44 thoughts on “Chapter 5: Lit, page 28.”

  1. What was said yesterday about whores cutting corners/bending rules to maximize profits?

    Ah yes.

    I feel bad for Barnabas John. Right now he’s probably feeling that everything hard he’s worked for has been turned into a bloated business.

    1. No, not a business – worse – a *movement*! “Winning significant media support” just sounds so… dirty,

      1. I agree, there’s a big difference between monetizing productivity and monetizing popularity. But the real problem here is that they’re not in it for the money, they’re in it for something more depraved that that: Power.

        1. Yes, just as Stalin did. In a sense John is like Marx, he wants to see his fellow men arise with him, Loyalty to Loyalty. The others are like two Stalin’s, willing to do anything to become hierarchs as more people join and need to be directed. Great, just great.

          1. You have no idea how horrifying Marx was do you? Had Stalin not killed him in order to succeed him, Marx would be the great Red Bugaboo people use to frighten good capitalist children away from socialist tendencies.

  2. I suspect Mother Teresa had just such a problem child at some point. But, having watched how she handled newsmedia people, I also suspect that she fixed her problem child very quickly and with a minimum of fuss.

    1. I second that, numbers would be a better adviser, she was willing to give up her free time to work hard instead of drinking cocktails or whiskey in some high class bar. She is practically the very symbol of volunteering.

  3. What’s wrong with media outreach? True believers and volunteers are all well and good, but think what they could do with more funding. The Red Cross and ASPCA have PR departments, they don’t get slammed for it.

    1. True, but remember that the Red Cross and the ASPCA aren’t interested in broadening their power base; they know what they do well, and merely seek to do it better by campaigning for donations. Reclamation isn’t interested in finding a niche; it wants power and a greater place in people’s lives. That’s all well and good, but now it’s trying to earn itself a reputation as a “grassroots” movement by – ironically – working from the top down. Public relations departments are not necessarily bad, but they’re not the foundation of a legitimate grassroots movement; people are. I don’t think this one is trying to find more people who already share their beliefs; I think they’re trying to shape hearts and minds to fit their mold. That’s not grassroots, that’s fascism.

      1. Well in that case all political campaigning is facism, because to me it seems that these PR peeps are trying to turn Barney into someone with political clout, hence all the talk of public and media awareness and such. And I don’t think he wants to be anything more than just a good construction worker trying to make the world a bit better place for the underdogs of society.

      2. The Red Cross and SPCA lobby and do media outreach all the time, the only reason you’ve even heard of them is because they work constantly to attract high-profile allies and blow tons of money on TV ads. ANY competent interest group does that sort of thing, its their bread and butter for drawing recruits and funding to operate.

        What, you think people are born aware of and interested in every political entity they will ever lift a finger for? Persuasive speaking is fascism? Really now.

        1. So you would equate a blood drive or a message about having your pet spayed or neutered with Stalinism? Churches and charities rebuild and refurbish buildings all the time; the difference is that they don’t hold rallies about taking private buildings and “making them fit for the needs of the many.” They just do it because they believe it’s the right thing to do, not because they’re looking to start a political movement. And they don’t use a PR department either, they lead by example; that’s not what we see happening here. There’s more at work in Reclamation than simple philanthropy; and from the looks of it, I don’t think Barney John likes it any more than I would.

  4. Forehead tattoo girl is Dinah, I believe. Why can’t I edit old posts? Double posting is so lame.

  5. This seems as good a time as any to say that the way John’s eyes are drawn behind those glasses is really interesting and I like it. I don’t know if he’s just supposed to have little beady/piggy eyes or if Spike is actually depicting the way very thick glasses distort the way your eyes look through the lens, but either way I approve wholeheartedly.

    /end trivial commentary

    1. I like to be pretend that when he takes his glasses off, he turns into the most beautiful man in the world. The gap in his teeth stays though.

  6. Is “blood quantum” something people say in our world? I hadn’t heard it before, and it’s got a sort of “body Thetans” ring to it that gave me a moment of, “Woohoo! New wacko religious subculture!” before I realized that she was just talking about Barney’s ancestry.

    1. Blood Quantum is a real-life construct. It refers to the percentage of Native American blood a person is said to have, as determined by the number and relation of any tribal forefathers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_quantum_laws). A higher blood quantum means a greater percentage of that person’s parentage is Native American.

      Different tribes require different quanta, according to wikipedia. A Navajo person would need 1/4 quanta, or at least 1 grandparent, to be listed as part of the nation. If only 1 great-grandparent was a Navajo, and no one else, Barnabas wouldn’t qualify.

      I have an ex whose quantum was just high enough that she got admitted to a private school so that the school could up its diversity to include “Native American”.

      1. Like I said, it’s scary. :-P Seriously though, unless someone self-identifies as belonging to an indian tribe (can’t bother to be PC), I don’t think it’s fair to class them as one just to make records look nice. I’m pretty sure somewhere in my ancestry there’s some Sami (indigenous people of Lappland) blood, but I’d still be offended to be put down in some school’s records as one.

        1. A clarification: I wouldn’t be offended because I had something against the Sami (they’re a very interesting people, actually), but rather because I am not one, and it would be lying to say I was.

      2. Years ago, before my parents had me, they offered to adopt a Native American child. They ended up being turned down because my dad is only 1/8 Native American (he looks as German as all get out, except he tans reddish-brown).

        So really, that doesn’t surprise me at all.

    2. Blood in this case refers to lineage and quantum just means measurement. The phrase typically refers to any Native American ancestry a person has i.e. 1/4 Navajo, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns up in some black magic, gothic RPG.

  7. I can’t wait to see Barnabas John explode on these guys. Something about seeing him pissed off is awesome.

  8. Barnaby is one of the more interesting side characters in this comic to me. He strikes me as one of those people with the attitude of, ‘everything will be okay if I just fix what I can fix and stop worrying about what I can’t’. I’d like to see some backstory on him, maybe even in a bonus comic… It’d be good to see why he is how he is.

    1. We wish. :-P Actually, I can think of four possible scenarios:
      1) Barney blows up at the two PR-peeps, yelling at them about just what Rec is in his opinion and especially what it’s not, they leave in a huff and then he summons the rest of the swarm to start putting the place back in shape.
      2) He grumbles and groans, but eventually gives in, swearing dejectedly as he agrees to the PR vultures’ demands.
      3) He grumbles and groans, is about to give in to the PR vultures’ demands, when he spots Numbers and immediately promotes her as the “Voice of Rec” to be on all the awareness campaigns, etc., so he can go on with the actual building.
      4) It’s Templar, and whatever happens is nothing I could have guessed. :-D

  9. Does anyone else have the suspicion that Barney Johns is being “managed,” not to keep him *on* the PR circuit, but to keep him *off* the job site?

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