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Penny Arcade apologises (ha) for "dickwolves" comic. [Up: Removes Shirts From Store]

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M

Mama Robotnik

Member
On Wednesday Penny Arcade published this. I think its funny:

965474677_7etTF-L.jpg


I thought it was a nice comment on the absurd fun nonsense of game quests, and how horrible elaborate scenarios are invented only to be resolved through a typical rescue X people/kill X baddies/find X treasures. The vulgarity is part of the Penny Arcade style, and I don't find it offensive in the slightest.

Apparently some did though. Tycho and Gabe comment:

Tycho said:
Reaction to Wednesday's comic fell, conveniently for my purpose, into two camps: those who found a phrase like "raped by dickwolves" a stunning return to form, and those who felt that we were somehow advocating the actual rape of human beings. It sounds as though we've already satisfied the first camp, but an effort should certainly be made to assuage the latter.
Click to expand...

Gabe said:
What surprised me most about some of the reactions to our Dickwolf joke was not that people were offended. But that this was the comic that offended them. In each case the emails I got started with something like “I’ve been a long time fan” or “Been reading the comic for years...” and then they go into how this particular comic really bothered them.

I just don’t understand that. Did the comics about bestiality, suicide, murder, pedophilia, and torture not bother them? Or how about the fruit fucker? I mean, we have a character who is a literal rapist. What comic strip have they been reading all these years?

For the most part I think that people are perfectly happy to laugh at offensive jokes until the joke offends them. Then it’s not funny anymore. There is no way we can know what each and every person who reads the comic has decided to find offensive.

In the end I just disagree with these people about what’s funny and that’s perfectly okay.
Click to expand...

And their apology in full:

967761811_miT38-L.jpg


Remember, if the first comic turned you into a rapist: Stop, apologise, and leave.
 
S

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Ha, good stuff. I'm surprised that someone who reads their comics would find that offensive, though, I find it pretty goddamn funny.
 
X

Xater

Member
The people who get offended by this should probably not be reading Penny Arcade in the first place. I thought it was funny.

Aaron said:
Will there be rape involved?
Click to expand...

Hopefully! I want to see those dickwolves!
 
S

Saiyar

Unconfirmed Member
Snuggler said:
Ha, good stuff. I'm surprised that someone who reads their comics would find that inoffensive, though, I find it pretty goddamn funny.
Click to expand...

I am surprised awell, it's not like they have never covered anything like this before.

In one of their earlier comics they have a guy selling his little sister in order to buy Steel Battalion. Did't gabe have John Romero locked up in a secret dungeon at one point.

Strange that anyone would find this offensive and not those.
 
F

freddy

Banned
It doesn't offend me but I can do without a giggle at it's expense as well. I'd rather save the people who have been raped of being reminded of the experience. There's plenty of chuckles to be had elsewhere.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
Saiyar said:
I am surprised awell, it's not like they have never covered anything like this before.

In one of their earlier comics they have a guy selling his little sister in order to buy Steel Battalion. Did't gabe have John Romero locked up in a secret dungeon at one point.

Strange that anyone would find this offensive and not those.
Click to expand...
I think the problem is that they picked up a new audience when they went mainstream. A lot of their newer stuff is relatively tame compared to the early days. I hope they don't self-censor from now on.
 
P

Punchy4486

Banned
itxaka said:
Didn't they cancel those games? Wohooo if true!
Click to expand...

The games are cancelled. They always said they would finish the story somehow. Unfortunately, so far it seems like the story will be finished as a "mini-novel" by Tycho. I like his writing to some degree, but his flowery language sometimes obfuscates his meaning.
 
Haunted

Haunted

Member
People actually complained about the first comic? Terrible.


Surprisingly, Gabe nails it:
For the most part I think that people are perfectly happy to laugh at offensive jokes until the joke offends them. Then it’s not funny anymore. There is no way we can know what each and every person who reads the comic has decided to find offensive.
Click to expand...

Of course, there's a line not to be crossed, but the first comic was not it. :lol
 
N

Neuromancer

Member
I think my bigger issue was that particular comic wasn't particularly funny in the first place. (I do like PA in general though.)
 
S

Saint10118

Member
freddy said:
It doesn't offend me but I can do without a giggle at it's expense as well. I'd rather save the people who have been raped of being reminded of the experience. There's plenty of chuckles to be had elsewhere.
Click to expand...
I second this.
 
S

Shanadeus

Banned
I just don’t understand that. Did the comics about bestiality, suicide, murder, pedophilia, and torture not bother them? Or how about the fruit fucker? I mean, we have a character who is a literal rapist. What comic strip have they been reading all these years?
Click to expand...
:lol
 
L

LCfiner

Member
That line was the best part of the comic. Getting raped to sleep? The imagery is pretty messed up and classic PA, IMO.
 
F

Flavius

Member
freddy said:
It doesn't offend me but I can do without a giggle at it's expense as well. I'd rather save the people who have been raped of being reminded of the experience. There's plenty of chuckles to be had elsewhere.
Click to expand...

What about people who've experienced being fat, or ugly, or having heart attacks, or had a loved one die?

Better strap on your utility belt, hero...there's a lot of saving to be accomplished.
 
F

freddy

Banned
Flavius said:
What about people who've experienced being fat, or ugly, or having heart attacks, or had a loved one die?

Better strap on your utility belt, hero...there's a lot of saving to be accomplished.
Click to expand...
Are you offended by my opinion? :lol
 
C

charlequin

Banned
I'm happy that people complained about that strip, because the apology strip is fucking hilarious.

gerg said:
That's because readers of Cyanide & Happiness expect to be offended on a daily basis.
Click to expand...

Wow, Gabe and Tycho really have gotten old. :lol
 
W

Wiseblade

Member
freddy said:
It doesn't offend me but I can do without a giggle at it's expense as well. I'd rather save the people who have been raped of being reminded of the experience. There's plenty of chuckles to be had elsewhere.
Click to expand...

By that logic you wouldn't be able to tell any kind of joke, ever.
 
Z

Zerokku

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
If you've read PA for more then a couple months, I don't understand how anyone could be surprised by something like that, and if they were offended now they likely would have been offended way before then.

Tycho said:
Reaction to Wednesday's comic fell, conveniently for my purpose, into two camps: those who found a phrase like "raped by dickwolves" a stunning return to form, and those who felt that we were somehow advocating the actual rape of human beings.
Click to expand...

I laughed at it and agree with what he said, it was a return to form.
 
A

AshMcCool

Member
Yeah, right thats an apology. How about a sarcasm detector. I mean "It's possible your read our cartoon and became a rapist as a direct result." I mean, Come on!
 
Z

zlatko

Banned
I found this comic strip extremely offensive. I lost my mother and father at a very young age to the intense rape of dickwolves.

/sarcasm

If this comic strip offended you, then please just jump off a bridge, because the world you are living in is not meant to have you in it.
 
F

freddy

Banned
Now that's funny ^

Wiseblade said:
By that logic you wouldn't be able to tell any kind of joke, ever.
Click to expand...
Oh yea because rape is comparable to any humorous topic isn't it? Is that your logic? I'll stick with my version.

Anyway whatever, like I said I'm not offended but if my innocent passing remark makes anyone feel inadequate, raises the ire of the anti-white knight/ pro rape joke brigade or if anyone is that hard up for something to debate then I cant help sorry.
 
J

jcm

Member
I'm offended by the lack of funniness. I'll never in a million years understand the popularity of PA.
 
R

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
As someone who is very involved in educating about sexual assault and have a very personal connection to the issue I have no idea how someone could really take offense to this comic. It's not glorifying rape and it is incredibly fictionalized. It's just a way of illustrating how little the player cares about what they're doing and just wants to get to the end of the quest.
 
E

El Sloth

Banned
freddy said:
Now that's funny ^


Oh yea because rape is comparable to any humorous topic isn't it? Is that your logic? I'll stick with my version.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure he meant that there will always be someone somewhere who is offended by any joke.
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I'm really sad that Penny Arcade didn't reply with the comic version of a giant "fuck you". I sure would have.
 
H

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
freddy said:
Now that's funny ^


Oh yea because rape is comparable to any humorous topic isn't it? Is that your logic? I'll stick with my version.

Anyway whatever, like I said I'm not offended but if my innocent passing remark makes anyone feel inadequate, raises the ire of the anti-white knight/ pro rape joke brigade or if anyone is that hard up for something to debate then I cant help sorry.
Click to expand...

Rape is obviously more serious than many topics than can be joked about, but I'd rather people crafting jokes say whatever they want without worrying about offending a minority of people. If the majority of their audience is offended, then they can apologize for real and/or change their approach in the future. If I am personally offended, I can avoid that comic in the future if I want to. Comedians need to be able to experiment and push people's buttons and boundaries. And I believe this argument applies regardless of whether or not one thinks Penny Arcade is good comedy.
 
E

epmode

Member
freddy said:
It doesn't offend me but I can do without a giggle at it's expense as well. I'd rather save the people who have been raped of being reminded of the experience. There's plenty of chuckles to be had elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Say, this post for example.
 
F

Flavius

Member
Soneet said:
Rape is not a funny word in any context.
Click to expand...

What about the word 'pillage'?

I forget...can 'pillage' still be a funny word?

I've got some fucking gassers that I want to try out with you guys, but I don't know if I should bust out the thesaurus or not.

What about 'penetration'?
 
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