On the slur patrol

Today’s Zippy:

So there are two groups, distinguishable by physical or behavioral traits, and each group lives in communities that largely excludes the other. So each takes itself as the norm — the unmarked case — and views the other as marked (special, notable), and consequently has a special term to name the other: roundhead, pinhead.

It is the way of such things that these terms quickly become seen as slurs, even if they weren’t meant that way originally.

And then there’s Herbie Popnecker, the fat superhero (Wikipedia entry here); of course, Bill Griffith wouldn’t make something like that up. Here’s Herbie confronting another preposterous comic-book superhero, the Flaming Carrot (Wikipedia entry here):

How phallic is that?

2 Responses to “On the slur patrol”

  1. On the banana watch « Arnold Zwicky's Blog Says:

    […] Another approach to creating a carrot person: give them a carrot for a head. See the “preposterous [and very phallic] comic-book superhero, the Flaming Carrot”, here. […]

  2. Annals of phallicity: the carrot connection « Arnold Zwicky's Blog Says:

    […] phallic carrots on this blog: the comic-book superhero, the (highly phallic) Flaming Carrot, here; and a phallic banana and carrot dancing together, along with the Holtville CA carrot […]

Leave a Reply to Annals of phallicity: the carrot connection « Arnold Zwicky's BlogCancel reply


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