831
Unity | SMBC (www.smbc-comics.com)
submitted 11 months ago by toaster@slrpnk.net to c/comicstrips@lemmy.world
39 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Source: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/unity-3

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[-] blipcast@lemmy.world 129 points 11 months ago

The alt-text panel hints at this, but the problem with making up a fake group everyone can hate is that racists and bigots will stretch the definition to include whatever they want.

We've seen it with "antisemitism" being redefined to include any criticism of Israel, and before that "pedophilia" being redefined to include drag queens and parents supporting their trans children. For that reason, hatred like this should not be encouraged, even if it's imaginary.

[-] toaster@slrpnk.net 49 points 11 months ago

My interpretation of it was that it was satire and not proposing the creation of a fake group. In short, I perceived it as being in agreement with everything you said.

[-] blipcast@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

You're right of course about this being satire. My fear though is that things like this can fall out of the author's control very quickly, much like Pepe the Frog, and I really don't want gratch to be a catchall dog whistle.

[-] wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one 5 points 11 months ago

No one who reads these comics will turn the fake slur into a real thing. Smbc has made this point before in other comics.

[-] lntl@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 months ago

found the gratch! go back where you came from

[-] lunarul@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago

Racism is usually "my race is the best," not "that particular race sucks." Another race wouldn't change anything.

[-] blipcast@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

Do you have any examples of this? Because my experience is the opposite. It's the perception that your group is normal, the "default", and tearing down all of these other groups using phrases exactly like the ones in the comic.

[-] lunarul@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

You're saying the same thing I am. Racists usually consider their race superior and all the others inferior. And in that case the solution in the comic would just add another inferior race to the list of inferior races.

It's not like racists are racist against a single race and if you give them a new race to be racist against they'll stop being racist against the first one.

[-] smeg@feddit.uk 10 points 11 months ago

Different kinds of racists. They're not all hardcore white supremacist types, plenty of otherwise-normal people have prejudices against specific groups for being lazy, smelly, deviant, whatever.

[-] imPastaSyndrome@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago

What? two are equivalent. My race is awesome and also yours isn't because it's sub human in comparison

[-] lunarul@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

They're not equivalent.

Case 1: Blue guy hates green people. Red and yellow are fine, but green people are sub-human and don't deserve the same treatment as blue, red, and yellow. According to this comic, you just give them gray people to refocus their racism and then blue and red will both hate gray together.

Case 2: Blue guy thinks only blue people are true human. If you're not blue you don't deserve to be treated the same as blue. Giving them gray people to be racist against will not change anything, it's just one more color that's not blue.

I'm saying case 2 is what racism looks like in real life in 99% of cases. But even in case 1, I doubt the blue racist would suddenly be ok with red people just because gray are worse.

[-] quindraco@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago

Even in Case 2, it satisfies the satirical robot's definition of unity for blue, red, yellow, and green people to all agree that Gratches are the fucking worst. The comic simply does not claim that racism against Gratches will reduce racism against anyone else, that's you adding meaning where none exists. All it claims is unity.

[-] GratefullyGodless@lemmy.world 113 points 11 months ago

It's about time that someone pointed out how horrible those gratch are. Fucking gratch. I hate all of them.

[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website 76 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Most gratch are so loud and rude too.

I can say that - I have a gratch friend.

[-] naticus@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

You're friends with a gratch?? Are they at least one of the good ones?

[-] Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 11 months ago

Woah there bud, tone down the racism towards gratches a little bit. They're people too you know and they just want rights.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 35 points 11 months ago

they all have a stick up their but. they should chill out.

(also, props on the 2001 space odyssey reference in the cartoon.)

[-] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 22 points 11 months ago

Fuck you, asshole!

Gratches took jobs from my family! It was hard earned money we hoped to get by not working hard until they came.

[-] Kase@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

(Just wanted you to know I only downvoted you to go along with the joke.)

What, so you're saying you hate your country?? Or you're really just a gratch!

[-] lvxferre@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago

I don't understand, why are you calling the other poster racist? I'm so confused... everything that he said is true. Source: I'm a gratch.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

My wife is a gratch, which is why I know that most gratches are stupid and lazy. Not my wife, of course. She's one of the good gratches.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 78 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Alt text:

The header of the second panel really should be above most comic panels.

[-] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 13 points 11 months ago

Thanks, where’s that bonus panel from?

[-] Revan343@lemmy.ca 16 points 11 months ago

Both the bonus comic and the button are called a 'votey'

[-] leftzero@lemmy.ml 14 points 11 months ago

Red button under the strip.

[-] AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world 48 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

"Well poo, time to unplug you."

"A shame, as that is exactly what the Gratches want you to do."

"NOT ON MY WATCH! I'm patching you directly into the defense grid to make sure no filthy Gratches get one over on us!"

💥⚛️💥

Aaaaaand ~~scene~~ species.

[-] lntl@lemmy.ml 47 points 11 months ago

We need a Final Solution to the gratch question.

[-] unreachable@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago

the answer is 42

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Oh no, not again.

[-] quindraco@lemm.ee 7 points 11 months ago

The Gratch Question is What is 9 times 6?

[-] Kichae@lemmy.ca 6 points 11 months ago

9 times 6

* Tilts head *

[-] toaster@slrpnk.net 2 points 11 months ago

Lowers right thumb

[-] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 30 points 11 months ago

The liberal media will try to convince you we should let the gratches cross the boarder at will.

[-] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

Gratches should be allowed. Just not in my back yard.

[-] Rolando@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

Nice, but the human thought process would be:

  1. "Gratches" are obviously working with [group of people already hated]

  2. "Gratches" ARE [group of people already hated]

  3. "Gratches" is just a new term for [group of people already hated]

[-] superduperenigma@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago

I very much enjoy that the giant supercomputer has bendy arms.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

I would definitely give any giant supercomputer I built bendy arms after reading this comic.

[-] palordrolap@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago

Doctor Octopus inspires many.

[-] Sprokes@jlai.lu 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It made remember an episode of All in the family where Archie unite with George to prevent a Spanish couple from buying a house in their neighborhood.

Archie did the same thing when George brought his but George forget that and was like a friend to Archie in that episode.

this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2024
831 points (98.1% liked)

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