Evens are Odds: March 2016

Side Effects

TEDDY: "Do you ever just, like, WORRY about your BRAIN--" ALLISON: "--and how architecture school has completely RUINED it?" TEDDY: "--And that based on its current condition you're going to be legitimately SENILE by your mid-LATE TWENTIES?" ALLISON: "LITERALLY ALL THE TIME."

Yet another conversation I basically had in real life...

And I know you're gonna say this applies to a lot of majors, but I also know there's probably an acceptable number of all-nighters to pull in a 14 week semester, and that number sure as hell isn't 27...

Observation

*Clue characters gathered around Mr. Body's body, very obviously shot, in the billiards room, Mr. Green suspiciously holding the revolver behind his back* TEDDY (as Professor Plum): "Now everybody hold up: I think we should entertain the possibility it was Mrs. White, with the rope, in the conservatory!.." ~ "If you think about it, the characters in the game CLUE really aren't very INTELLIGENT...

Of course it was Mr. Green. Never did like that guy...

Gun Control

*Teddy and Allison in sinking boat with water gushing through a hole, while Teddy bails water INTO the boat* TEDDY: "No, see, THIS water is displacing that water you're worried about, and I have complete control over MY water, so..." ~ "Basically the American gun control debate in one GIF..."

But God forbid I imply your archaic, out-of-context right to bail in water is maybe not entirely in the best interest of keeping the boat afloat in the larger picture...

Yes, I'm showing my cards here, but on a more serious note, I got to hang out with my Uncle Jeff earlier this week, and hear about some of the really incredible work he's doing looking at a lot of the background on gun violence at a population level. It's really eye opening to see the methodical, objective data behind the flashier sound bites that circulate our general awareness and media (Did you know for instance that 2/3 of gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides? And that while mental health is naturally a real factor in these cases, mental illness is not a statiscally signifcantly factor in the other 30-some gun homicides per day we average across the country) And it was encouraging to see some of the policy stuff coming out of it, things like gun violence restraining orders, that specifically target the "people" side of the equation, to take the NRA's favorite slogan at its word, and maybe at least get some low-impact, but undenably-positive reform through the complete legislative gridlock and denile we currently see around the problem...

And hey, if this comic deeply offends you, or you have any other opinion on the gun debate in the States, go educate yourself on the issue a bit, and I'll happily duke it out with you!..

Native

It's not necessarily that I don't think reactions are a potentially useful feature in principle, but you'd better believe I'm gonna take my sweet time watching from the sidelines to let the protocol emerge and make damn sure I understand it as-best-I'm-ever-going-to before I go ahead and start flashing around glowing pink hearts at people... #sociallyilliterate

Even I, however, though never having realized prior to drawing this cartoon, admit the desperate need we unknowingly have for a llama reaction option.

Selling Point

ALWAYS.