Tim Blair

What, no Uncle Tom reference?

Great reason not to publish this strip: it's not funny

The world has come to a pretty state when it's lefties who run around muttering to themselves, "All she needs is a good fuck."

If you'd told me about this in 1986, as the dark days of post-graduate political correctness were enveloping you, I'd have told you to stop tripping on mushrooms.

No surprise from a leftie. Aaron McGruder (the cartoonist) supports feminist causes, but then insults a woman by refering to her marital status. Scratch the surface of a sensitive new age guy and all you have is a limp-wristed, political hypocrite.

That was truly dull. Even as a non-pc sort of bloke the underlying "a good root wil fix her" message is very lame.

The Washington Post couldn't spot an objectionable Boondocks strip until now??? I've seen a lot worse.

Condi should respond to the strip by going out with some guy who's just as hawkish as Rumsfeld. I'd ask her out, but I'm a bit young for her. Now if Miranda "Eowyn" Otto were single...

Maybe I was reading to much into it then. Tim made it out like it was a test or something!

** The girl says Condoleezza needs a man.

** Then at the end the girl says, "I'm the man."

I thought it was a lezzo reference!

No chance Aaron. Condi is a cyborg sent from the future to destroy the planet. And Arnold, while also a cyborg-American, is happy married.

At least the cartoonist fears Condi, whereas many of the posters in Dunlop's blog regard her as merely pliant.

Racist and sexist in three panels; now that is true talent.

Maybe the cartoonist is secretly in love with Condi. He/she wouldn't be the only one...

How the fuck was that racist?

Was the guy's 'fro too big or something?

All the characters discussing Condi (and herself) are afro-american; obviously honkies and zipperheads don't have the cultural sensitivity to organise a shag for Condi.

I don't understand all the hubbub. Condi really is trying to take over the world.

Frank J. has the scoop.

That strip makes Al Franken sound funny.

Maybe I was reading to much into it then. Tim made it out like it was a test or something!

** The girl says Condoleezza needs a man.

** Then at the end the girl says, "I'm the man."

I thought it was a lezzo reference!

Ain't a girl. His name is Caesar.

I guess liberal McGruder can't wrap his head around the idea that maybe Condi doesn't need or want a man.

Yeah, it's a pretty appalling cartoon; he will not be taken to task for it.

Doonesbury ran a strip twice (Trudeau apparently thinks it's so funny he's used the same joke at least two times) with a teacher at graduation praising the graduating class for showing the hard work and will to excel that is the best side of American, and then calls up a bunch of Asian names to recieve some achievement awards.

The entire point of the joke is obviously that Asians aren't "really" Americans. Never heard of anyone complaining about those strips.

Er... I think perhaps y'all are missing a point by taking this out of context; see the 2 following strips. To me, it appears that McGruder is ridiculing the concept rather than defending it: Huey and Caesar are not immune to being made to look like fools just because they're the main characters.

More generally, what makes Boondocks work for me is that *everyone in the strip*, black or white, radical or conservative, male or female, old or young, gets to look silly at some point, and I think that's intentional on McGruder's part. YMMV, of course.

Greetings from California, where we somehow always manage to get the government we deserve. :)

OK...so now we ban comic strips because we don't like the message? And all we can say about it is that the strip isn't funny? Print the damn strip and let the comic strip artist take his lumps for an insulting, degrading comic strip.

I'd personnally like to thank the Washington Post for not subjecting me to thoughts and opinions that they did not think it was appropriate for me to hear...

Do they think that I would believe they were endorsing the opinions of the comic strip or that I would buy into the idea that Condi needs a good....er...man?

Thanks Combustable Boy!

I had a horrible thought about that.

Went back and checked... "Naah, has to be a girl!"

Hits "Post" button.

(I am a non-reader of Boondocks, in case you hadn't realised!)

OK...so now we ban comic strips because we don't like the message? And all we can say about it is that the strip isn't funny?

Actually, you give a strip a chance until it's proven that it can't be funny. Then you axe it. I'm a little surprised my local paper is still carrying it. But then again, they're still carrying Blondie, which hasn't been funny in my lifetime.

I've never found Boondocks to be anywhere in the same spiral arm as amusing. But humor's a funny[Unintentional, that - ed] thing; my parents found Steve Martin to be unworthy of even a smile.

Oh, that said, I don't see this particular strip as controversial at all. Sex isn't even implied. The idea that she'd be mellowed out somewhat by some human emotion is a little insulting (as well as presumptuous) but it certainly doesn't lead to the conclusion that this is about sex. Unless you're projecting.

NPR had an interview with McGruder, had another one tonight (link not yet available). I've found this strip "sometimes funny, sometimes insightful." If the current episode doesn't end up with me dating the good doctor, I'd say it's hopeless.

Whatever happened to good, funny, family-oriented strips like the one with the penguin & cockroach in underwear?!?

Where's the wit or insight in that? One is almost tempted to call Aaron McGruder the Donovan McNabb of comic strip writers.

But in McGruder's defense most political comic strips aren't funny.