I like the Boondocks. It makes me laugh.

[LiberalTradition]

Aaron McGruder seems to make fun of himself. I am sure he is serious about his politics. But it seems to me that he can make fun of himself and those politics. He knows he is out there. It all seems to be a little bit tongue in cheek.

But apparently I am the only one who sees it that way. Everyone else seems to take him 100% seriously.

It seems to me that he is joking as much about himself, as he is about conservatives. Or maybe I am kidding myself.

[Terwilliger]

1. oh really?

maybe he means everything he says

[LiberalTradition]

6. I hope he is joking. Otherwise I wouldn't enjoy reading the

Boondocks anymore. I like the Boondocks it makes me laugh. If I thought it was totally earnest political commentary I would stop reading and laughing.

I mean look at Huey. He hates everyone. He rants about everything. If I thought Huey was 100% serious about those rants, I would find him a sad figure. But I don't think he is 100%(or even close) serious, so he makes me laugh.

[Terwilliger]

8. I see

so, if MacGruder is serious, then it's not funny anymore. I guess I don't understand why. Do you think that his commentaries in the form of these political cartoons are off-base? Or, do you like the right-wing?

[LiberalTradition]

10. What is the right wing?

Do I like people with right wing political views. Yes. Many.

Sometimes they have some very strange ideas about how to run a country. Though very occassionally they stumble onto a good idea and more frequently they offer worthwhile critiques.

See when a KKK member tells a joke about black people it isn't funny, ever, it would make me sick to my stomach. If a black man told the same joke it might be funny.

[Terwilliger]

11. oh, so this is a race issue for you?

MacGruder is black so he better not be serious?

By the way, the right-wing is a group of people who are intent on interfering with my life while doing their level best to make sure that the poor get poorer and the rich Christians get richer. I do not know, nor will I like right-wingers...they need to get a goddamned clue.

[LiberalTradition]

13. Where on earth did you get that?

Actually I don't even like the terms black and white.

Quick what is my nephew? Black or white? His mom is white. His dad is black. What about him?

He is my nephew and my best friend's son. That's what he is. A very nice little boy.

No, the right-wing is made up of liberterians and atheists and agnostics. Like my other brother in law. And he doesn't want just rich Christians to get richer. Because he isn't a Christian. He just likes low taxes and a strong defense. And rightly or wrongly he sees Republicans as the party of low taxes and strong defense.

See MacGruder isn't making fun of others. He is making fun of everyone. He isn't serious about anything. So I laugh. If I thought he was deadly serious with his venom towards others it would no longer be funny.

See. That's why the same joke can be funny when told by one person and not funny when told by another. When a KKK member tells a racial joke they are spewing venom and it isn't funny, when a minority tells the same racial joke about their minority they aren't spewing venom, they are joking, so the same joke might now be funny.

[Terwilliger]

15. the right-wing is full of atheists?

on what planet?

The right-wing is not general conservatives. General conservatives used to be acceptable before the god-pods took it over and decided that moralistic crusades were the new definition of Republican.

I still have a problem with what you are saying. Why should MacGruder not be serious? Is political disagreement only acceptable if it's not serious?

[Stupdworld]

12. truth is said in jest

is damn right. regardless, i find his comics have a very "calvin and hobbes" feel to them. the art is pretty magnificent, and the way he does his sunday strips is total homage to bill watterson (peace be upon him)

i dont see any of the characters as a rip of off calvin, they are so wildly different, but sometimes the humor is the same. He does an excellent job paying homage to past cartoonists without "biting" their style at all.

Excellent strip imho

[Fixated]

2. .....

Uh, he's clearly a liberal. Anyone who has seen him make any appearance knows this.

[LiberalTradition]

3. Hmmmm? Yes. Far left.

And like I said I am sure he is serious about his politics.

But I also think he has a sense of humor about himself and those politics. He is serious but not that serious. But again maybe I am wrong.

[Fixated]

4. .....

OK....

[spooky3]

5. Hey, Aaron, if you're lurking, can you settle it?

[LiberalTradition]

7. LMAO. Thanks. NT.

NT.

[Isome]

9. It's apparent from his strips...

Many a truth is said in jest.

[BadFaith]

14. He's already made it clear....

In a panel discussion televised on C-SPAN, along eith Cornell West, McGruder told the audience that the characters of his strip are essentially a hodge-podge of Black political culture, sectors of which McGruder himself is highly critical. The Boondocks is essentially McGruder's attempt to propel the dialogue between these groups into mainstream America, in the form of cute cartoon characters.

Personally, I can't wait until it's adapted into a TV series.

[rocktivity]

16. Originally posted by BadFaith

The Boondocks is essentially McGruder's attempt to propel the dialogue between these groups into mainstream America, in the form of cute cartoon characters.

And it's no accident that the main characters are children.

I don't think people would find Huey terribly amusing if he was teenager or young man. Like what Charles "Peanuts" Schultz did with his characters, and Matt Groening does with Bart Simpston, MacGruder's characters function as adults and children at the same time. However "grown" Huey in particular acts, he can't escape the being trapped in a child's mentality.


rocknation