@johnzakour, @Thomas Scott RobertsIs this thing with Melvin gonna be a frequent thing? Like the handful with Rita? And the beloved long-running ones with Roy and Kathy, and now Jay and Ed?
Melvin seems to be expressing his own opinion, which is perfectly acceptable. If he had said “Everyone knows…”, that would be different.BTW, everyone knows adults shouldn’t be playing with action figures.
Thats the biggest problem with people, as i see it.“If you don’t think like i do, you are wrong.”And, at that point, some get the idea in their head that the have the right/duty to make you change.…and punish you if you don’t.(Sorry for the rant. Its been a bad week already.)
Oh,look, my brother-in-law made it into a comic strip. Thanks for putting him there because he always says that reading comic strips is a waste of time.
Melvin should broaden his view. Impossible, I know. Melvin is Melvin, and can’t change.…I have never watched an episode of The Simpsons. When it began, I was working on the night it aired, and never got around to watching any of the reruns. It’s really not my cup of tea now. I loved cartoons as a kid, but as an adult, I just never got into them.
So, Thomas Roberts, I suppose you think that by adding “You MAY be a jerk if” you are not making the same kind of declarative statement that Melvin does? Does this mean there is a fine line between you and a jerk?
Since Melvin is your own fictional character, of course you have an omniscient view into his intentions. Generally speaking, though, someone doing what he is doing is not trying to “speak for everyone” but throwing down a challenge for a debate. One topic that might be addressed in the debate is whether statements like “The Simpsons haven’t been good for years” or “Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ is more profound than the most recent episode of ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’” can be resolved objectively.
I had to repost that several times. The ‘t’ key on my keyboard is malfunctioning, and often ‘t’ does not appear where I meant it to. And reposts seems to keep striking out lines I don’t want stricken out.
There was no such intentional implication. If you read it that way, I apologize. We just like to know that readers are really getting out of the strip what we hope they will. A couple seemed to take exception, as if we were calling all Simpsons watchers geeks. And it’s not only our strip where this occurs. I see it in the comments of some others where the gag seemed clearly stated, but was somehow missed.
Of course, words on a screen in a comments section don’t always come across as intended. So the cartoonist might misunderstand how the reader meant something as well. Our comments are always meant to be good natured (Although in the past we’ve had a troll or two who would try anyone’s patience. Don’t seem to have any recent visits from them.)
in previous comment, there were too many ‘you are a jerk’s to keep count (like having too many ’no’s in a sentence and you try to figure out if you are negating a double negation and you can’t tell whether is a yes or no). basically, I was saying that if you believe that whatever opinion the other person has makes him (or her) a jerk, then you are the jerk.. but actually no; with more thought I believe there are some opinions (not related with tv) that actually makes you a jerk, no matter what
Well, we’d better take this up with John. This was his idea to begin with. But again- and in his defense (and mine since I drew it) the gag does not say that having an opinion that’s different makes you a jerk. If it did, then we’d be implying that Roy is also a jerk if he opens his mouth and says that he thinks The Simpsons is still good.
The gag implies that expressing your opinion as if you expect it to be true for everyone MAY make you a jerk. There are other factors, of course. I already said it may not IF it’s a careless slip of the tongue, and you don’ really think that way. But if you are Melvin, then it does.
I myself haven’t seen a new episode in years. And I used tto never miss it!
In the early years, I wrote a bunch of scripts, and drew them in storyboard form. Sent ‘em out only to be told that they legally couldn’t read unsolicited stuff. Ah well!
They were too much in the feel of the first two seasons to be used later.
I think the joke is fairly clear. People simply shouldn’t assume their opinions are the law and just because they think something is bad that doesn’t make it bad. Different strokes for different folks. I may be a bit sensitive with the Simpsons since they do give me money when I write their comics.
johnzakour Premium Member almost 9 years ago
The internet tends to make this type of behavior very easy to do…
Michael Thorton almost 9 years ago
@johnzakour, @Thomas Scott RobertsIs this thing with Melvin gonna be a frequent thing? Like the handful with Rita? And the beloved long-running ones with Roy and Kathy, and now Jay and Ed?
Bill The Nuke almost 9 years ago
Melvin seems to be expressing his own opinion, which is perfectly acceptable. If he had said “Everyone knows…”, that would be different.BTW, everyone knows adults shouldn’t be playing with action figures.
Brass Orchid Premium Member almost 9 years ago
Or a herd animal.You just have to find your herd and run with them.The world has a place for everybody.
corpcasselbury almost 9 years ago
I have never cared for “The Simpsons”. Nor “Family Guy” or any of the others of this genre that so many people seem to go ga-ga over.
Happy, happy, happy!!! Premium Member almost 9 years ago
Thats the biggest problem with people, as i see it.“If you don’t think like i do, you are wrong.”And, at that point, some get the idea in their head that the have the right/duty to make you change.…and punish you if you don’t.(Sorry for the rant. Its been a bad week already.)
CeeJay almost 9 years ago
Oh,look, my brother-in-law made it into a comic strip. Thanks for putting him there because he always says that reading comic strips is a waste of time.
invertedyesterday almost 9 years ago
Melvin should broaden his view. Impossible, I know. Melvin is Melvin, and can’t change.…I have never watched an episode of The Simpsons. When it began, I was working on the night it aired, and never got around to watching any of the reruns. It’s really not my cup of tea now. I loved cartoons as a kid, but as an adult, I just never got into them.
kosskoss almost 9 years ago
The latest Simpsons has a Rick and Morty couch gag. I love when veterans pay tribute to talented rookies.
Chrisstopher almost 9 years ago
Sounds more like a politician to me.
AtariDragon almost 9 years ago
So, Thomas Roberts, I suppose you think that by adding “You MAY be a jerk if” you are not making the same kind of declarative statement that Melvin does? Does this mean there is a fine line between you and a jerk?
Since Melvin is your own fictional character, of course you have an omniscient view into his intentions. Generally speaking, though, someone doing what he is doing is not trying to “speak for everyone” but throwing down a challenge for a debate. One topic that might be addressed in the debate is whether statements like “The Simpsons haven’t been good for years” or “Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ is more profound than the most recent episode of ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’” can be resolved objectively.
Comic Minister Premium Member almost 9 years ago
Says you!
Thomas Scott Roberts creator almost 9 years ago
I had to repost that several times. The ‘t’ key on my keyboard is malfunctioning, and often ‘t’ does not appear where I meant it to. And reposts seems to keep striking out lines I don’t want stricken out.
ChukLitl Premium Member almost 9 years ago
My opinion can’t speak for everyone ‘cause some o’y’all are idjits.
Thomas Scott Roberts creator almost 9 years ago
There was no such intentional implication. If you read it that way, I apologize. We just like to know that readers are really getting out of the strip what we hope they will. A couple seemed to take exception, as if we were calling all Simpsons watchers geeks. And it’s not only our strip where this occurs. I see it in the comments of some others where the gag seemed clearly stated, but was somehow missed.
Of course, words on a screen in a comments section don’t always come across as intended. So the cartoonist might misunderstand how the reader meant something as well. Our comments are always meant to be good natured (Although in the past we’ve had a troll or two who would try anyone’s patience. Don’t seem to have any recent visits from them.)
No offense or put-downs were meant!
Daeder almost 9 years ago
He’s right, though.
redback almost 9 years ago
in previous comment, there were too many ‘you are a jerk’s to keep count (like having too many ’no’s in a sentence and you try to figure out if you are negating a double negation and you can’t tell whether is a yes or no). basically, I was saying that if you believe that whatever opinion the other person has makes him (or her) a jerk, then you are the jerk.. but actually no; with more thought I believe there are some opinions (not related with tv) that actually makes you a jerk, no matter what
Thomas Scott Roberts creator almost 9 years ago
Well, we’d better take this up with John. This was his idea to begin with. But again- and in his defense (and mine since I drew it) the gag does not say that having an opinion that’s different makes you a jerk. If it did, then we’d be implying that Roy is also a jerk if he opens his mouth and says that he thinks The Simpsons is still good.
The gag implies that expressing your opinion as if you expect it to be true for everyone MAY make you a jerk. There are other factors, of course. I already said it may not IF it’s a careless slip of the tongue, and you don’ really think that way. But if you are Melvin, then it does.
Thomas Scott Roberts creator almost 9 years ago
I myself haven’t seen a new episode in years. And I used tto never miss it!
In the early years, I wrote a bunch of scripts, and drew them in storyboard form. Sent ‘em out only to be told that they legally couldn’t read unsolicited stuff. Ah well!
They were too much in the feel of the first two seasons to be used later.
johnzakour Premium Member almost 9 years ago
I think the joke is fairly clear. People simply shouldn’t assume their opinions are the law and just because they think something is bad that doesn’t make it bad. Different strokes for different folks. I may be a bit sensitive with the Simpsons since they do give me money when I write their comics.
Thomas Scott Roberts creator almost 9 years ago
Spongebob gives me money for the same reason. So we can’ nuthin’ bad about him here. Unless we say that Squidward made us do it…
rgcviper almost 9 years ago
After all these years, my opinion stands:
“Best … TV show … ever.”
K M almost 9 years ago
So the fat guy’s a jerk because he’s right? Is that what you’re saying here?