Hart's B.C. Snake-bashing
Helen Rapozo
>
>Apologies if this is a FAQ or has already been threaded to death, but
>I've been reading this group for a couple years now and don't remember
>seeing it, so...
>
>What is it with B.C. and "The Fat Broad" beating the hell out of
>snakes? Like today (13-JAN-1995).
**********
I have yet to see it since B.C. is on the afternoon/evening paper.
Doesn't most people have a fear of snakes?
I do remember one July 4th strip (of many years ago), the snake
shallows all the fireworks he can find. "The Fat Broad" (does she
have a name?) chases the snake, hits him with a club, he explodes
from the shallowed fireworks which also causes damage to "The
Fat Broad".
The snake then remarks something to the effect that while it was
painful it was worth it.
Honolulu Community College Ph#: (808) 845-9202
874 Dillingham Blvd. FAX: (808) 845-9173
Honolulu, HI 96817
cs_r...@hccadb.hcc.hawaii.edu or he...@hcc.hawaii.edu
Eric Roode
cliche, possibly inspired by Scripture, and the joke just took on a
life of its own.
I've always felt sorry for the snake, and one of my favorite
(although not tremendously funny, per se) B.C. strips shows Grog
(who had been in the strip for only a very short time) finding
the Fat Broad in the middle of pounding the snake... and he belts
her across the chops.
Come to think of it, I seem to remember a couple other strips
where Grog was particularly friendly to the snake. Was there some
kind of friendship theme there?
--
----
Eric
"If anyone finds this offensive, I am prepared not only to retract my
words, but also to deny under oath that I ever said them." -- Tom Lehrer
----
Cerebus The Aardvark
>Apologies if this is a FAQ or has already been threaded to death, but
>I've been reading this group for a couple years now and don't remember
>seeing it, so...
>What is it with B.C. and "The Fat Broad" beating the hell out of
>snakes? Like today (13-JAN-1995). The character and her name is
>insulting enough as it is and the violence perpetrated on a mostly
>harmless and often helpful animal isn't particularly funny and IMHO
>never has been. Articles have often mentioned that children who abuse
WEll, the snake is the symbol of evil and the christian symbol for Satan,
and Hart is known for force-feeding his rather conservative evangelical
Christ eating views via his comic strips... what do you think?
>Or is Hart still pushing the Satan as serpent equals evil nonsense?
There we go...
>Or worse, woman as evil?
Well, it's they're fault we aren't all still in Eden, didn't you know
that?
--
| kr...@netcom.com \ 1015 South Gaylord, Denver, CO 80209 #100 |
| PGP Fingerprint \ 1D 5E F7 C8 7E C2 F9 87 0F 86 C9 B0 D2 63 9C B2 |
| [303/722-2009] Vox \ Eat the crimson flesh, and wear old clothes, it |
| [303/777-2911] Data \ is a delightfully messy experience. Fanny Farmer|
hath...@stsci.edu
>>
>>Apologies if this is a FAQ or has already been threaded to death, but
>>I've been reading this group for a couple years now and don't remember
>>seeing it, so...
>>
>>What is it with B.C. and "The Fat Broad" beating the hell out of
>>snakes? Like today (13-JAN-1995).
> **********
Several interesting comments and views posted on this.
But does anyone think this snake-bashing is _funny_? Isn't that supposed
to be one of the goals of "comics"? If it appeals to people's irrational
fear of snakes, it's pretty low humour. And serves little purpose.
Except for engendering sympathy for the snake? Then it makes the
human character look bad. Anyway I see it, it's a loser. Maybe
someone will help me out of my views.
Ah - a new twist ... the title is "B.C" - maybe the artist is
demonstrating how badly people behaved before the "C." came along
to save and enlighten them. Weird.
WHH
Peter Mullaney
In a previous article, hath...@stsci.edu () says:
>friendly rodent controllers. Maybe women would act like this FB
>character, but I don't find it funny after the umpteenth time.
>
What strip doesn't repeat a stream? How many times has Hobbes jumped on
Calvin?
By the way, I root for the snake, and I can't wait for the Fat Broad to get
what's comming to her. ;-)
>> I think Andy
>> Capp's portrayal as a drunken, womanizing, brawling, wifebeater is a lot more
>> damaging. ^^^^^^^^^^
>>
>
> I think I've seen a discusssion of this before, but I don't remember
>seeing Andy actually beating Flo. They fight together in that fuzzy
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So as long as she fights back it doesn't constitute wife beating? And it also
makes the rest of it OK? Or funny? Maybe Andy Capp is John Wayne Bobbit's
hero.
>flurry kind of thing, and I've seen Flo often bopping Andy, but I think
>Andy has never been caught actually beating his wife. Counterexamples?
>
--
: Pete Mullaney : Always do right. This will gratify :
: : some and astonish the rest. :
: : Samuel Langhorne Clemens :
: : aka Mark Twain :
James Townsley
or him pushing them down our throats. When I read something I
don't agree with, I don't HAVE to believe it, no one MAKES me
believe it, and therefore it cannot be pushed down my throat. No
one talks about Feminists pushing ideals down our throats, or
Marxists pushing ideals down our throats, or Psychologists, etc.
That is because they are not pushing anything. They are saying
what they believe is true. If they convince me to believe it
too, it is still MY CHOICE of belief.
I've noticed Hart putting Christian messages in for a while now,
and while they aren't funny (to me), he does have a right to
promote them.
Ron Asbestos Dippold
>>seeing Andy actually beating Flo. They fight together in that fuzzy
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>So as long as she fights back it doesn't constitute wife beating? And it also
>makes the rest of it OK? Or funny? Maybe Andy Capp is John Wayne Bobbit's
Actually, I seem to remember from when I was reading it that she
started most of the fights. It's a mutual beating thing. Just
another in the list of things that made this, along with Apt 3G and
Judge Parker, the only strips on the comic pages that I don't read.
--
My life has a superb cast but I can't figure out the plot -- Ashleigh Brilliant
Eric Roode
James Townsley <75551...@CompuServe.COM> wrote:
>Since when does a cartoonist publishing his views constitute her
>or him pushing them down our throats. When I read something I
>don't agree with, I don't HAVE to believe it, no one MAKES me
>believe it, and therefore it cannot be pushed down my throat. No
>one talks about Feminists pushing ideals down our throats, or
>Marxists pushing ideals down our throats, or Psychologists, etc.
No one talks about feminists pushing ideals down our throats?
Dave Schaumann
>In article <3fs0a1$q66$6...@mhadf.production.compuserve.com>,
>James Townsley <75551...@CompuServe.COM> wrote:
>>Since when does a cartoonist publishing his views constitute her
>
> No one talks about feminists pushing ideals down our throats?
You don't understand: if it's only "pushing ideals down our throats"
if it's not Politically Correct.
Otherwise, it's "education".
-Dave (who thinks Politically Correct ought to mean "reasonably tolerant
of others' views, even if one disagrees")
David W. Olson
>
>In a previous article, hath...@stsci.edu () says:
>> I think I've seen a discusssion of this before, but I don't remember
>>seeing Andy actually beating Flo. They fight together in that fuzzy
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>So as long as she fights back it doesn't constitute wife beating? And it also
>makes the rest of it OK? Or funny? ...
Let's clarify terms:
Wife-beating #1: Big man beats poor defenseless woman. How the term is
usually used.
Wife-beating #2: The woman is capable of giving as good as she gets, which
we see between Andy and Flo. If gender did not enter into
the description this would be plain old assault and battery.
In 'Andy Capp', IMO, the beating is never funny and is never intended to be
the punchline of the joke. It is the set-up, and is followed by some humor-
ous observation. On-lookers in the strip have considered such fighting to
be disgraceful. Oddly, Andy has not, to my knowledge, appeared before a
magistrate on any complaint on this head, or any other head (such as being
in arrears on his rent).
On with the discussion! --
hath...@stsci.edu was asking if Andy has ever been seen actually striking
Flo.
DW Olson
G. Timothy Walton
What's really bad about the whole mess is that many strips as liberal as
Hart is conservative can be just as blatant and unfunny in their material,
yet be praised by some here as being the epitome of humour.
--
The first step to wisdom is questioning.
G. Timothy Walton
> In a previous article, hath...@stsci.edu () says:
>
>>> I think Andy
>>> Capp's portrayal as a drunken, womanizing, brawling, wifebeater is a lot more
>>> damaging. ^^^^^^^^^^
>>
>> I think I've seen a discusssion of this before, but I don't remember
>>seeing Andy actually beating Flo. They fight together in that fuzzy
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> So as long as she fights back it doesn't constitute wife beating? And it also
> makes the rest of it OK? Or funny? Maybe Andy Capp is John Wayne Bobbit's
> hero.
Hmmmmmm. Why do people assume that any physical fight between husband
and wife is inititiated by the husband?
In the strips I remember, Flo usually, if not always, initiated any fight.
Matt McIrvin
G. Timothy Walton <bc...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote:
> What's really bad about the whole mess is that many strips as liberal as
>Hart is conservative can be just as blatant and unfunny in their material,
>yet be praised by some here as being the epitome of humour.
Indeed, I'd use the same verb "pushing" to describe Garry Trudeau's
humorless harping on that ridiculous Dan Quayle pot business, though
my personal political opinions are rather closer to his than to
Hart's.
The situation with "B. C." is just a little sad; at one time the strip
contained a lot of rather clever conceptual humor, and some still
shows up from time to time, but it isn't what it used to be.
--
Matt 01234567 <-- Indent-o-Meter
McIrvin ^ Harnessing tab damage for peaceful ends!
hath...@stsci.edu
> On with the discussion! --
> hath...@stsci.edu was asking if Andy has ever been seen actually striking
> Flo.
>
> DW Olson
Good discussion so far. Also I don't think we've actually seen him striking
opponents on the sports field. They may lie there in a devastated state
while he takes off with the ball, but the act is never portrayed.
If he does bop Flo, she must be quite a bit tougher than the ball
players who get flattened, cause she refuses to go down.
Nice point about the humour being separate from the violence - it may be
that set-up, possibly to show the foibles and weaknesses of Andy Layabout.
An easy way to make readers feel good is to allow them to feel they are
better folk than someone else - like Andy.
WHH
Gavin on Jones
Have a bunch of early Andy Capp books. He does indeed strike Flo, but I
foget if it actually happens on panel, or if they go off panel, and simply
have a slapping sound (effect). -Jon
Kitchen Staff Supervisor
Examples? I mean, besides strips athat are supposed to be political, pf
course (like Doonesbury).
Dr. Eric D. Roush
Supervisor) wrote:
> bc...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (G. Timothy Walton) writes:
> > What's really bad about the whole mess is that many strips as liberal as
> >Hart is conservative can be just as blatant and unfunny in their material,
> >yet be praised by some here as being the epitome of humour.
> Examples? I mean, besides strips athat are supposed to be political, pf
> course (like Doonesbury).
"Sylvia" and "Zippy" come quickly to mind. I'd put "Sally Forth"
here also, except that in my limited browsing of this newsgroup
(about one month), I don't think I've actually heard anyone
praise the strip.
--
Dr. Eric D. Roush "Will the owner of the reptile
edr...@email.unc.edu please report to the information booth?"
coa...@aol.com
Kitchen Staff Supervisor
>In article <kremeD3...@netcom.com>, kr...@netcom.com (Kitchen Staff
>Supervisor) wrote:
>> bc...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (G. Timothy Walton) writes:
>> > What's really bad about the whole mess is that many strips as liberal as
>> >Hart is conservative can be just as blatant and unfunny in their material,
>> >yet be praised by some here as being the epitome of humour.
>> Examples? I mean, besides strips athat are supposed to be political, pf
>> course (like Doonesbury).
>"Sylvia" and "Zippy" come quickly to mind. I'd put "Sally Forth"
>here also, except that in my limited browsing of this newsgroup
>(about one month), I don't think I've actually heard anyone
>praise the strip.
OK on Sylvia, but Zippy? I guess if you consider poking fun at the "american
culture" to be the perogativve of liberals, sure. I've never thought of
Zippy as particulaarly liberal. Could be me, I suppose. I mean, the
character himself, sure. But then again, he;'s not exactly a hero. He >IS<
a pinhead, right?
OK, so we have WoI and BC on one side, and Sylvia on the other, with maybe
Zippy. Yep, looks like an overwhelming liberal bias to me!
Nancy Klee
edr...@email.unc.edu (Dr. Eric D. Roush) wrote:
>I'd put "Sally Forth" here also, except that in my
>limited browsing of this newsgroup (about one month),
>I don't think I've actually heard anyone praise the
>strip.
I like Sally Forth. And I greatly miss it. (It's been among
the missing in NYC for a while now.)
=====
--Nance
"You can't hold a man down without staying down with him." -
Booker T. Washington
Joseph Francis Nebus
B.C. funny, although that's probably just because I would like it if
I never heard about Groundhog Day again.
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plerman
<3h3eql$p...@usenet.rpi.edu> writes:
> I never thought I'd admit it but I actually found today's (2/5)
>B.C. funny, although that's probably just because I would like it if
>I never heard about Groundhog Day again.
I actually laughed out loud at this one (a rarity with BC), but I think it
was because of the punchline: the guy at the other end of the ocean sends
back a stone reading, "Don't tell me any more about yourself, OK?" For a
long time, I've felt like that guy at the other end of the ocean, and have
wanted to tell the BC crew the same. I used to really enjoy B.C., but I
think some strips aren't meant to run forever.
Phil Lerman
"To live outside the law you must be honest."