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cartoon!, Let's laugh and respond...

jeffrez

Senior Member
Messages
1,112
Location
NY
If you send that to the New Yorker, they will think you're a nutjob. That is very far below their level of sophistication, not to mention all the misspelled pronouns/homonyms.

It also presumes way too much background knowledge of CFS, CDC, etc., so they won't even understand it. They will think you are uneducated and paranoid, and it will reflect poorly both on you and on the CFS community.

I would urge you not to send such a cartoon to the NYer, but instead to write them a simple statement of disapproval if you are offended by their CFS cartoon. That cartoon would be unproductive, in my view.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
I did have a very good laugh thanks Mark - gov handing out psychobabble studies very relevant here.
 

markmc20001

Guest
Messages
877
Glad you enjoyed it Enid.

Hopefully Bob will come by and show me how to post it right in the body of the text.
 
Messages
13,774
New Yorker CFS jpeg.jpg

I had a go. Now at a readable size!

edit- you do need to click on it a few times to get it bigger.
 
Messages
13,774
If you send that to the New Yorker, they will think you're a nutjob. That is very far below their level of sophistication, not to mention all the misspelled pronouns/homonyms.

I think that you'll agree that mine has the style and sophistication their cartoonists are known for. I work mainly in the 'micorsoft paint' medium - which brings with it a certain timeless elegance imo.
 

jeffrez

Senior Member
Messages
1,112
Location
NY
I think that you'll agree that mine has the style and sophistication their cartoonists are known for. I work mainly in the 'micorsoft paint' medium - which brings with it a certain timeless elegance imo.

I was referring more to the content than to the style, but in the context of the cartoon as a whole I agree that the childlike style isn't helping any.

I can't read yours, it's still way too small.
 

jeffrez

Senior Member
Messages
1,112
Location
NY
Did you click on it? It should be okay.

Okay - the first one is now working. I was clicking on the attachment thumbnail.

My honest opinion? You would make a fantastic graphic novelist. I don't think it works as a 'cartoon' in the traditional sense - or in the sense that we have been discussing here recently - but I think it would be very smart as part of a larger sequential/narrative piece. I think the text indeed is very sophisticated, as you sarcastically but rightly claimed, and that you express complex and nuanced ideas in a very clear, intelligent, effective, and even sensitive manner.

If the 28-year old person with ME as a result of the glandular fever refers to you, I am really sorry that happened in the prime of your life (or at any time, obviously). The presentation of that in the cartoon and the vulnerability it displayed evoked feelings of sympathy (and empathy) in me. If I were not sick with CFS and didn't know anything about the disorder, I think your portrayal would tend to make me interested and curious in knowing more about you, your condition, and what happened, rather than alienated and hostile toward your plight, as I think given the same conditions I would respond to the first cartoon.

That is my completely objective analysis and critique.



So, perhaps not such a monster after all, huh? :eek: ;)
 
Messages
13,774
So, perhaps not such a monster after all, huh? :eek: ;)

I'm terrible at remembering usernames, but don't think I thought you were a monster. I didn't really take sides in the other, heated, cartoon thread.

Thanks for the kind words... the bed-bound patient wasn't meant to be me, and I'm not that ill, but it does tie quite closely to my experiences.
 

Boule de feu

Senior Member
Messages
1,118
Location
Ottawa, Canada
I'm terrible at remembering usernames, but don't think I thought you were a monster. I didn't really take sides in the other, heated, cartoon thread.

Thanks for the kind words... the bed-bound patient wasn't meant to be me, and I'm not that ill, but it does tie quite closely to my experiences.

A very good job, Esther!
It says exactly what we have been talking about. :)
 

Boule de feu

Senior Member
Messages
1,118
Location
Ottawa, Canada
If you send that to the New Yorker, they will think you're a nutjob. That is very far below their level of sophistication, not to mention all the misspelled pronouns/homonyms.

It also presumes way too much background knowledge of CFS, CDC, etc., so they won't even understand it. They will think you are uneducated and paranoid, and it will reflect poorly both on you and on the CFS community.

I would urge you not to send such a cartoon to the NYer, but instead to write them a simple statement of disapproval if you are offended by their CFS cartoon. That cartoon would be unproductive, in my view.

I agree with Mr. Kite. It is way over their heads. What we want to do is address the prejudice people have against CFS, not add a new component to the dilemma we are having.
Good job at drawing, Mark!
 

Mij

Messages
2,353
Here is my response to the new yorker cartoon, After suggestions I will mail it in.....

View attachment 5288

I don't think this is such a good idea :(

A friend from afar sent me this link last night when I showed her the cartoon from Kaplan and she said if she didn't know me better she would think we were somewhat nutty (like Mr.Kite noted).

This women HAS CFIDS and sells sick humour as a home business. She has a particular cartoon about the "CFIDS diet":
http://www.sickhumorpostcards.com/catalog.html

It's beyond offensive and just because she has CFIDS I don't feel she should profit on our behalf. It's out there for the public to see and my friend saw it! This is not the type of attention we want to bring on to ourselves.
 

WillowJ

คภภเє ɠรค๓թєl
Messages
4,940
Location
WA, USA
Mark's comic and the CFIDS diet comic both made me laugh. But I agree that the diet comic is unsuitable outside our community, and I'm not sure about Mark's. That is what's going on, but we need to prove it, but that's not that hard to do, I think just accompany with some research papers might do the trick.

Mark, if you added in the biomedical research to the drawing and deleted the last frame, then it might work. (also I assume you would draw the final version on unlined paper) And I don't understand whether the one lady is pushing a pram? or is that supposed to be a walker? If it's a pram I think that's unnecessary info. If it's a walker I would situate it closer to her.

Mij, I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but I can't tell you how many times girls I know have told me they wish they had food intolerances or whatever I had, so they could be thin like me. I would tell them they didn't know what they were asking for--being underweight causes problems. They never quite believed me. (By the way, my weight is ok now)

Esther, your drawing is amazing. The message is perfect and you should absolutely sent it to the New Yorker. In fact if you would like to collect signatures to send with it like a petition, I will sign.
 

markmc20001

Guest
Messages
877
I agree with Mr. Kite. It is way over their heads. What we want to do is address the prejudice people have against CFS, not add a new component to the dilemma we are having.
Good job at drawing, Mark!

Glad you like the cartoon. I'm just having a little fun with my own form of propaganda in response the new yorkers propaganda. My opinion is whoever conceptualized that cartoon knew exactly what they were doing. Way to detailed for somebody not "in the know" to create.

My opinion. However, I enjoy seeing everybody's viewpoint. Very interesting to see how everybody has such a different take.
 

markmc20001

Guest
Messages
877
Mark's comic and the CFIDS diet comic both made me laugh. But I agree that the diet comic is unsuitable outside our community, and I'm not sure about Mark's. That is what's going on, but we need to prove it, but that's not that hard to do, I think just accompany with some research papers might do the trick.

Mark, if you added in the biomedical research to the drawing and deleted the last frame, then it might work. (also I assume you would draw the final version on unlined paper) And I don't understand whether the one lady is pushing a pram? or is that supposed to be a walker? If it's a pram I think that's unnecessary info. If it's a walker I would situate it closer to her.

Mij, I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but I can't tell you how many times girls I know have told me they wish they had food intolerances or whatever I had, so they could be thin like me. I would tell them they didn't know what they were asking for--being underweight causes problems. They never quite believed me. (By the way, my weight is ok now)

Esther, your drawing is amazing. The message is perfect and you should absolutely sent it to the New Yorker. In fact if you would like to collect signatures to send with it like a petition, I will sign.

Hi Willow. One lady is pushing a carrage of a soon to be autistic child.

I agree we need to add proof, maybe we can adjust the cartoon to add proof and be factual as possible? Think it would be a powerful tool then. Actually somebody already gave me the name of an illustrator to contact who has CFS. Maybe if we come up with a good cartoon, we can ask for her help to illustrate..

Not sure what you meant about adding in biological stuff, but I can try to think of some way to incorporate that, unless somebody else has suggestions.