So, I like to check out Player vs. Player, an online comic strip. Sometimes it’s silly, sometimes cute, sometimes stupid. Today I would go with offensive. Even meant as a joke, I didn’t appreciate it.
I understand what they were saying, but I still don’t think it’s funny and I don’t think that it is anything that should be joked about. I guess I’m sensitive, but this really touched a nerve. Although it probably didn’t intend to, it touched on so many levels for me that I’m a bit disgusted with Scott Kurtz for this one. Opinions? If I need to chill out, just tell me and I’ll try.
Oh, and before someone makes a joke and ask which part offended me, it was the reference toward violence. I found that disturbing. And nothing to make a joke about.
Yeah, that was a bit odd, considering that there were so many possible alternatives: "That was when he screamed. . . ", “That was when he puked on her shoes . . .”, or even "That was when he pushed her down. . . " if they desperately wanted to invoke kindergarten-level sex relations.
Not very funny to begin with, and the violence killed any residual humor.
Even though I think Scott Kurtz is a bit of a putz (he tends to be a bit egotistical and obsessed with petty revenge a bit too much for my tastes), I don’t think the strip in question is offensive.
It helps to remember that the “puncher character” is a sheltered geek with no social life, who’s attending a massive LAN/Frag party – which means his only comfortable response to a difficult situation is to insult it, attack it, or run away (or all of the above, in this case).
God! I found that really offensive. I know I am a little ultra sensitive about these things, but violence against women (and especially sexualized violence) just isn’t funny, hip, or anything else. Ugh! Add me to the disgusted list.
Sure its offensive. There is, however, a solution. Don’t read it.
It is considerably less offensive when looked at in terms of the situation described by rjung. Not having read the comic before, I understand this as a character who functions better in the fake world of multi player shoot-em-ups. When encountered with a crisis-like situation, he acts as he would in his fantasy world. This is not a sexist hate-crime, but rather a greatly exagerrated fear reaction. Seeing as how he is not asserting any sort of power over a weaker class, how is this more offensive than if he had done it to a man?
I agree with rjung that within the context of a charecter who only knows to attack, insult, or retreat, this is pretty funny. Furthermore, the idea here is that this guy has never, ever seen a pretty girl in real life. He’s never been out of his basement. He has no idea how to behave. And It’s not her that is being made fun of, but him. Lastly, the charenter’s name is Hellkitten. She’s a major player at a LAN party. She’s a first-person shooter expert. By definition, she enjoys making people’s innards fly all over the place. That dosen’t mean that she deserves to be hit, of course, but the idea of being offended at one depiction of violence in a setting that is saturated with horrible bloody violence seems odd to me, to say the least.
The violence in a comic is no more real life than the violence in a game of Quake, and is alot more conservative. Why is the one offensive and not the other?
I read PVP once in a while and even got the first comic. I didn’t find this to be offensive in the least. If you’ve read the strip before you should know that this certainly isn’t the first reference to violence.
If you found this disturbing, you really really should never read Spacemoose-- the most offensive cartoon ever published, I expect. http://spacemoose.com/archive.htm
Makes Southpark seem sensitive and thoughtful and offends even me, but it’s like eatng jalapenos-- you know it’s bad for you and that it will hurt at least twice, but you just can’t stop becasue on some level it’s enjoyable.
If we’re talking about the most offensive web comic, then I’d nominate Sexy Losers. Recurring characters include the necrophiliac who keeps his dead girlfriend in a closet, the roomie who masturbates constantly irregardless of who’s in the room, and the assorted folks boinking their sisters, mothers, and wandering farm animals.
I exaggerate but little. And no, I don’t read it regularly…
I think you are way too easily offended. Seems like more of a knee jerk reaction because the “violence” was aimed at a woman. It’s a joke. He’s very socially inept and he picked pretty much the worst option out of his anxiety. Of course, if you’re the sort of person who thinks violence can never be funny, then I don’t know what to say to you. Are you sure you have a sense of humor?
That’s a little harsh of course. You do have every right to be offended. They’re your sensibilities. My sensibilities tell me that it was pretty funny. But I’ll still laugh at something, even if it offends me.