2011-04-30
Explanation
This comic explores the modern parenting dilemma of how to discipline children when traditional punishments have become ineffective or socially unacceptable. A father tells his son that social taboos and a litigious society make "real punishment" impossible. Sending the kid to his room means he will just play video games, and taking the games away leads to crying until they are returned. The father's solution: he has built a time portal generator.
From the past, he summons a "Victorian Dad" -- a stern man in a top hat who immediately asks the boy if he was thinking about masturbation. When the boy denies it, the Victorian Dad declares him a liar (since he also knows what the word means) and announces that "a smarting blow to the inner ear ought to fix that." When the boy begs him to stop, the Victorian Dad treats showing fear as another offense deserving of physical punishment. The escalating absurdity of Victorian-era discipline is played for dark comedy.
In the final panel, set later, the boy asks his mother whether it bothers her that she is suppressing his expressiveness just for some peace and quiet. She responds, "That is so adorable," completely dismissing his emotional appeal. The votey shows the Victorian Dad declaring "Ostentatiously good behavior!" -- implying that the boy's overly polite conduct is itself suspicious and worthy of punishment, creating a no-win scenario typical of authoritarian parenting. The comic satirizes both modern permissive parenting and the brutal extremes of historical child-rearing.