too much of a rehash of Martin and Dora’s relationship. Well, that’s a reason for Jeph not to go in that direction (unless Marten’s girlfriends being threatened by Faye is an ongoing theme) but since Claire presumably doesn’t know she’s a character in a webcomic, she’s unlikely to see it that way. ETA: Faye seems to see it as a rehash, though, which is what I said before. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1847 "2015-07-09T01:32:34Z")
So … I suddenly find myself in Marten’s shoes. Though in this case, “mature 40-somethings” rather than “20-something hipsters”. For a bit more than a year I’ve had an account at [FetLife.com](http://FetLife.com), a social networking site for “kinksters”. After posting some photos of my newest spanking implements, I got a comment and friend request from a rather attractive 42-year-old woman who happens to live in my town. And by “attractive” I mean, “over 40, single, and doesn’t outweigh me by 150 pounds”. Very pretty face. I accepted her friend request, and took the time to browse through her photos. And one of the photos was titled “Uncensored”. And there it was: she’s a trans woman who is still packing. And … I found that I had no problem with that. We had a couple pleasant conversations on FetLife, and I, rather impetuously, gave her my phone number. She called me this morning. I normally don’t answer my cell if I don’t recognize the number, but as chance had it, the last 4 digits of her phone number are exactly the same as one of my underlings at work, and the first three digits were close enough to fool me into thinking it was him calling, so I answered. So I was very confused when, instead of a male voice with a Mexican accent, I heard a pleasant female voice. It took me a moment to figure out who I was talking to. Unfortunately, I was just getting ready to start serving breakfast to the residents of the retirement home where I work (oh, by the way, I just got promoted yesterday, and I’m now the manager of my department) so I didn’t have time to talk to her. I only “met” her a couple days ago, online, not in person, but I find myself eager to meet her for real. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1848 "2015-07-10T12:17:08Z")
Jeph’s issue with the relative heights of his characters is particularly prominent in the latest strip (which happens to be # 3000). ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1849 "2015-07-10T12:22:07Z")
I’m finding the characters a little preachy lately. Yes, I get it, snap judgments baaaad, but that whole “How DARE you call a spacey character spacey!”" speech was a little groan worthy. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1850 "2015-07-10T15:17:18Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Jeph’s issue with the relative heights of his characters is particularly prominent in the latest strip (which happens to be # 3000). I noticed that too. I think Clinton was still sitting down while Emily was standing in the first 3 panels, then they were both standing in the final panel. If you go to the previous strip, they’re both sitting down in front of the coffee shop. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1851 "2015-07-10T16:18:24Z")
Incidentally, Clinton, I think Emily’s ready for her post-epiphany orgasm now. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1852 "2015-07-10T16:50:51Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Incidentally, Clinton, I think Emily’s ready for her post-epiphany orgasm now. File that under Christian Traditions of Which I Was Unaware. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1853 "2015-07-10T18:03:22Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > File that under Christian Traditions of Which I Was Unaware. 😉 Weren’t raised Catholic, were you? [The Ecstasy of St. Teresa](http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3xxbd4VRt1qbo39mo1_1280.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1854 "2015-07-11T09:07:23Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Jeph’s issue with the relative heights of his characters is particularly prominent in the latest strip (which happens to be # 3000). > [@muldoonthief](#): > > I noticed that too. I think Clinton was still sitting down while Emily was standing in the first 3 panels, then they were both standing in the final panel. If you go to the previous strip, they’re both sitting down in front of the coffee shop. **muldoonthief** is right, Clinton’s still sitting down, then standing (which is an indicator that Jeph’s actually getting better) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1855 "2015-07-11T10:43:33Z")
Yeah, I see that now. Taken in context with the previous day’s strip that’s obviously what happened… by itself, however (as I did when I made the post), it looks as if Clinton magically grew 6 inches. Thanks for clearing that up, everybody. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1856 "2015-07-11T18:50:05Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Yeah, I see that now. Taken in context with the previous day’s strip that’s obviously what happened… by itself, however (as I did when I made the post), it looks as if Clinton magically grew 6 inches. Thanks for clearing that up, everybody. He probably did, but it wasn’t magic and it wasn’t in height. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1857 "2015-07-15T22:21:54Z")
Anyone else confused by the layout or dialogue in today’s strip? Maybe bubble saying something like, “How did you get in here?” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1858 "2015-07-15T23:37:58Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Anyone else confused by the layout or dialogue in today’s strip? Maybe bubble saying something like, “How did you get in here?” I don’t see why. Obviously, Faye knows the (crappy) password. And she’s being accompanied by a robot/AI. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1859 "2015-07-16T00:12:30Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Anyone else confused by the layout or dialogue in today’s strip? Maybe bubble saying something like, “How did you get in here?” Through the door? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1860 "2015-07-16T01:36:47Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I don’t see why. Obviously, Faye knows the (crappy) password. And she’s being accompanied by a robot/AI. Well sure, that much is obvious. But the conversation of “can I help you?”, “1-2-3-4-5-6-7” doesn’t make much sense. “Can I help you? Wait, how did you get in here?!” “1-2-3-4-5-6-7.” makes more sense. I’m not confused by the how - I’m confused with the dialogue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967.md?page=92) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967.md?page=94)