Scott Kurtz Blasts Comic Strips on Tech Support

J. FoxGlov writes "Scott Kurtz, creator of the game-centric comic strip PvP, released his first rant with the new domain. It's his view on comic strips about tech support, and specifically names User Friendly and Absurd Notions as examples of strips that just aren't funny. 'Folks, a tech making fun of someone learning how to operate a computer is like a school teacher making fun of a child learning how to read. It's just plain wrong.' Read the rest of the rant here." I fit many people's definition of a clueless (Linux) user, but I still find User Friendly funny. Do you? Or do you think Kurtz is right that it's not nice to knock people who call tech support, even in fun?

Comments

Wrong on Several Counts

[ReadParse]

The "child learning to read" analogy is way off base. The two are totally different, primarily because adults are expected to use the common sense that they've been building up for years, and many fail to do so when they're learning to use computers. It doesn't make them stupid, but it is funny.

Yes, I used to work tech support and, yes, I'll admit that it is not a difficult job and most anyone could do it. I'll also say that I took enough ridiculous calls to write my own comic strip, if so moved. They were funny.

You're right that your plumber doesn't make fun of you... at least, not to your face. But I assure you there are Plumber calendars all over the place that make fun of all of us. You would be surprised at the industrial humor market. For just about every career in existence, there are cartoons and jokes that poke fun at their customers, coworkers, managers (Dilbert, for example). And they're funny.

In fact, I distinctly remember a teacher that I had in high school who was very proud his copy of the "Far Side" episode which featured a kid pushing as hard as he could on the door that was boldly labeled "PULL". It was funny.

Perhaps you're getting my theme now. It's funny. Perhaps you get it, perhaps you don't. You know what? I don't even like "User Friendly" that much. There are some good ones, but it doesn't do it for me the way Dilbert does (perhaps because most of my silly memories have to do with silly managers).

Anyway, we certainly have enough to do in this world without telling each other what we should or should not find amusing.

That's my take.

RP

Bah.

[Trepidity]

I don't see a problem with it. The Darwin Awards make fun of people who got themselves killed, so I don't see how people who merely can't operate a computer have more of a reason to complain.

Re:Technological Illiteracy vs. Just Plain Dumb

[X]

I think you're missing the point about humor like Userfriendly. First of all: don't think that EVERY profession doesn't have it's fair share of insider jokes. Teachers most certainly do.

The thing is with such jokes the point of the humour isn't "some people are so stupid". The point is that, "someone who has no knowledge of a subject will say and do things that are absolutely HILARIOUS to those who DO have knowledge of the subject." This is the basis for the fish-out-of-water comedy routine archtype. It's the basis for one form of ironic humor.

Sadly, a lot of people need to feel superior about themselves, and they take this sort of humor as an oppurtunity to prove it to themselves. That's a shortcoming in the person who's reading/listening/seeing the joke, not in the comedian. Instead, you should be laughing at the irony of the situation.

A classic example are teacher jokes. When the joke has some 2nd grader makes some silly statement about some topic he/she is just learning, you don't laugh at the 2nd grader for their ignorance. Generally speaking you think, "aw, kids say the damndest things!!!" and laugh about the irony of the kid's statement.