Tags: flobots, flobots comic, vote for change
This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 8:27 pm and is filed under comics.
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July 21st, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Beer and peanuts. Haha.
Keep it coming…I’m loving this story.
PS…I spy a typo.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:11 pm
You caught me in the middle of editing it-
July 21st, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Love it keep the good story.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:06 pm
amazing…
it’s a shame that there are people truly like this.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:47 am
i love how the creator said on one page that they didn’t mean for people to think that these guys were redneck racists, when clearly these guys are redneck racists. i’ve always wondered though, why choose the rednecks to take down the signs? why not make it a normal looking person? just wondering. if you could tell me why you made them rednecks and not….not rednecks then it would be a lot more clear to me on why you chose rednecks. the reason i’m wondering is because i’m from the south. and being a redneck is a big stereotype that people that aren’t from the south push on southerners. a lot of people think that we’re all rednecks. so what i take from this is that you think that every redneck doesn’t want to see change. and the way you made them say “making ‘em and taking ‘em” is southern slang. and i’m aware that this is set pretty far up north, it’s just the fact that you’re using rednecks as the “bad guys”. I’m not bashing the comic or anything, i was just wondering.
i love how it’s coming along though. i can’t wait to see the rest of it.
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 am
Having lived in both the North and the South I can assure you that there are “rednecks” in each and every part of the country. There, I cqan get off my soapbox now.
Keep it coming strong.
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:51 am
What James said, I have plenty of stereotypical “redneck” looking dudes all over the place in PA.
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 am
I live in upper NEW YORK and we have idiots like this around as well. I think they just dress like that because they feel like hunters or blue collar toughguys.
The comic or the author have never called these characters “rednecks”. It’s funny the people accusing this comic of stereotyping rednecks are the ones doing the stereotyping themselves. Probably the same type of people who see a black kid in baggy clothes in a store and you think he’s stealing or up to something. You all need to learn to look beyond the surface! There’s a war going on for your mind! Wake up!
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:41 am
We shouldn’t stereotype any culture. That would be bigotry also. That is not change. Just “our team” doing the same thing we protest against. But I guess it is ok if the it is just one of those “dumb rednecks” huh? Let’s really change this time !!!!
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:45 am
It’s funny, I actually know people who look like this but are Obama supporters.
I know someone who had is Obama yard signs stolen recently.
You could say that the bad guys above are setting a “Time Horizon” for stealing the vote for change signs.
-L.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
why are people being so critical to this comic? if it’s someone in cut-off sleeves, you saying he is being stereotypical towards people from the south. But if it was a black guy people would say he is being stereotypical towards black people. or if it was a mexican people would complain because it’s a minority being the antagonist. Then people say, “why not make the antagonists ‘normal?’” Please define normal. Normal to me is a human with a head, torso, legs, arms, eyes, nose, and I’m sure you get my drift. The fact of the matter is a character has to have an appearance. The antagonists in this story happen to have an appearance of cut-off sleeves and such. To sum this up, just chill.
great comic!
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
The antagonists in this story are for sure rednecks, they have rebel flags on their truck and everything. That isn’t the point however, Casey is trying to make. These people that are trying to opress us are more like corporate executives than un educated rednecks. I believe that a man in a suit stealing and burning a sing from someone’s yard doesn’t look as threatening. The fact is that the people holding us back are the wealthiest people in the world and they are smart enough know what we will buy, eat, wear and how to sheppard us into thinking and acting the way that is most advantagious to them.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
so now the antagonists are “un-educated??????” I guess i missed that part of the story. You are re-affirming stereotypes right now. And I highly doubt the author is being oppressive towards people from the south when the story takes place in the north. And on top that, you have to realize that anyone can say that about any character. For instance. -Why is the victim always a rich white guy? How come people can’t keep it real. Nothing really bad happens to rich white guys in real life.- You are being way too critical. Just chill.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Ha! So socially advantagious is saying anyone who has a rebel flag on their truck is a redneck? Maybe they could just be poor, white posers? This is a great comic. I can’t wait to see where it goes. I can’t wait to see future stories as well, this one has really kept me on the edge of my seat and I haven’t read a comic in YEARS.
PLEASE MAKE MORE!
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
i didn’t really mean for everyone to comment on that, i was asking the author why he chose to portray the antagonist as rednecks. because socially advantagious has it right. it’s the big, powerful , rich corporation people that are our enemy. not some rednecks without a brain. a friend of mine said that where his cousin lives someone put up a hilary clinton sign. well that sign got taken down by someone, and then got put back up by the person that first put it up. only this time they put it high on a pole. the next day someone shot the sign down. someone like these guys. they’re not the problem though. all they’re doing is bashing on us for wanting change. they’re “Just another brick in the wall” who gives a fuck about those people. it’s the ones that matter like the rich executives in nice suits and ties that we should be hating. and i think that this comic is showing us that our enemy is people like the rednecks. don’t even try to say that these guys aren’t rednecks. its completely obvious that they are.
i love the comic though, i come back to this site once or twice a day to see if there’s a new page.
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Casey, the reason I chose to portray the antagonists the way they look there and act is because this is based on a true story, with some things changed to protect innocent parties… but in this specific story those ARE the troublemakers here.
I like the debate here and all the voices chiming in. I might counter your argument that we should be battling the suits here and that the gentlemen in this comic aren’t to blame– the attitudes and educations or lack thereof are brought on by a society run by the men in suits you speak of, and that’s the world that real people live in. In this specific story, you find that the child is almost more educated then his father, and the thugs down the street are just misinformed. Maybe they don’t even know WHY they put the rebel flag on their truck or what it means or stands for, they just think they’re “rebels”, you know?
And don’t worry… there will be plenty more stories coming up and I plan on showcasing a lot of different types of characters, stories and timelines. Thanks for reading.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
nice work keep it up.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
In my opinion I think the portrayal of the antagonists in this comic is relevant for a number of reasons. One, the antagonists could have been portrayed in a to hide their backgrounds or any type of identifying characteristics (like a shadow in the night). However, I prefer how the artist has created the comic so far because it shows that all of these actions, both by the protagonist and the antagonists, are committed by people. Human beings.
I’m curious as to how the story will progress. Keep posting too! discussions are fun to read.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
P.S.
Where can I get one of those bandannas ?
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:17 pm
@Casey
“it’s the ones that matter like the rich executives in nice suits and ties that we should be hating. and i think that this comic is showing us that our enemy is people like the rednecks.”
I REALLY don’t think it’s at all helpful to be hating anyone. Nor do I think this comic is trying to show us that anyone is our enemy. Attitudes like that are NOT going to be productive in bringing about positive change, in my humble opinion.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
First of all, we all have no idea where this comic is going, so wait a bit, and we’ll see what happens.
I’ve lived in Jacksonville, FL all my life and I know people like this and have relatives like this. It sickens me that these people don’t go out and educate themselves on the issues that matter. They get spoon-fed everything and spit it back out verbatim. The only thing we can do is spark conversation and try to get them to wake the fuck up. I don’t care if they disagree, only if they know why they disagree.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 pm
well put gg, opinions and their holders are insignificant without reasonbehind them. anyone can be uneducated or misinformed on a particular subject, but what separates the weak-minded from the strong is the tenacity to correct their mistakes and the resolve to educate themselves.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I appreciate all the discussion here. I’m reminded of Bob Dylan’s song “Pawn in The Game” and also, well, a rap I wrote a long time ago. I believe there is a matrix of oppression in this country/world, one which tempts all of us to believe that some aspect of our identity makes us superior. This attitude plus the power to enforce it leads to racism, sexism, class oppression, etc. It’s tempting to just reverse the oppressive forces and identify rich/white/male/straight/anglo-saxons as the true enemy, but I don’t think that’s ultimately the answer. Identifying an element of a larger system- for example corporate power- as the enemy is more palatable to me because it is not demonizing a person, but a structure. I think structures can be evil. I don’t think any person is ultimately evil. I also find hope knowing that people have the power to both create and transform structures…
As far as the redneck issue, people seem to be running in a circle in this discussion. To me there are several simple questions.
1. What is a “redneck”?
Seems to me a term used to disparage working class whites, or perhaps less educated whites, which to me is no good. (Some people might see it as an attack on racism, but I’d say let’s just use the term “racist” to mean racist). So basically, we shouldn’t use the term.
2. Is DJ accurately portraying the people who took the signs from his yard?
My impression is yes.
3. Should we label those people rednecks?
No. Because we shouldn’t label anyone as redneck.
4. Does the comic give working-class white people a bad reputation?
When it comes down to it, I say no. The protagonists too, from all appearances, are working class whites. This is a clash of ideologies.
5. Does the comic give the confederate flag a bad rap?
Yes. It associates it with a resistance to change, and certainly implies racism toward a black candidate. Is this fair? This opens up an entirely different debate, but it’s hard to say there’s no connection.
6. What about rednecks who are tired of getting dissed?
If you are a working class whites, or a white southerner, or a less educated white person who identifies as rednecks as a way of saying “don’t think you’re better than me because you have more money, live in a different region, or have more education”, I’m all for it, and I support efforts to have “rednecks” portrayed positively, for example, as people who fight for their rights as workers, or who fight racism, or are simply good people.
7. For the record, DJ Coffman’s actual neck is mighty red.
2. Does any group of people wish to be referred to as “rednecks”?
In my experience, there are occasionally people who take pride in this term. More power to them.
All this
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Oops! not sure how to edit, but ignore that last fragment of text after the “2.” Those were notes…
July 24th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
J5, well said. Labels aren’t good for anyone, and neither are stereotypes. I like the breakdown and numbering of everything too. Easier to digest for people. I don’t like demonizing people either, but I never thought of looking at the structure of things in that way. I’m definitely going to chew that one a bit and give it some more thought. And I like the statement about oppression. It sounds like something Paulo Freire would say. The oppressed often make the mistake that once liberated from their oppression, they too begin to oppress the former oppressor. Good stuff.
July 26th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
definitely stereotyping rednecks…
July 27th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
@ THE AUTHORS,
please dont use the typical weapons of stereotyping and propeganda and defaming your enemy to establish your goals. please,please,please don’t lose what you stand for- the new age of hope of humanity being something and acting in a way nonexistent in the hole of ignorance and manipulation that the world has fallen into and is now crawling out of
July 29th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I agree, person, but let’s not see all that do not agree with our views as an enemy. Opponents maybe? I am convinced that most people in this world are not evil just because they do not share an ideology with their neighbor. Also I see posted “… the people we should hate…” in another comment. Hate just breeds more hate. C’mon people…. let’s make a change for the GOOD. If we don’t, our children will be protesting the differences that we make today.