Grrl Power #301 – The dumber your question, the more it’ll cost
The logical continuation from the previous page. Is it just me or is Robin’s outfit (which Joel is wearing a near-miss version of) basically the most humiliating superhero outfit ever? Sure there are intentional spoof costumes that are worse, but it’s tough to get past the green scale-mail speedos and the bare legs. Yes, all the modern variants have leggings included, that’s not what I’m talking about. Those leggings are there for a reason nowadays.
I found a webcomic I rather enjoyed, in that I read through the whole thing in two sittings despite needing to get on with the drawing, which I haven’t done recently. It’s different than Grrl Power in a few significant ways so I wasn’t sure about recommending it, but I figure the audience here is big enough that there are sure to be a few people who will appreciate it. The humor isn’t as zany and there are some more serious themes and it even has emotions besides “wacky” and “punch.” Anyway, it’s called Think Before You Think, and it’s about a girl who meets a guy with telepathy. (That doesn’t spoil anything, he’s enormously bad at hiding it. Also, you know, the title.) Obviously that premise could go a lot of routes, fortunately the comic plays it for laughs for the most part. Try not to take down the site you animals.
Here’s the link to the new comments highlighter for chrome, and the GitHub link which you can use to install on FireFox via Greasemonkey.
SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
Meatspace ComicSeriously these are awesome. Check 'em out!
Not UpdatingNo longer updating or only updates sporadically, but definitely worth reading.
SeriouslySeriously you guys. If you like Grrl Power the check these out.
"Mature"Mature subject matter and occasionally something explicit but usually safe. Can't guarantee the ads are safe though.
Dongs Ahoy!Full frontal and backal. Lots of skin, sex on some or all pages, explicit or otherwise.
I expected that first reporter guy to say “Stay classy” before he went.
At least we found out where John Stossel wound up in the GP universe.
https://thefederalistpapers.integratedmarket.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Screenshot-2014-04-12-07.45.37.jpg
Okay….
Well, that pretty much sums up why I don’t bother with cable news.
BTWs, I think busting him down to trying to catch leads is totally justifiable.
For anyone interested in Harem dating multiple guys, there is the follow on question of ‘could she legally marry multiple guys?’ For which you can see my arguments about her legal identity for purposes of commissioning a crime.
In which I conclude that as Harem only has the one controlling mind, she legally only has the one identity, regardless of how many bodies she can control. For those reasons, I would also deem that she would be committing bigamy if she did marry more than one guy* (simultaneously, that is).
Of course a moral person, with Harem’s level of intelligence, and effective experience, would realise this themselves, and apply the same logic to her own morality. So if Harem considers that a normal person two-timing to be immoral, then she should apply that to herself. Regardless of whether she conducts each with a different body.
Likewise if she thinks that polyamorous, or polygamist, relationships are ok, then she could date with a free conscience. So long as she did so in a manner consistent with such arrangements.
Ironically Harem is only appropriately named if she turns out to be both moral and adheres to monogamy.** Because then she would provide one guy with ‘multiple wives’ (in body, if not in mind). Legally speaking, of course, the same arguments I applied previously would also apply here. He would be married to one individual. So would not be committing bigamy. But, for the purposes of sexual gratification, I am sure the guy would view her as his harem!
* Even if they lived in separate countries. Such issues have been explored legally, and being married in two, or more, jurisdictions does not give you immunity to such charges. Unless the other marriage(s) were conducted in such a way that they were not deemed to be legally binding, in the jurisdiction where the charges are being laid.
** If ignoring the possibility that she might have a polyamorous relationship and provide the group with a harem. But then other terms apply than ‘harem’.
The legal definition of bigamy:
Bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one adult person while still legally married to another adult person.
So it depends entirely on the definition of ‘person.’ If person means a body, then Harem can marry up to five people – without being a polygamist. If person does not, in respect to bigamy and polygamy, refer to a physical body, then Harem would be a polygamist if she married more than one person with 2 or more of her doubles.
I’m siding with the former – that Harem can marry multiple people, and that ‘person’ refers to a physical person. The reason is this – corporations, legally, are considered ‘people. But you cannot marry a corporation. Because insofar as marriage is concerned, person means ‘adult person’ – it does not use the definition of ‘person’ meaning anything other than ‘an adult human being” rather than an entity (an entity would be a good definition to show that a disembodied mind is a person, legally. But that’s now what it says in the law. :)
So you are allowed to legally marry a corpse, under US law? Interesting. Because, without the presence of super powers, or somebody who can animate the dead, that is what a body without a functional brain is. Once they have been legally pronounced dead anyhow.
It is the functional brain which counts, not the body. Should a person’s brain be sustainable via artificial means, and their entire body die, and be cut away, that would still legally be a person. Brain death will not have been pronounced, ergo they are still alive.
Further, you cannot use definitions of a corporation to define what a person is. Humans pre-dated the existence of corporations. So common law and all of the consequent assumptions underpinning modern law work on the principle that people equate to being human.
For information, whether the concept of companies pre-dated the formation of the USA, or not, is irrelevant, as that legal system was brought over from Britain, along with the common law and other common sense assumptions which underpin it. Humans were being recognised and defined as people before companies were even thought of.
Finally, you have failed to consider the precedent of co-joined twins. Where you have two people sharing one body. Each of those is considered to be a separate person. Who’s individual rights have to be considered, despite the fact that they might share just set of vital organs. So we clearly do not consider the body to be a person. It is the brain and the associated mind which makes the person.
Flipping it around, if one body is one person, then anyone marrying Harem would have to marry a specific body – marrying all of her would be bigamy. But Harem sometimes reduces how many bodies she has – which could leave her spouse unmarried. So, when Harem resumes her married body, does the marriage resume, or does her spouse remain unmarried?
Problem with this is that it side-steps the question entirely by reducing it to marriage. Not everyone cares about marriage. Harem probably knows that she can’t legally marry multiple people, but would she care?
I can see her dating multiple guys at one time. Not in the “dating with the prospect of marriage” kind of way, but in the “hanging around, having fun, making out, fucking” kind of way.
She might be honest to some or all of her boyfriends about it, or she might not.
Or she might just do one-night stands and/or sex-friends.
Ahh, that is why I put it as a new topic. Dating is one issue and marrying is a separate one. I simply raised it as a follow on point of interest. As opposed to meaning to imply that one needed to lead to the other. Or that the issues for marriage need apply to dating. Whilst they can do, for those who take the former seriously, they need not, for other folks.
So your points are well made. And they very much follow what we know what we know of Harem, as a character.
I guess she could marry multiple people if she move to where the Mormons live. And I think she’s the type that if she did decide to settle down it would be with multiple husbands and or wives to keep things interesting. Not only multiple husbands, but in multiple situations (as no legal precedent or means by which to follow up on her literal one in seven billion situation exists) probably in different states and countries. If she is moral it would be with here partners knowledge, which wouldn’t be hard in my opinion as there have got to be people who would find that situation at least interesting. If she isn’t moral she would have little trouble leading multiple lives in multiple countries if she even wanted to not go through the trouble of finding people down with the idea of a… what quantum three or four way?
Sadly not. Well not those living in US jurisdiction, or adhering to their amended doctrine. Polygamy was officially dropped, by the Mormon church, through divine revelation (if I remember correctly), just prior to a landmark US judicial ruling on the matter. Which concluded that it would be illegal.
It may be possible for Mormons living in non-US jurisdictions. I cannot recall whether the revelation was about polygamy directly, or just in the context of it being prohibited if it contravened the laws of the land.
Fortunately, for those who like to fantasise about such things, there are other countries where polygamy is legal. Sadly the ones that spring to mind are not places that you would particularly want to live, for a variety of reasons. Not least of which being they have poor equality rights.
Which would really mess things up for Harem, if she wanted to marry multiple guys, because it probably only legally works the other way around in those societies. Guys can, but girls can’t. Equally, if I were in the enviable position of being able to have multiple wives, I would not want them to be in a country where they had their rights degraded.
Of course, in modern Western society, there is no legal barrier for living in such arrangements without getting married. Albeit that tax breaks and the other legal perks from being married (such as inheritance laws and being exempt from having to testify them, in a court of law) will not be available. Although a good lawyer and accountant could probably fill some of the gaps with appropriate wills and other agreements.
Your point about there being a distinction between what is legal and what is enforceable is very true. She could easily get away with her crimes, if she wanted to live a bigamist lifestyle. The teleportation, multiple bodies and the fact that each has a varied appearance all help to make that possible.
Of course, having her face splashed across the world’s newspapers and TV screens, with an Archon press-hand out summarising her capabilities, probably goes some way to making that harder. But she could certainly attempt it, even despite that.
You are also right that there is no legal precedent for one person having multiple bodies (yet). But that does not stop justice from operating. There is a law against bigamy. If she is spotted acting in a way that such is suspected, then she will face charges, and trial, in due course. Assuming that the prosecutors see the argument my way, that is. And the judge and jury will come to a decision, factoring in such arguments.
Their verdict will set the precedent. If it turns out that she is truly unique in the world then that precedent only applies to her. But she does not get a get out of jail free card because she is unique.*
* She gets that because she can teleport. Unless a way can be found to take the card away from her. Fortunately such ways can be found, if there is the need.
Well, that first guy kind of set a line for others to try to at least match. I’d bet that book is a $60ish item itself, maybe more, and he paid $50 extra for an autograph.
Now how many newsies are there? The first shot that showed them, there were at least ten *in* the store, plus a huge crowd outside. Granted, some of them are cameramen or assistants and shouldn’t be counted, but still, it’s hard to imagine that there are fewer than 30.
On the other hand…
* The *portion* of the drawer that we see contains only 8 visible questions.
* It’s the dollar-bill slot (assuming the usual cash-register layout; otherwise the hundred-dollar-bill slot which isn’t particularly credible) that she can’t cram more into. A lot of dollar bills is not consistent with a lot of hundred-dollar transactions.
I want to discount the importance of the dollar-bill slot overloading though. Dave wanted to show the store doing a lot of business, in one shot. He needed an overflow. In reality most of those hundred-dollar transactions would involve credit cards, and the remainder would have large bills coming in and small bills going out so they’d actually be in danger of running out of ones but NOT in danger of overflowing a slot in the cash register. So, the whole frame is artistic license.
Unless, she has already overflowed the other slots, and that was the last slot left (which is on the right)
In the last panel I think that Sydney may be limiting her choices in a costume design for herself.
Although, they do limit the places to keep the crime fighting accessories.
https://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-most-ridiculously-sexist-superhero-costumes/
(keep in mind these are from actual published issues, meant to be sold to kids)
They also have another option on her sidekick too:
https://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/photoshop/2/3/8/207238_v1.jpg
Answers:
Super Jail: Obviously, the details will depend on the powers of the superbeings detained. Most of the details we’ve worked out are classified.
Maxima’s measurements: they MIGHT get the answers they actually want… if Sydney passes this one to Dabbler (not guaranteed even then). Otherwise, they’ll get measurements like hair length and skin albedo, or a bunch of measurements *taken by* Maxima (height of some building…). Or, of course, No Comment.
Harem dating: Yes.
Who is dating: Yes. Some other people.
Dabbler a demon: There is a question of definitions. And even if one believes that Dabbler is a demon and thus proves the existence of Hell, that would not tell you *which version* of Hell exists.
Logo outfits: The official uniforms have Archon logos. A civilian wearing one with the logo would technically be impersonating a member of the military, which is illegal. However, in due course uniforms without the logos will be available at retail. Our superheroes have distinctive neckbands or torcs, which are trademarked and will also be available at retail.
Telepathy and invasion of privacy: Deliberately searching through someone else’s mind without just cause would clearly be an invasion of privacy. According to the telepaths we have in the team, it’s also somewhat difficult; they certainly aren’t going to be doing it to everyone they pass on the street. On the other hand… going into someone’s home and searching is an invasion of privacy; glancing at their yard as you drive by is not. Another thing to consider is that most things people want to keep private are simply not within Archon’s area of authority. Even most crimes. We officially DON’T CARE if you’re stealing from your employer. Let alone the immoral-but-legal secrets like having an affair with your neighbor, or the merely embarrassing stuff like the stash of bad love poetry written to a classmate.
My mind is an open book. But poke your nose into it, and I will slam it shut, to burst your head, like it is a grape!
Telepathy and invasion of privacy
Incidentally, this is a very real issue that we will have to deal with. Within the lifespan of people reading this comment today.* Every year we are able to directly scan what is going on in the brain, in more and more detail. Including mapping precise pieces of information. Continue refining that enough, and you end up with functional mechanical telepathy.
I was fortunate enough to have a firm set of ethics, as regards cloning, before Dolly was born. It is worth your while to do the same now, with the various ramifications of being able to read a person’s mind with a scanner.
Clearly, in the early days, the unreliability will render it very much like lie detection. If so America might embrace it (to a degree), whereas Britain might ban it. If following appropriate historical precedents.
But there will come a day when the reliability is no longer an issue. That might take a long time though. However, if that day comes in your lifetime, where will you stand? Are our minds private, or not?
* No guarantees provided that any particular one of you will last long enough. But the younger ones will see it for sure.** And even the wrinklies may well be surprised at some of the developments which we have already made in this area. Let alone those which will be coming to light in the near future.
** Usual provisos for total collapse of civilisation or the extinction of humanity, of course.
It’s a great topic.
The government already has limits in place as to how and from whom they can collect information, as well as what type of information. Sure there are currently huge issues as to whether they stick to those limits and people arguing for less limitations, but at least for the moment there is at least the idea that there should be restrictions.
Monitoring thoughts is, I think, a bad idea, and will be shown to be demonstrably stupid to try and keep police.
For a start, people’s minds wander. If you haven’t thought to yourself, ‘I wonder if I could keep out of sight of all the cameras in this room’ then you haven’t been bored enough while shopping! Also, like internet filters which block support groups because they use triggering words, a thought detector will flag up every time someone remembers the film Die Hard. Or, for that matter, Minority Report.
Secondly, by monitoring thoughts, you direct people’s thoughts. Everyone will be thinking ‘Oh I’d better not think about bad things. Oh no, I’m thinking about bad things! How can I stop thinking about bad things?????????????’ And then heads will explode. And that’s just not good for anyone’s health.
Finally, it’s REALLY easy to protest against. You’ve seen Sit-Ins. You’ve seen protest marches. Now you will see(?) Think-Ins. Masses of people overloading any detectors in the area.
Basically, yes, our minds should be private. If anything is private, then the inside of my head is. It’s also stupidly difficult to actually do, even with perfect mind reading technology.
Also, I don’t think anyone can sit and read what is coming out of people’s heads and stay sane for very long. We’re a weird bunch…
People already twitter every thought they have , the question of where will you stand wont come up , it will be peer pressure that makes sure that everyone is on the MindBook
All these questions would probably be turned over to Arianna for processing. Then all the answers would be official instead of hearsay…
I think that this actually has the potential to be a really good deal for the reporters. They have aguaranteed answer to any question that is not confidential, and they get to sell it as an exclusive. They even get a comic book signed by Sydney, for a mere ~$50 above the price of the book.
Ahh, Sydney has not made any such promises. All she has done is promised to make enquires. After that she is bound by the rules and regulations of a recruit in Archon. As they well know. If the rules allow her to talk freely on such matters, then she can pass the information on. Whether it turns out to be an exclusive, or not, they will just have to wait and see.
Of course Arianna may well be cunning and allow it to go ahead, as you imply. The goodwill that will be generated towards Halo, from the press, for doing that, may well be worth doing precisely that. Arianna would be willing to pay as much as they have, and more, out of her own PR budget, for that result! :-D
Also the good publicity of the drip fed exclusives or an initial flood will be better than one or two press conferences of official statements.
Honestly, this is such a good deal for everyone involved, I don’t see why Arianna wouldn’t go with it.
Dang. Just how many things has DaveB hidden from us, which we have failed to spot yet? I would be bursting to drop hints, if I were him! He must have +10 willpower!*
* Well that is pretty obvious that he must, simply from the fact that he has put up with me here, without throwing sharp objects at me, in frustration. It is either that or has acquired something akin to sainthood level of tolerance.
Hi. DaveB hired me to throw sharp objects at you.
*throws sharp objects at Yorp*
PS – DaveB didnt actually hire me.
*throws more sharp objects at Yorp*
*runs around frantically*
Help, help! I need a lawyer! Wait, no I need one less lawyer! Eeek!
And you are only throwing stuff because you could not find the Easter Egg!
I have a question. How is Archon not in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act? (Federal law stating that the armed forces can not act as law enforcement)
Ahh, you are referring to the possum comatose. Which was explained at the press conference.
Halo remains my altered ego.
Just.. to … ummm. drop a ‘whaaaa’ on everyone not long before the new comic is going up….but……
Doesn’t look like sydney’s cape becomes Joel’s shirt?
Kind of like he’s atached to her on a leash I guess.
Bomb Baby!
Kinda, but not
Oooh, green pants and tools, it’s the Girl Genius look!
Well, thanks a LOT, Dave! You just HAD to go and introduce me to Think Before You Think, and now I went and blew my ENTIRE evening reading the whole thing from start to present!! Way to go! (clap. clap. clap.)
How do I describe that? Meta-sarcasm? I was not REALLY sarcastic, I was being… sarCASTically sarcastic… because I am sinCERE…. because I now LOVE TBYT. Okay. That should be clear.
Well, then you’re welcome.
Robin was a Trapeze Artist :P Their costumes are always silly.
Honestly, I think Sydney’s earned the right to retire from bank runs for at least a month, if not her entire life.