Catchier than my normal post title, right? A year or so ago, Zak and I created a three page story where Super-Mennonite decides to do stand-up comedy, with his act basically being predicated on ridiculously stupid misogynistic jokes. The real joke is that the bit is dedicated to John Howard Yoder. I thought it was pretty funny because no one was ever really discussing his sexism, so I tried to put it out there in a sense to get folks going, ‘What the hell?’ Unfortunately, no one wanted it. Our good friends at Geez (who publishes almost all of our nonsense) politely declined, afraid that it was too juvenile (of course it’s juvenile, that’s part of the point–attach it to the reality of Yoder’s abuse and it takes on a different light), so I quickly sent it to a number of other magazines–some Mennonite affiliated. Everyone found it either “inflammatory” or “crass” (as crass as Yoder’s actions?!–I hate piety), all while seemingly missing our overall point.
[Unlike all of our other stories, this is the one we gave the most uninventive and least enigmatic titles: “Anarcrow! Proudly Presents: Super-Mennonite in Misogynistic Mennonite Stand-Up”. I was warned in print, mind you, that Anabaptists were not the quickest to catch sarcasm–a claim I find to be patently false. I do, however, I find Anabaptist editors to be very slow on the take. God love their hearts.]
And then, all of sudden, Yoder’s sexually abusive issues were brought to light once again (apparently most non-Anabaptist folks didn’t know) and everyone was talking about it. I didn’t want to publish anything because it’s kind of a sham to profit, via publication, off that nonsense. It all seemed so voyeuristic (you’re right Matt) hearing and reading people talk about it on blogs and FB. So, we’re stuck with this three page comic because to try and sell it seems all kinds of messed up. Therefore, here you go. Enjoy it. Laugh at it. Get mad at it. Be bored by it. Miss the point of @!#$@ comics altogether. Whatever. It’s cool. But if you do laugh at it, I’m pretty sure it’s okay, so, you know, tell me if you do . . . or, if you don’t–especially if you don’t.
By the way, it may help if you read it with a Mitch Hedberg kind of pacing (though it’s clearly not Hedberg type material). Just click on the images below and you can blow them up. Zak’s artwork is off the shizzy.
(I hope someone gets the 1496 reference. Jerks.)
