Panel 1 happened on a regular basis during my years of working in bank branches. It was sometimes so bad that a much junior male employee would repeat, word for word, what an experienced female manager said, and only then would the troglodyte... I mean customer, accept the explanation. And, it wasn't always male troglodytes that were that way.
I love the first comic. It captures a complex issue in a few simple-appearing panels. I find it completely inoffensive and relatable and hilarious. The thing is, the customer doesn’t deliberately feel women can’t be in charge. He’s just not taking it in. His paradigm has males as managers and he’s not there to challenge that - he’s there to complain.
The deeper issue is why that’s a paradigm and how can we change it and who’s willing to make that shift. The people who see it and actively, viciously resist the shift are the real issue. And when it comes to social media, most of those “people” are bots attached to regimes that really don’t want people to open their minds and question what they accept.
You’ve made me feel more accomplished than I probably deserve. Thank the guy who persistently kept saying “he” in real life deserves most of the credit.
Hmm, yes, he wrote it, you recorded it, and goodness knows how many people helped me see it the way I do, my husband and Celeste Davis at the top of the list. Still counts though!
Makes me think of a line from Calvin and Hobbes “your grandpa takes the funnies pretty seriously” “yeah, mom’s looking into nursing homes”.
Still though! They are a wonderful medium for showcasing the world. What really gets me is reading old Giles, depicting humourous takes on “everyday life” in Britain, especially during WWII. Or heaven forbid the hilarious old Bloom County comics from the 80’s where Trump takes over the strip… one mundane, the other absurd, both oddly accurate…
You may not feel accomplished but I see you accurately recording the world I see and I think that’s awesome.
Thank you so very much. That’s extremely rewarding. Bloom County was a gateway drug to the world of comics.
Truth be told, when I was seven I wanted a father like John Wayne. By the time I was in my twenties I realized that my mother was tougher than John Wayne in any cowboy movie. Pointing out that the manager was a woman was rewarding.
As a long time retail drone, that first comic has happened so many times I read it as fact. Just annoying eye rolling fact of "yep, here we go again......"
I detect certain similarities between some of your cartoon customers and some of your former social media commenters. The haters just have to hate. It makes their day. They are fully worthy of being ignored. PS Having worked retail, your cartoon strip is delightful.
Reminds me of what one professor was teaching in Gender Studies- instead of having goalposts to be "manly" most boys were socialized to have an abhorrence to anything regarded as feminine. Then they grew up and wanted to date, while still being disgusted by feminine things and those who like them. And thus we ended up with way too many people who at best dislike most women, while also wanting to date.
I've been involved in construction in one way or another for two-thirds of my life. I'm a short, feisty woman who has encountered all manner of guys who can't wrap their brains around the fact that I know a few things about construction. One contractor guy in particular came into my home. I told him what I wanted him to do. He demanded to see my husband. The husband in question worked from home, knew a lot less about construction than I did, and was entirely grumpy when interrupted during his workday. So I invited the contractor guy to knock on said husband's door. Hilarity (for me) ensued. Contractor guy inquired, "What did you want done with this bathroom?" Grumpy husband took his anger to ten, "Why are you asking me? She's the only one who knows anything about what's going on, not me!" He slammed the door in Contractor Guy's face. Contractor Guy sheepishly listened the second time I told him what I wanted. Needless to say, I did not hire that guy. Working with him would have been a misery.
I love this Substack! And I worked in retail several times but in fashion (Macys, Soft Surroundings). There is nothing I’ve read here that I didn’t experience there! So these idiots that think these situations do not happen need to spend some time working retail. Preferably the Christmas season.
Panel 1 happened on a regular basis during my years of working in bank branches. It was sometimes so bad that a much junior male employee would repeat, word for word, what an experienced female manager said, and only then would the troglodyte... I mean customer, accept the explanation. And, it wasn't always male troglodytes that were that way.
These cartoons make me wish I had a newspaper so I could run them.
That’s the highest compliment to me. I still love newspapers. I want to apologize to them for all of the coffee rings I left on them over the years.
I love the first comic. It captures a complex issue in a few simple-appearing panels. I find it completely inoffensive and relatable and hilarious. The thing is, the customer doesn’t deliberately feel women can’t be in charge. He’s just not taking it in. His paradigm has males as managers and he’s not there to challenge that - he’s there to complain.
The deeper issue is why that’s a paradigm and how can we change it and who’s willing to make that shift. The people who see it and actively, viciously resist the shift are the real issue. And when it comes to social media, most of those “people” are bots attached to regimes that really don’t want people to open their minds and question what they accept.
4 panels man - look what you’ve done. 😉
You’ve made me feel more accomplished than I probably deserve. Thank the guy who persistently kept saying “he” in real life deserves most of the credit.
Hmm, yes, he wrote it, you recorded it, and goodness knows how many people helped me see it the way I do, my husband and Celeste Davis at the top of the list. Still counts though!
Makes me think of a line from Calvin and Hobbes “your grandpa takes the funnies pretty seriously” “yeah, mom’s looking into nursing homes”.
Still though! They are a wonderful medium for showcasing the world. What really gets me is reading old Giles, depicting humourous takes on “everyday life” in Britain, especially during WWII. Or heaven forbid the hilarious old Bloom County comics from the 80’s where Trump takes over the strip… one mundane, the other absurd, both oddly accurate…
You may not feel accomplished but I see you accurately recording the world I see and I think that’s awesome.
Thank you so very much. That’s extremely rewarding. Bloom County was a gateway drug to the world of comics.
Truth be told, when I was seven I wanted a father like John Wayne. By the time I was in my twenties I realized that my mother was tougher than John Wayne in any cowboy movie. Pointing out that the manager was a woman was rewarding.
Step 1 when I read your work is to embiggen the slides so I can read the sequence of comments on the background signs.
Step 2 is enjoy the Step and fall in love with the characters.
Step 3 is wonder why I don't have a damn anthropomorphic coffee cup!!!
A cup of coffee that can smile back at you could be enough emotional support for an entire day.
As a long time retail drone, that first comic has happened so many times I read it as fact. Just annoying eye rolling fact of "yep, here we go again......"
I detect certain similarities between some of your cartoon customers and some of your former social media commenters. The haters just have to hate. It makes their day. They are fully worthy of being ignored. PS Having worked retail, your cartoon strip is delightful.
Thank you. That was an apt comparison.
Reminds me of what one professor was teaching in Gender Studies- instead of having goalposts to be "manly" most boys were socialized to have an abhorrence to anything regarded as feminine. Then they grew up and wanted to date, while still being disgusted by feminine things and those who like them. And thus we ended up with way too many people who at best dislike most women, while also wanting to date.
Gender studies must be a fascinating field. So much has changed in the last two hundred years.
Feminism just isn’t trending lately 😒 however, the point of it has never been to keep men happy
Kinda hilarious that they jumped immediately to anger. More money for you, so don't feel discouraged! Your comics are hilarious and well done.
Thank you!
Anger, misogyny, bigotry, hatred, morbidly sociopathic leaders are all selling GREAT!
Basic human compassion, empathy…a basic heart and soul? Not so much!
I’ve noticed that.
But will people know that I mean the angry people you talked about posting to various places?
I am still on FB, but deleted instagram and threads.
I stopped engaging on Facebook when it stopped being a class reunion and turned into high school.
I've been involved in construction in one way or another for two-thirds of my life. I'm a short, feisty woman who has encountered all manner of guys who can't wrap their brains around the fact that I know a few things about construction. One contractor guy in particular came into my home. I told him what I wanted him to do. He demanded to see my husband. The husband in question worked from home, knew a lot less about construction than I did, and was entirely grumpy when interrupted during his workday. So I invited the contractor guy to knock on said husband's door. Hilarity (for me) ensued. Contractor guy inquired, "What did you want done with this bathroom?" Grumpy husband took his anger to ten, "Why are you asking me? She's the only one who knows anything about what's going on, not me!" He slammed the door in Contractor Guy's face. Contractor Guy sheepishly listened the second time I told him what I wanted. Needless to say, I did not hire that guy. Working with him would have been a misery.
That contractor needs to hire someone to do the speaking and actual contracting.
Sorry I missed it.
I love this Substack! And I worked in retail several times but in fashion (Macys, Soft Surroundings). There is nothing I’ve read here that I didn’t experience there! So these idiots that think these situations do not happen need to spend some time working retail. Preferably the Christmas season.
A nice follow up would have been to have Berle be the male manager the customer wanted to speak to.
Why is the boss wearing a trench coat? I kept expecting him to flash Penny.
He’s not working in that store. He just came in from his car. Sometimes I attempt to imply information that was stated in a previous strip.