Questionable Content 14: "I Deserve A Fancy Butt Emblem."

[AvatarVecna]

Oh... I didn't realize. Then of course it will work.

Roko's bread kink seems to clearly originate in her brain, so I don't see how a different body would change that.

Our memory of taste and understanding of our own preferences is mentally stored, but they are (to a degree) a byproduct of our particular physical set-up. The don't like/dislike different foods than your parents because your brain has instinctive opinions, those opinions were formed based on your "hardware" (that is to say, the specific layout of your tastebuds). Other factors can affect it, but "how you physically experience taste" affects your opinion of how things taste.

If Roko's bread kink is tied in with olfactory senses, it's possible that one of the unimportant semi-upgrades this new body has is "more hi-def smelling!" and now she's able to smell bread better and realize it doesn't smell as good as it did before. That will create dissonance in her mind, where her senses and memory disagree on the facts of reality, but gradually the proof of her senses will win out. She may carry the nostalgia with her, but her attraction to bread may wane now that it doesn't smell as good. Or, as she theorizes, maybe it'll smell even better now!

Of course, one of those options continues this arc telling a body dysphoria story, and the other papers over the first story with "ahhhhh it's fine don't worry about it". Which of those you think is more likely with Jeff...well, time will tell.

[John Cribati]

I question the idea that a fetish counts as "attraction" per se, but otherwise agree.

[Felius]

It bothers me how Melon says that Roko doesn't have a navel she's clearly drawn with one.

Also Faye's immediate dismissal of Internet nerds is really aggravating.

[Max_Killjoy]

It bothers me how Melon says that Roko doesn't have a navel she's clearly drawn with one.

Also Faye's immediate dismissal of Internet nerds is really aggravating.

Is that a navel or part of a robo-almost-sixpack?

[Kato]

It bothers me how Melon says that Roko doesn't have a navel she's clearly drawn with one.

Also Faye's immediate dismissal of Internet nerds is really aggravating.

It's not a navel, it's just a valley between her 'muscles'.

That's a curious thing to get aggravated about. Though I guess it hinges on your definition of (internet) nerd.

[Mechalich]

Roko says 'the tech blogs,' which could be interpreted multiple ways. If she's talking about opinion pieces and reviews on official sites with somewhat dubious 'journalist' values who may be paid shills, then Faye's skepticism is highly warranted. On the other hand if she's talking about opinions by actual AIs on an AI maintenance forum, then the dismissiveness is unfair. So it depends on how you interpret the comment.

[Wraith]

On the other hand if she's talking about opinions by actual AIs on an AI maintenance forum, then the dismissiveness is unfair. So it depends on how you interpret the comment.

AI's can also be under-qualified shills with a grossly inflated valuation of their own opinion, too. The HipsterBot™ chassis with its unique propitiatory charge cable is a thing that exists, after all.

[Vinyadan]

Yup, there's an analogue, it's called "wearing glasses".

[eee]

Did Bubbles slightly change her hair again?

[SaintRidley]

I have never cared about anything in this comic as much as I care about how Roko's new body will interact with her bread fetish.

[Fawkes]

I have never cared about anything in this comic as much as I care about how Roko's new body will interact with her bread fetish.

Well, I'm glad someone's enjoying this, at least. I'm not sure I've ever cared about anything less.

[mucat]

Bats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVz8rvIl_vY

[Fawkes]

Jeph knows autism isn't just not knowing stuff, right?

[Kato]

A short look at Wikipedia tells me bats in the US are rather unlikely to infect you with anything, so... Stop giving bats a bad rep. They're adorable.

[John Cribati]

Jeph knows autism isn't just not knowing stuff, right?

You're the one assuming Brun doesn't know something because of her autism, as opposed to her just. Not knowing it.

[Fawkes]

A short look at Wikipedia tells me bats in the US are rather unlikely to infect you with anything, so... Stop giving bats a bad rep. They're adorable.

They're a rabies risk. It's recommended that if you have any contact with a bat that you get a rabies shot.

You're the one assuming Brun doesn't know something because of her autism, as opposed to her just. Not knowing it.

At this point I'm assuming Brun doesn't know things because she's a space alien with no knowledge of Earth culture.

[John Cribati]

Do you know that most autistic people would find that comparison at least slightly offensive?

[Fawkes]

Most autistic people have more personality traits than just not knowing things.

Look, either Brun's constant lack of knowledge and life experience is related to her autism, in which case, that's not really how autism works, or it's unrelated and she's a space alien who is also coincidentally on the autism spectrum. Either way, it's a dumb bit that Jeph keeps using again and again.

[SaintRidley]

Have we considered the probability that the poker face remark might indicate that Renee has recognized that Brun is attempting to make a joke, which Renee only understands once Brun delivers her punchline, and that the not knowing was just the setup?

[Fawkes]

Have we considered the probability that the poker face remark might indicate that Renee has recognized that Brun is attempting to make a joke, which Renee only understands once Brun delivers her punchline, and that the not knowing was just the setup?

Honestly, I had not. I assumed the next comic would be taking place shortly after Brun receives a rabies shot. Would be happy to be proven wrong.

Either way, I should probably just stop reading the comic at this point. I don't think I've really enjoyed it since Hannelore left. I stopped reading Gunnerkrigg recently because I found myself not caring about the characters anymore and I haven't missed it.

[Wraith]

Look, either Brun's constant lack of knowledge and life experience is related to her autism, in which case, that's not really how autism works, or it's unrelated and she's a space alien who is also coincidentally on the autism spectrum. Either way, it's a dumb bit that Jeph keeps using again and again.

Bare in mind that it was less than a week ago (in-comic time) that Brun found out what raisins were, after growing up deprived and impoverished to the point where a number of people on this forum couldn't seem to grasp the concept of being too poor to buy snack foods.

I'm working on the assumption that Brun's childhood was as equally as deprived in terms of culture and education. "Bats" weren't on my curriculum at school, I found out about them from a book bought at the school Book Fair, which would have been beyond her means by the sounds of it.
It especially makes sense if her diagnosis for autism came later in life, so for all of her time at school she was just "the dumb, weird kid" who couldn't keep up with the rest of the class.

Not that I WANT her to have such a tragic and unpleasant backstory, of course, but that's what I have inferred so far.

[Mechalich]

Bare in mind that it was less than a week ago (in-comic time) that Brun found out what raisins were, after growing up deprived and impoverished to the point where a number of people on this forum couldn't seem to grasp the concept of being too poor to buy snack foods.

It was also revealed, literally 15 strips ago, that Brun is from Lawrence, which is a small city in northeastern Massachusetts, which further undercuts the stupidity of the 'never had raisins' comment. Brun would have been eligible for free school lunches, and Massachusetts school lunches in the 1990s occasionally included raisins, among other snack foods. In the US, having a family that is too poor to purchase snack foods actually means you will encounter them in significant quantities in your government subsidized school meals.

I'm working on the assumption that Brun's childhood was as equally as deprived in terms of culture and education. "Bats" weren't on my curriculum at school, I found out about them from a book bought at the school Book Fair, which would have been beyond her means by the sounds of it.
It especially makes sense if her diagnosis for autism came later in life, so for all of her time at school she was just "the dumb, weird kid" who couldn't keep up with the rest of the class.

Not knowing that bats are a disease risk is actually a fairly normal thing, given how low that risk actually is (in the US, it's higher in other countries where they carry more than just rabies). Most people aren't ever in a position to touch a bat, especially living in urban areas.

I see two interpretations of Brun's comment here. One: she had errant contact with a bat ages ago and interprets this reveal by Renee as a need to take medical action right now. Or two: she was in regular contact with bats until quite recently. The first is the one with the unfortunate autism-related implications. The second implies that her run-down residence above the Nasty Whale was sufficiently below code that bats were nesting in the rafters. I hope it's the second, not only because it avoids stupidity, but because that's much more fun as a subplot.

[Wraith]

It was also revealed, literally 15 strips ago, that Brun is from Lawrence, which is a small city in northeastern Massachusetts, which further undercuts the stupidity of the 'never had raisins' comment. Brun would have been eligible for free school lunches, and Massachusetts school lunches in the 1990s occasionally included raisins, among other snack foods. In the US, having a family that is too poor to purchase snack foods actually means you will encounter them in significant quantities in your government subsidized school meals.

We're both making assumptions and generalisations, I think; It's not my intention to be combative, just to suggest a plausible explanation.
Maybe Brun's family were poor, but also too proud or ill-equipped to admit it and spent their lives refusing to accept 'handouts' no matter how much they were entitled to them? I've known people like that, spiting only themselves because they can't admit a flaw even if its not their fault.

The bottom line is, you're right - the whole "don't know what raisins are because we were poor" is VERY unlikely and probably requires a long list of caveats to actually occur in real life. Another fact is though; Brun grew up too poor to know what raisins are, in her own words. I don't know how that works, and you have shown how unlikely (or poorly researched) that is.... But there we go.
I don't want to have to use the "It's fiction, so it can work like that if it wants to" excuse, but by the looks of it that might be the only satisfactory explanation; In the QC-dimension of Lawrence, schools NEVER give people raisins. *shrug*

I see two interpretations of Brun's comment here. One: she had errant contact with a bat ages ago and interprets this reveal by Renee as a need to take medical action right now. Or two: she was in regular contact with bats until quite recently. The first is the one with the unfortunate autism-related implications. The second implies that her run-down residence above the Nasty Whale was sufficiently below code that bats were nesting in the rafters. I hope it's the second, not only because it avoids stupidity, but because that's much more fun as a subplot.

Three: She's screwing with Renee.
Four: She is taking Clinton too literally, and has equated "some bats can pass on disease" with "all bats WILL pass on disease".

The latter at least isn't so problematic. Being unable to spot nuance and subtext isn't exclusive to autistic people, after all, but is quite common without being patronising.

[Willie the Duck]

They're a rabies risk. It's recommended that if you have any contact with a bat that you get a rabies shot.

To put a finer point on this, it is recommended not because bats are all that likely to be carrying rabies, but because of the high possibility that contact with a bat might include being bitten without even knowing it (whereas a raccoon or rat--if it bites you, you know it!).

Four: She is taking Clinton too literally, and has equated "some bats can pass on disease" with "all bats WILL pass on disease".

The latter at least isn't so problematic. Being unable to spot nuance and subtext isn't exclusive to autistic people, after all, but is quite common without being patronising.

Or, let's be honest, this is pretty normal behavior for when someone who's knowledge you trust tells you "Oh Yeah. Don't ever <something you've done>." That really ought to bring up something of an "uh-oh, what have I unwittingly done?!" reflex.

I find the raisin scenario pretty uneven and less than believable. This one, much less so. One thing to remember is that these people are probably around 22. There's a lot of random stuff I know now that I didn't at 22--and not just 'adulting' stuff (taxes, home maintenance, travel, etc.), random stuff. Stuff not unlike this bat thing, in level of specificity. Brun doesn't know about not handling bats? Eh, maybe Clinton doesn't know port from starboard, Renee doesn't know which clouds are cumulus (and thinks the next most common type is 'static'), and Elliot thinks the three main types of rocks are ignorant, metaphasic, and sedentary. This would not be surprising for young adults outside of their specific fields of study/interest.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Do you know that most autistic people would find that comparison at least slightly offensive?

Or reasonably realistic.

Y'all neurotypical folks don't make any damn sense.

[Vinyadan]

OK, I have a question. Are all rabid animals living on the East Coast? Or is rabies-spotting a sport there?

[John Cribati]

Or reasonably realistic.

Y'all neurotypical folks don't make any damn sense.

On principle, I find that comparing human beings- especially someone if a minority group- to something that isn't a human being- especially if the comparison is made in a derogatory fashion, as was being done- tends to be seen as more offensive than not. I'm not sure what neurotypicality has to do with my response.

Especially considering that, like Jeph himself, I also showed symptoms of neurodivergence in my childhood, but was never officially diagnosed with anything (presumably unlike Jeph, this was mainly because my parents decided to beat the majority of the "bad" behaviors out of me instead of taking me to a specialist that could confirm or deny a diagnosis). So it likely isn't accurate to call me neurotypical, either.

[Max_Killjoy]

Bare in mind that it was less than a week ago (in-comic time) that Brun found out what raisins were, after growing up deprived and impoverished to the point where a number of people on this forum couldn't seem to grasp the concept of being too poor to buy snack foods.

I'm working on the assumption that Brun's childhood was as equally as deprived in terms of culture and education. "Bats" weren't on my curriculum at school, I found out about them from a book bought at the school Book Fair, which would have been beyond her means by the sounds of it.
It especially makes sense if her diagnosis for autism came later in life, so for all of her time at school she was just "the dumb, weird kid" who couldn't keep up with the rest of the class.

Not that I WANT her to have such a tragic and unpleasant backstory, of course, but that's what I have inferred so far.

(What people "couldn't grasp" was that raisins would be considered an unaffordable luxury snack, rather than one of the things that's been supper-common in poor households in many parts of the country over the decades because raisins are cheap and keep, and often appeared in food programs, and so on. That is, Jeph tried to make a point about "privilege" and ironically tripped over his own ham-handed ignorance.)

As for the bats... there's nothing "uneducated" or "uncultured" about not knowing that bats are a high risk of being disease vectors. I bet if you did a statistically rigorous poll of college-educated people in the US, a significant percentage would have no idea about that.

Most people, even with post-grad degrees, don't have the sort of broad, assorted, quasi-"Renaissance man" self-education that many of us in the gamer / fiction / worldbuilding "community" have... we sadly live in a world of intense specialization.

You could drop a lot of people / characters into Brun's spot there, and many of them would say exactly what she said in panel three. It's only because it's specifically Brun that we're having this conversation at all.

[AvatarVecna]

OK, I have a question. Are all rabid animals living on the East Coast? Or is rabies-spotting a sport there?

[Wraith]

(What people "couldn't grasp" was that raisins would be considered an unaffordable luxury snack, rather than one of the things that's been supper-common in poor households in many parts of the country over the decades because raisins are cheap and keep, and often appeared in food programs, and so on. That is, Jeph tried to make a point about "privilege" and ironically tripped over his own ham-handed ignorance.)

My response at the time was, there is a difference between being unable to afford nice snackfoods and being unable to afford ANY snackfoods. I thought it was clear that Brun was referring to the latter; if you think that's unlikely, then I can only say... lucky us, for being in positions where that is hard to imagine?

*Population Density*

Weirdly enough, that's not the entire story. I was intrigued by this and quickly blitzed Wikipedia - there really are East Coast-centric "clans" of raccoons and other pest creatures that are susceptible to rabies, but are also highly territorial and tend not to travel very far. Given that the USA habitually vaccinates its dogs, unlike most other rabies hot-spots, it means that such creatures tend to be the most prolific carriers.

So while not the biggest factor, of course, rabies is an East Coast problem because that's where rabid animals tend to live and they don't like leaving unless people make them