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

[John Cribati]

May's expression, while sacreligious and probably blasphemous, is someyhing that may very well have happened and been ommitted from the record. Dude was up there for hours.

[mucat]

May's expression, while sacreligious and probably blasphemous

...oh, you mean her turn of phrase in Panel 4.

You had me squinting at May's facial expressions and going "Blasphemous? She looks kind of sleepy in Panel 1; is that blasphemy against the caffeine gods?"

[Willie the Duck]

She's at a gas station right? Those tend to be open late, and sometimes 24hr too.

We have confirmation on that.

[Cikomyr]

We have confirmation on that.

.... Ok, why did I think she worked at a grocery?!

My bad!!

[Wraith]

.... Ok, why did I think she worked at a grocery?!

They're both dead-end drudgery in a retail environment with horrible 24/7 opening hours, so it's an easy mistake to make. Especially including that time Hannelore went in and bought a packet of cookies, and May referred to it as a convenience store rather than a gas station.

[Agi Hammerthief]

We have confirmation on that.

so...
what does happen when we put chips on the pizza?

[Wraith]

so...
what does happen when we put chips on the pizza?

You get starchy potato on top of starchy bread, so your colon reaches out of your ears and strangles you to death with itself.

[John Cribati]

They're both dead-end drudgery in a retail environment with horrible 24/7 opening hours, so it's an easy mistake to make. Especially including that time Hannelore went in and bought a packet of cookies, and May referred to it as a convenience store rather than a gas station.

Maybe she's not allowed to handle gas transactions, and/or there's a separate register for gas transactions only that she doesn't touch.

[Radar]

They're both dead-end drudgery in a retail environment with horrible 24/7 opening hours, so it's an easy mistake to make. Especially including that time Hannelore went in and bought a packet of cookies, and May referred to it as a convenience store rather than a gas station.

Because gas station make quite a bit of their revenue from the store they run. In fact, some big markets run gas stations with significantly cheaper fuel prices just to bring in customers to their main source of income.

[Willie the Duck]

.... Ok, why did I think she worked at a grocery?!

Looking at your location, it might be a cultural difference. Are Canadian gas stations the all-purpose "sure, we sell gas, but there's this strange little mini-mart here as well where you can get oil, windshield washer fluid, chips, soda, magazines (including old school printed porn, depending on what state you are in), frozen pizza, over-the-counter medication, as well as hot (or chilled) fresh food of the nacho/pastry/hot dog/slushie variety" convenience store that we have here in the U.S.? I know I've met people from Europe and Asia who find the entire concept bizarre (or their country has an equivalent 'where you shop when everything else is closed/too far away' store, but it stocks completely different things).

so...
what does happen when we put chips on the pizza?

They would get soggy. It's one of those things that might sound good that doesn't survive the execution.

[Wraith]

Because gas station make quite a bit of their revenue from the store they run. In fact, some big markets run gas stations with significantly cheaper fuel prices just to bring in customers to their main source of income.

I'm not saying that either you or John Cribati are wrong, but it must be a colloquialism that I'm unaware of.

I'm in Britain, and near me is one of the big "American"-style gas stations with a small supermarket built into it. You can do a decent sized grocery shop there, including fresh fruit and veg, cold milk and frozen TV dinners, but simply because it has gas pumps on the forecourt it's still known throughout as "the petrol station" (the British equivalent to "gas station").

Not criticising, just observing - I read May saying "convenience store" and took her at face value. No biggie.

[Morquard]

.... Ok, why did I think she worked at a grocery?!

My bad!!

Because it's actually a convenience store?

[Keltest]

You know, im looking at the before and after, and May has gotten significantly more blue over time.

[Morquard]

You know, im looking at the before and after, and May has gotten significantly more blue over time.

But other than that her general shape stayed the same, which is surprising.

[Rodin]

They would get soggy. It's one of those things that might sound good that doesn't survive the execution.

And yet, it's a popular pizza topping where I am. Known as a "London" pizza. Whether or not Londoners actually follow this disgusting practice I'm unsure, but considering their opinion of what an "American" pizza is I doubt it.

Pizza in the north-east of England - where Domino's is considered high-end pizza for fancy people and another common topping is to put donner kebab and garlic sauce on.

[Max_Killjoy]

And yet, it's a popular pizza topping where I am. Known as a "London" pizza. Whether or not Londoners actually follow this disgusting practice I'm unsure, but considering their opinion of what an "American" pizza is I doubt it.

Whose definition of "chips" are we talking about?

Pizza in the north-east of England - where Domino's is considered high-end pizza for fancy people and another common topping is to put donner kebab and garlic sauce on.

It would be very easy to base a legitimately awesome pizza, that many Americans would love, on the starting point of "donner kebab and garlic".

[Cikomyr]

Looking at your location, it might be a cultural difference. Are Canadian gas stations the all-purpose "sure, we sell gas, but there's this strange little mini-mart here as well where you can get oil, windshield washer fluid, chips, soda, magazines (including old school printed porn, depending on what state you are in), frozen pizza, over-the-counter medication, as well as hot (or chilled) fresh food of the nacho/pastry/hot dog/slushie variety" convenience store that we have here in the U.S.? I know I've met people from Europe and Asia who find the entire concept bizarre (or their country has an equivalent 'where you shop when everything else is closed/too far away' store, but it stocks completely different things).

French-Canadian term of this is "Dépanneur", which is a derived from the French verb "Dépanner", which roughly means "help someone out" or "troubleshoot".

(dépanneur is also the term we have for a tow truck and its driver)

But we do have them. Maybe not over the counter medications; stuff like ibuprophen are readily available.

We certainly never have hot dogs or hot food. Closest thing are coffee and basic pastries (muffins, banana bread slices). I have to admit the hotdogs in convenience store was the biggest cultural shock I've had while going to the US as an adult.

[halfeye]

May living something down? isn't that what she does as standard?

"If you can't do the time, don't do the crime" is (or was) a saying here.

I'm very paranoid, but I do think there's a possibility that May is pulling a con here, Sven's apparently rich and May isn't.

[Mordokai]

So, if my math is worth anything, Sven slept with at least 100 women who were embarrassed because of that.

I find that just slightly amusing.

[John Cribati]

"If you can't do the time, don't do the crime" is (or was) a saying here

I mean. May has already done the time, hasn't she?

Or is being expected to reacclimate into society (actually, in her case, to acclimate into society at all), while only being provided with faulty means of accomplishing this, part of "the time?"

[halfeye]

I mean. May has already done the time, hasn't she?

Or is being expected to reacclimate into society (actually, in her case, to acclimate into society at all), while only being provided with faulty means of accomplishing this, part of "the time?"

The crime I was referring to was "Smooching" Sven. Anything that comes from that, comes from that. If she doesn't like what's probably going to come from that, she shouldn't have done it, is what I'm saying. I'm not convinced she does care that much about what other people will think about it, or maybe even likes what other people will think about it.

[Max_Killjoy]

The crime I was referring to was "Smooching" Sven. Anything that comes from that, comes from that. If she doesn't like what's probably going to come from that, she shouldn't have done it, is what I'm saying.

Because people shouldn't be able to keep their private life private?

Or is that not what you meant?

[halfeye]

Because people shouldn't be able to keep their private life private?

Or is that not what you meant?

What's private about May? she's on parole.

I believe that there are things people should be able to keep private, voting for the most important one.

There's nothing good about keeping the who of sex private. The details are icky and may be squicky, so we don't want that, but keeping the who private only helps cheating, and that's in no one's benefit in the long run.

May and Sven aren't cheating, so there's not even that benefit to keeping this private.

Anyhow, I am not a betting person, but I would bet heavily that some third person in the comic knows about this hookup within ten comics from now.

[Max_Killjoy]

What's private about May? she's on parole.

I believe that there are things people should be able to keep private, voting for the most important one.

There's nothing good about keeping the who of sex private. The details are icky and may be squicky, so we don't want that, but keeping the who private only helps cheating, and that's in no one's benefit in the long run.

May and Sven aren't cheating, so there's not even that benefit to keeping this private.

What does being on parole have to do with friends or roommates finding out who she's having sex with?

Unless one of the people involved is breaking an explicit or implicit exclusiveness, then the only two people who have any business knowing about who's having sex with whom, are the two people having the sex in question.

Privacy is not about "benefit" or "need" for the privacy itself, it's simply about it not being anyone else's business -- May's roommates have no compelling need to know who she's hooked up with, Sven or otherwise, it's none of their damn business.

I don't need to prove a need or benefit to not sharing where I drive -- the car manufacturer has to demonstrate a compelling need to track it, which they can't. I don't need to prove a need or benefit to keeping what I watch on TV private, the cable company has to demonstrate a compelling need to look over my shoulder, which they can't. (Whether it's currently working out that way is utterly irreverent, this is purely about where the actual ethical and moral burden lies.) If person A and person B are both not involved with other persons, and they are consenting adults, and they become sexually involved, then they are the only two people who have any business knowing about it or deciding who else might know about it.

[Kish]

Yes, as far as I can tell, halfeye is genuinely saying that there's no such thing as the right to keep who you're having sex with private, and to what extent other, deluded people think there is, they'll surely agree that at least it should be one of the first things lost when on parole. Which is, of course, appalling.

[Cikomyr]

Yes, as far as I can tell, halfeye is genuinely saying that there's no such thing as the right to keep who you're having sex with private, and to what extent other, deluded people think there is, they'll surely agree that at least it should be one of the first things lost when on parole. Which is, of course, appalling.

I wasn't sure if I was experiencing another bout of cluelessness.

But agree with you. People have the right to keep private whatever the hell they want to keep private as long as it affect only themselves.

May and Sven are under no moral obligation to share what they experienced.

[halfeye]

Yes, as far as I can tell, halfeye is genuinely saying that there's no such thing as the right to keep who you're having sex with private, and to what extent other, deluded people think there is, they'll surely agree that at least it should be one of the first things lost when on parole. Which is, of course, appalling.

I remember reading, on the BBC I think, about some bloke having unprotected sex with at least a dozen women, some of them in parallel times after he knew (or had been told, he was possibly refusing to believe it) that he was infected with HIV. He got sued, and denied it, but was found guilty.

I don't see sex as something wrong, so I don't understand why people want that it happened to be secret if there's nobody else involved. There is a case perhaps that May is taking something that Momo might want, so there might be issues with that, but otherwise, what's the problem?

[Lethologica]

I remember reading, on the BBC I think, about some bloke having unprotected sex with at least a dozen women, some of them in parallel times after he knew (or had been told, he was possibly refusing to believe it) that he was infected with HIV. He got sued, and denied it, but was found guilty.

I don't see sex as something wrong, so I don't understand why people want that it happened to be secret if there's nobody else involved. There is a case perhaps that May is taking something that Momo might want, so there might be issues with that, but otherwise, what's the problem?

There are lots of things that aren't wrong that people often have both reason and right to keep private, such as their sexuality, health records, financial information, and much more. The default is that people can keep their personal lives private if they so choose, even (especially) if they aren't doing anything wrong.

Obviously others may have a compelling interest in that information under particular circumstances, such as the sexual health of one's prospective sexual partner and any other partners they may have. That does not erase the general right to keep that information private, though - specific trumps general, but general still generally prevails.

[Morquard]

I remember reading, on the BBC I think, about some bloke having unprotected sex with at least a dozen women, some of them in parallel times after he knew (or had been told, he was possibly refusing to believe it) that he was infected with HIV. He got sued, and denied it, but was found guilty.

I don't see sex as something wrong, so I don't understand why people want that it happened to be secret if there's nobody else involved. There is a case perhaps that May is taking something that Momo might want, so there might be issues with that, but otherwise, what's the problem?

And you don't see the difference between "people he sleeps with having a right to know" and "everyone else that he doesn't"?

[Kish]

I don't see sex as something wrong, so I don't understand why people want that it happened to be secret if there's nobody else involved. There is a case perhaps that May is taking something that Momo might want, so there might be issues with that, but otherwise, what's the problem?

The "problem," as you put it, is that people have a right to privacy, which your manipulative phrasing dodges around.

The first sentence I quoted above, to be accurate, should be, "I don't see sex as something wrong and I don't understand the concept of a right to privacy, so I don't understand why people object to everyone knowing who they're having sex with by default, and what I do not understand I feel comfortable dismissing."