Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

Cancelling Calvin

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Everyone’s favorite comic strip, Calvin & Hobbes, ended on December 31, 1995. That was over a quarter of a century ago. I was thumbing through an old collection of those strips the other day, and it occurred to me how, in this day and age, the strip would get nuked for being so un-woke. At the risk of this being misused, consider this:

  • The family is a heteronormative, intact group of a husband, wife, and child;
  • There isn’t a single character in the entire series that isn’t white (with the notable exception of Hobbes, who is orange, black, and white);
  • There are no disabled (differently-abled?) characters;
  • There are no nonbinary-gendered characters;
  • Calvin’s father works, and his mother stays at home;
  • In the few instances that Calvin plays with Susie, she prefers to do things like have tea parties and dress their stuffed animals;
  • The only organization referenced in the strip (G.R.O.S.S.) is specifically misogynistic;
  • Almost all of Calvin’s fantasies contain toxic masculinity, as they are infused with violence.
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American Splendor

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It’s been frequently said here on Slope that George Carlin is our patron saint. Most folks probably consider that a kind mark of respect for the man, but I honestly believe that George Carlin was one of the greatest Americans to even live.

I am sincere. When I say one of the greatest Americans, I put him up there with the likes of Benjamin Franklin (not quite Abraham Lincoln level, but still, way up there). And I use “American” very deliberately, because he embodies for me the properties that I believe made this country great – – – a strong will, fierce independence, the ability to think deeply, the propensity to articulate thoughts well, and the willingness to express himself.

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