And this Democrat cleared the primaries and was the Senatorial candidate, I swear to God I’d vote Republican.
83 comments on “If I Lived In Maryland”
If there were fewer teachers…more kids would be reading???
Yeah, see that’d be an education system I could get behind! Especially since it’s about ten times better than the current local school curriculum. At least this way, the kids will be able to READ, instead of just learning how to beat multiple choice tests.
Jay, I believe the insinuation is that kids would be *wasting* time reading comic books (because, you know, reading comic books is worse than not reading at all).
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But in the end, I can see your side too, in that I’m not certain of what they’re trying to get across with this.
Seems pretty clear to me: Vote for this woman and she’ll fight for education, because without teachers and education, your kids will be really stupid, and the way you convey that children are stupid is that they read comic books.
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PAD
I’m more concerned about just how many WILL vote for her based on this ad.
@PAD, yeah, that’s the general idea I was getting too. Which is odd, because I always figured, at least for some of the more complex scientific concepts like radiation and genetics and evolution and whatnot, uneducated kids would actually be LESS likely to understand, and thus less inclined to read, comics. In fact, I seem to recall that it was mostly the smart nerd kids in school that read comics, and the dumb hicks played sports.
‘Course, they had girlfriends, so there’s a tradeoff. *smirk*
Anyway, I would be PROUD to have a kid in my school that encouraged the kind of creative, outside-the-box thinking that leads to comicbook appreciation. Which is why I agree, the woman is a [expletive deleted] and I hope she falls hard. That’s more or less what I was trying to get across.
And the odd thing is that Maryland uses comics in the schools.
Thanks for that, as I live in Maryland. It is so ironic how illiterate that ad is.
Heh. :^D I didn’t “get” this ad at first, because comics formed such an important part of my school experience. In high school, I brought in comic books and trade paperbacks to share with friends and classmates during lunch, study period, and before/after/between classes.
So when I saw this picture, I thought the comics represented “nerds” in a good school, not “stupidity” in an understaffed school.
She certainly won’t be getting the Geek Parent vote.
Too bad I don’t live in MoCo and can’t vote against her.
It’s not even an effective scare tactic, I’ve got to say. She shows kids sitting behind student desks and reading comics, and we’re supposed to be scared? Yawn. The kids are in school. They’re behaving themselves. Not exactly a crisis going on in that ad.
Ms. King must (unfortunately) be unfamiliar with this research.
I’ve used comics in class many times. In fact, I’m trying to get a classroom set of V for Vendetta for my honors English 12 this year.
Wow. Coolest teacher ever. I am so jealous.
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Your kids must love you.
Some do, some don’t. No matter what you do, you’ll get kids who will find something to make their education a chore. I’ve had kids that would find a reason to complain if I put a ten dollar bill between each page of their text.
I don’t think I’ve used comics per se (a little tougher for physics), but I’ve discussed them from time to time. Nothing like Superman tossing an asteroid for discussing Newton’s Third Law or conservation of momentum…
A far more effective and accurate visual to convey “reading choice equals stupidity” would have had the kids reading the works of Coulter, Beck, Hannity, etc. Maybe throw in “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” or some Ayn Rand. That would moblize the Democratic base, at least in “Merlin.”
I find it extra-special hilarious that one of them is “reading” an issue of “Previews.”
Yeah, I was gonna comment on that. That kid must be planning his monthly pull list.
Voting for someone just because they are of a certain party is pretty stupid.
“Seems pretty clear to me: Vote for this woman and she’ll fight for education, because without teachers and education, your kids will be really stupid, and the way you convey that children are stupid is that they read comic books.”
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Which is so fricking ridiculous and outrageous,especially since every study I’ve ever seen concerning the subject makes it clear – by a usually whopping margin of 90% or so that kids who read comics do better in school.They read better,write better,have a better vocabulary are usually better able to grasp and excited about science,etc.
This woman is an idiot. I wish I was able to vote against her
i’d get behind what your saying, but that kid on the right is reading Marvel Preview for gosh sakes! That kid has issues (ha, see what i did there?)
If I hadn’t read comics as a kid, I very well may not be the voracious reader I became. I remember “reading” comics before I could actually read – I would study the pages until I thought I knew what the story was.
I think the ad should have shown kids just texting on their phones to greater effect.
Maybe the opponent’s ad should be a bunch of smart people reading comics? 😛
WTF???!!! I’ve been a comic book reader my entire life and every time I took stanine tests in school (PUBLIC school, no less!), I was in the top three percent — or better — in reading. Just who IS this clown???
I just read her bio. She has a huge amount of clout in the Maryland educational community. I’d say someone needs to step up and educate her about the benefits of comics.
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Can we all just grab some large fish and do the Monty Python fish slap on her? Line forms behind me.
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Hey, you in the back… No frozen fish.
Considering this person is in “Marlyn”, slap her with a rockfish.
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Here’s an idea for the internet comics community to get together on. Buy a comic book (keep it clean) or even a bag of ’em from a retail discounter, write a simple and polite note about how comics were instrumental for you in your early reading development, point out politely that most studies show comics to be beneficial to early reading with young children and then mail the things to her home office with a request that the comics be donated to the local schools of her choice.
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God… We could have her office buried in a week.
Maybe should send her a list of all the non-comic book awards that comics have won (“MAUS,” anyone?). If someone wants to splurge, Scott McCloud’s UNDERSTANDING COMICS would be definite required reading for her.
Or maybe someone should remind her that reading *anything* may be better than just texting and playing video games…
Your ignorant dismissal of video games puts you in the same league as her.
I must admit, James, Chris has a point.
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Granted, most games truly do have little to no educational value. But there are certainly those that do, even if it doesn’t seem obvious.
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It may seem absurd to many, but even something like a kid playing a racing game can spur their interest in cars (and for legit reasons, not just for stuff like drag racing).
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Some of my all time favorite games are from Koei, who produced a lot historical simulation titles. These were very educational titles for me growing up. Hëll, I’m playing one of those original games right now
Yup, got to agree with Chris here.
Dismissing video games in the same way this nutball woman has dismissed comic books is equally as bad. I learnt a lot from playing games over the past 33 years, be it hand to eye coordination, problem solving, logic skills and more.
Indeed, my 7 yr old plays games almost religiously and reading the text that accompanies a lot of the games (Super Mario Bros anyone? :D) has helped his reading dramatically!
Craig, drag racing is a legitimate sport, conducted at purpose-built facilities with safety and competition rules in place. I believe you’re making the common error of confusing it with street racing, which is of course illegal and rightly so.
Paul, that is what I meant, yeah. But in the end, drag racing is done as a type of illegal street racing. 🙂
SHEEEEIT.
There’s only 1 comic in that pic really.
One of the books is the Heroic Age Previews special issue and the other is the X-Men Saga book which is less of the traditional comic and more like one of the TV shows that start each episode with “Previously on…”
Rule #1 – People are stupid
Rule #2 – Remember Rule #1
They can’t even make an ad with proper materials. Have they never heard of research?
Y’know, I’m generally considered pretty smart (and have test scores, academic history, job history, and opinions of people considered extremely smart by many to back it up)…and have been considered such since pre-school. When one indication was that I used comics among other books to figure out how to read by myself when I was three years old. And when I set a school record for books read by a first grader with over 300 (breaking the old record with several months to spare)…and still recall being ticked that they’d let me count “Ðìçk and Jane” books but not comics, which had much more advanced vocabulary, stories, and characters, since they would’ve put me over 500.
And the two universities where I’ve consistently seen comics lying around in dorms and lounges? MIT and Caltech. Which from top to bottom probably have the smartest student bodies in the country.
Not to mention that at the PAD moderated Pro/Fan Trivia match at San Diego this year, the “credits” of the Fan team members were “former Google employee”, “rocket scientist”, and “college professor” (the Pros went with their silliest credits, so we went with our most high falutin’ intellectual ones).
Yes, there are not that smart people who read comics. But there’s also a hëll of a lot of *very* smart people who read them as well.
When I was in first grade, back before there were such things as “gifted and talented” programs, my teacher asked my mother if she could persuade me not to use “big words” around the other students whose vocabularies were less developed. (This was the same teacher who thought having me read aloud in front of the whole class would be a good idea.) One example she used was “fantastic.”
My mother replied, “He learned that word from a comic book!”
I wrote her a very long EMail about how, as a kid, I became a voracious reader because of a teacher who introduced me to comic books. I scolded her for the ad, and suggested that she stump for her teachers to introduce more non-traditional material into their classrooms as weapons in the battle against illiteracy.
Bet she doesn’t respond.
Bet you’re right — or if you do get a response, it will be of the automated variety. That said, good on you for writing. The key thing necessary to get her attention, however, will be for Maryland residents who are “pro-comics” to fill up her snail mail and electronic mail boxes with notes of displeasure at her campaign of ignorance. Of course, I don’t know if you are a Maryland resident or not, but I do know the “hometown” folks always make the bigger impression on any politician.
I don’t understand how any kid reading anything is a bad thing. What does she want the kids to be reading, War and Peace?
I went to college with an African immigrant who was sad because his nephew wouldn’t even try to read the Orwell stories Uncle Kofi (no relation) tried to give him.
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Yes, that’s right – he tried to give the boy George Orwell, at the age of 10.
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Instead, the boy read comics.
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I did my best to educate Kofi, and also pointed out that even if he maintained the same opinion of comics, at least the boy was reading.
My best friend in elementary school read Orwell. I remember our reading teacher asking all of the students what they were going to be reading for their book reports. I thought it was odd when she told me I was too young to read Animal Farm, yet she didn’t bat an eye when my friend said he’d be doing his report on 1984.
I’m amazed that any kids can afford to buy comics.
I live in Maryland. That ad makes me angry. That is all.
There’s the bumper sticker, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” The people who tout that slogan often seem hellbent on proving it, this being the case-point. I wonder how much money she thinks is needed to properly “ignorate” the children of Maryland.
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As an aside, I wonder if the kids new why they were posing with comic books, or if they just said, “Hey kids, let me take your picture and I’ll give you some free comics.”
Well, happily, I can quote from this message distributed in my office in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“The Library Volunteer Program is again collecting donations for local education-related service organizations, specifically Community Action Network and the Perry Nursery School.”
[list of requested donation items including everything from pencils to coats excluded]
“While the above are the most urgent needs at this time, children’s books and magazines from early reader through middle school reading level are also welcome. Comic books are popular and good for reluctant readers.”
How sad, before I read the caption I thought it was an ad for Read Comics in Public Day. I hope they get a huge turnout in Maryland.
I’ve read comics since I was 8. I was inspired by them to get my degree in biochemistry/molecular biology with minors in physics and philosophy… I’m successful and work at an awesome university… So what I’m gathering from this ad is… If comics didn’t hold me back I’d probably be czar of the universe by now. Ðámņ you comics and your corrupting ways.
I think the point’s being missed here. Without education, kids will read “Curse of the Mutants”, instead of books like Secret Warriors and X-Factor. 😛
I can see her campaign slogan now: Seduction of the Imbecile.
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But maybe substitute ‘by’ for ‘of.’
Perhaps they should have added a kid reading the issue of ASM with Obama on the cover.
Or better, a picture of young Obama reading Spider Man.
Waitaminnit…this mailer is from a State Senator from Maryland? The same state where Diamond Comics is located?
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I see that Nancy King does not represent the district in Maryland where Diamond is located, but still…wouldn’t it be Steve Geppi made some sort of comment decrying King’s shall we say unfortunate idiom in conveying her support for her district’s teachers?
When I was in the 6th grade, I had a teacher get mad at me when I aced a test on Greek mythology.
She asked me how I did so well on it and when I told her it was because I read Thor comic books, she looked like she was going to vomit.
She just couldn’t grasp the idea that the Norse mythology in the Thor comics got me interested in mythologies, including Grecian.
On behalf of all teachers let me apologize for the idiot.
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In kindergarten my teacher talked about dinosaurs and made the horrible mistake of asking if anyone had anything to add. I did and she called my parents to complain that I made her look bad. My mom thanked her for the call and told me to keep doing exactly what I was doing in school. Wise woman, my mom.
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There are actually few things that delight me more than finding a student who knows more about something* than I do. It’s a great thing to see.
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* (as long as that something is not how to make a meth lab, training dogs for dog fighting, and how to make bombs from household chemicals. All of which have happened. In fairness, I do use some of the bomb making tips for demonstrating single replacement chemical reactions.)
I did that in college a few times . . . freaked out my Astronomy professor because I knew so much about theoretical physics and obscure astronomical phenomena from my own independent study. I told him I read up on the stuff because I was a Trekkie, and liked to pick out the errors in the show with my friends. He rolled his eyes and turned away. Acted like he thought Trek was a waste of time. Apparently, he had little respect for Lawrence M. Krauss.
Wow. And here I thought that, as a kid, comics gave me a vocabulary that was significantly above average and a strong moral center (I still want to meet Stan Lee someday just to thank him for what Spider-Man taught me about being a stand-up guy.)
Apparently, I must have been mistaken.
Or this woman is an idiot.
Hmmmm… I’m thinking the latter.
Wow. Talk about a killjoy for both Reading Comics in Public Day and Jack Kirby’s Birthday.
So kids reading comics is a sign of a lack of education? It sounds so much like something out of “Seduction of the Innocent”, especially since comics have been acknowledge as genuine works of both art and literature with Maus’s Pultizer Prize and Watchmen’s spot on Time Magazine’s 100 greatest english novels of the century.
I’m with David on this one. I feel like this woman has struck me down because she has struck against a medium that I love.
If she had shown kids watching television and doing nothing, I could understand what she was saying and that wouldn’t have hurt me, even though I believe that film and television can be used constructively in certain situations.
Here you have young children, reading comics of their own accord. So the message here is that without teachers kids will decide for themselves what they what to read? The worst I could get out this picture by itself is that they should turn on some lights so that they can see the pages better.
I’m sorry to get on my soapbox here, but this is really starting to get under my skin. It honestly reminds me of those environment awareness ad from a few years back were a famous monument like the Statue of Liberty or Lincoln Memorial being submerged or destroyed and the copy ranting about driving your car is killing the environment, its just cheap scare tactics that distract from the issue.
If preventing teacher layoffs is what you want to promote, then focus on the positive elements. Perhaps a stock photo of a teacher in a class of children, or if you want to go to extremes, show a teacher being overwhelmed by having to teach an absurd about of students all crammed into a classroom like a clown car, sort of like this propaganda posters they put in China of multiple children wearing out the two parents, while another image showing parents with only one children being content and happy.
I’m just saying to address the real issue. Don’t use comics as your scapegoat.
When I was in third grade, my teacher, Mr. Short, had comics in the classroom. We even got to take one home (I think it was just one; and was probably at the end of the year). I still have mine: Richie Rich Millions #71.
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After I graduated from college, I went back to school to pursue a degree in elementary education. I wrote a lesson plan about using comics in the classroom. I even handed out some comics when I did my student teaching in a fourth grade class. Then, a few days later, asked the class, conversationally, what had happened in the various stories they’d read. I didn’t quiz them or anything like that. It was reading for fun. And they seemed to like that.
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(tangentially related, I also showed a chapter of the serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel every Monday to those students who’d done all their work the previous week (after first showing chapter one to the entire class to whet their appetites). Though, in retrospect, I wish I’d taken the opportunity to discuss each chapter of the serial, gotten the students’ input.)
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I just gave the students the comics that one time, so I don’t know that it had any real effect on their interest in reading in general and/or comics in particular; but I’m pretty sure comics were available in Mr. Short’s class on more than one occasion. They were probably among the general reading material. And I’d lay odds that their presence in that classroom contributed to my love of reading.
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Rick
The problem is that the point the ad is making is a valid one, but they completely screwed up by not really looking at the reality of the image and end up alienating a group that would otherwise support the message–hard times make education MORE imperative, not less. This is simply so ham-fisted that the message is nearly lost.
Jerry,
“Here’s an idea for the internet comics community to get together on. Buy a comic book (keep it clean) or even a bag of ‘em from a retail discounter, write a simple and polite note about how comics were instrumental for you in your early reading development, point out politely that most studies show comics to be beneficial to early reading with young children and then mail the things to her home office with a request that the comics be donated to the local schools of her choice.
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God… We could have her office buried in a week.”
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Excelent idea!
er, EXCELLENT…
Perhaps they should buy that biography of Al Franken that just came out. Surely, even a comic book hating democrat could not resist!
I do live in Maryland;this is why I don’t brag about it.
Depends on the district you live in. I seem to be stuck in one of the most conservative parts of a right-leaning county and the number of signs I see supporting the re-election of a delegate who’s defined almost entirely by his bigotry is more depressing than I can express.
You know, there are a lot worse things kids could be doing that reading comics. I mean at least they’re reading. This is completely ridiculous, and I hope she gets her read end handed to her in the election.
Man, the Democratic Party can be really, really hard to be part of some time…a provision of No Child Left Behind ought to be delivering boatloads of comics to every school int the country!! Comics teach storytelling, characterization, an appreciation of art and imagination…I could go on and on. I suppose hunting elk from a chopper is more educational…
I wrote Senator King about this and received this response.
Dear Mr. Gaston,
Please understand that I in no way meant anything offensive to comic books. I have a group putting political mail pieces together for me, and that just happened to be one of them. The message was to be don’t cut school budgets, not don’t read comic books. Yes, I’ve heard from all over the country on this, but yours was one of the more civil emails – such that I would respond to!
I spent 8 years on the Montgomery County School Board here in Montgomery County, Maryland, before I joined the legislature 8 years ago. I do stay current on education issues and do see the value of comic books being read by students. We’ve stopped all printing and distribution of that mailer, and thank you for your email. Have a good teaching year! Nancy King
This is why I disagree with politicians who have campaign managers.
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Seriously, if it isn’t your idea / opinion, then I think that you shouldn’t be allowed to use it to get elected.
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I honestly think it is less forgiving to find out that she didn’t personally approve the ad than to find out that she thinks comic books = uneducated.
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Theno
Yeah, what this says to me is that she can’t even run her own campaign, which doesn’t fill me with confidence in her ability to govern.
Just a quick note – notwithstanding all the good things that reading comics can bring, and all the bad history that reading comics has (back in the 50’s… I mean, she could also have complained about JDs and Commies…)
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Her message is a good one – SAVE THE TEACHERS. Her method of communicating it is… a little awkward. Now, if she’d shown the little darlings all rapt on Facebook and Twitter… 🙂
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I remain,
Sincerely,
Eric L. Sofer
x<]:o){
The Bad Clown…
Thenodrin,
“This is why I disagree with politicians who have campaign managers.”
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They are necessary in a big race. To set up the media appointments, check polls, etc. A President or Senator isn’t expected to micro manage every little thing that their office says and does. It is wise to delegate the small stuff. And in the grand scheme of things, one mailer out of what I’m sure were at least 20 is pretty small potatoes.
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“Seriously, if it isn’t your idea / opinion, then I think that you shouldn’t be allowed to use it to get elected.”
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Well, politicians do pander, but that is not eve the point here. The message about education IS HERS. The props used for a mailer were not selected by her but by underlings.
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“I honestly think it is less forgiving to find out that she didn’t personally approve the ad than to find out that she thinks comic books = uneducated.”
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Then you’re being needlessly harsh. one detail in one mailer got by her. That’s less forgiving than if she truly was a “Seduction Of The Innocent”-type? Really? have you ever been involved in the war room of a campaign? There’s multiple meetings about multiple things with multiple committees. This lady is a Democrat, but I’m willing to cut her some slack.
I’ll agree that campaign managers are necessary to set up appointments and do everything from analysis to grunt work. But, I find it inexcusable to allow a campaign manager to define the candidate’s positions on issues.
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If the props were selected by her underlings, or by an ad agency she hired, she still should have had the final say as to whether or not it went live.
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I have been involved in a campaign, albeit a city one. My father was a city councilman for many years. I remember that one of his platforms was a desire to increase tourism.
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A guy recommended to him to help design ads for fliers and newspaper turned in a beautiful landscape image. I don’t remember the slogan, but it included the word “Time.”.
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My father recognized that the photo was taken on the grounds of the correctional facility located elsewhere in the county. He worried that the message might be interpreted as inviting convicts to the area and he rejected it.
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King should have looked at the ad, and decided whether or not she agreed with it before anyone outside of her staff saw it. Saying that she didn’t do so tells me two things:
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1) She is a bad manager who can’t adequately represent her own opinion. Which makes me wonder why she should be trusted to represent the opinion of her constituants.
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or, 2) She agreed with the ad, but is backpedaling because people took her to task for it. Which makes me wonder why she should be trusted to stand up for or against controvertial issues.
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Theno
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If there were fewer teachers…more kids would be reading???
Yeah, see that’d be an education system I could get behind! Especially since it’s about ten times better than the current local school curriculum. At least this way, the kids will be able to READ, instead of just learning how to beat multiple choice tests.
Jay, I believe the insinuation is that kids would be *wasting* time reading comic books (because, you know, reading comic books is worse than not reading at all).
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But in the end, I can see your side too, in that I’m not certain of what they’re trying to get across with this.
Seems pretty clear to me: Vote for this woman and she’ll fight for education, because without teachers and education, your kids will be really stupid, and the way you convey that children are stupid is that they read comic books.
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PAD
I’m more concerned about just how many WILL vote for her based on this ad.
@PAD, yeah, that’s the general idea I was getting too. Which is odd, because I always figured, at least for some of the more complex scientific concepts like radiation and genetics and evolution and whatnot, uneducated kids would actually be LESS likely to understand, and thus less inclined to read, comics. In fact, I seem to recall that it was mostly the smart nerd kids in school that read comics, and the dumb hicks played sports.
‘Course, they had girlfriends, so there’s a tradeoff. *smirk*
Anyway, I would be PROUD to have a kid in my school that encouraged the kind of creative, outside-the-box thinking that leads to comicbook appreciation. Which is why I agree, the woman is a [expletive deleted] and I hope she falls hard. That’s more or less what I was trying to get across.
And the odd thing is that Maryland uses comics in the schools.
http://www.msde.maryland.gov/MSDE/programs/recognition-partnerships/md-comic-book
Thanks for that, as I live in Maryland. It is so ironic how illiterate that ad is.
Heh. :^D I didn’t “get” this ad at first, because comics formed such an important part of my school experience. In high school, I brought in comic books and trade paperbacks to share with friends and classmates during lunch, study period, and before/after/between classes.
So when I saw this picture, I thought the comics represented “nerds” in a good school, not “stupidity” in an understaffed school.
Dean Trippe has his say.
She certainly won’t be getting the Geek Parent vote.
Too bad I don’t live in MoCo and can’t vote against her.
It’s not even an effective scare tactic, I’ve got to say. She shows kids sitting behind student desks and reading comics, and we’re supposed to be scared? Yawn. The kids are in school. They’re behaving themselves. Not exactly a crisis going on in that ad.
Ms. King must (unfortunately) be unfamiliar with this research.
I’ve used comics in class many times. In fact, I’m trying to get a classroom set of V for Vendetta for my honors English 12 this year.
Wow. Coolest teacher ever. I am so jealous.
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Your kids must love you.
Some do, some don’t. No matter what you do, you’ll get kids who will find something to make their education a chore. I’ve had kids that would find a reason to complain if I put a ten dollar bill between each page of their text.
I don’t think I’ve used comics per se (a little tougher for physics), but I’ve discussed them from time to time. Nothing like Superman tossing an asteroid for discussing Newton’s Third Law or conservation of momentum…
A far more effective and accurate visual to convey “reading choice equals stupidity” would have had the kids reading the works of Coulter, Beck, Hannity, etc. Maybe throw in “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” or some Ayn Rand. That would moblize the Democratic base, at least in “Merlin.”
I find it extra-special hilarious that one of them is “reading” an issue of “Previews.”
Yeah, I was gonna comment on that. That kid must be planning his monthly pull list.
Voting for someone just because they are of a certain party is pretty stupid.
“Seems pretty clear to me: Vote for this woman and she’ll fight for education, because without teachers and education, your kids will be really stupid, and the way you convey that children are stupid is that they read comic books.”
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Which is so fricking ridiculous and outrageous,especially since every study I’ve ever seen concerning the subject makes it clear – by a usually whopping margin of 90% or so that kids who read comics do better in school.They read better,write better,have a better vocabulary are usually better able to grasp and excited about science,etc.
This woman is an idiot. I wish I was able to vote against her
i’d get behind what your saying, but that kid on the right is reading Marvel Preview for gosh sakes! That kid has issues (ha, see what i did there?)
If I hadn’t read comics as a kid, I very well may not be the voracious reader I became. I remember “reading” comics before I could actually read – I would study the pages until I thought I knew what the story was.
I think the ad should have shown kids just texting on their phones to greater effect.
Maybe the opponent’s ad should be a bunch of smart people reading comics? 😛
WTF???!!! I’ve been a comic book reader my entire life and every time I took stanine tests in school (PUBLIC school, no less!), I was in the top three percent — or better — in reading. Just who IS this clown???
I just read her bio. She has a huge amount of clout in the Maryland educational community. I’d say someone needs to step up and educate her about the benefits of comics.
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Can we all just grab some large fish and do the Monty Python fish slap on her? Line forms behind me.
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Hey, you in the back… No frozen fish.
Considering this person is in “Marlyn”, slap her with a rockfish.
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Here’s an idea for the internet comics community to get together on. Buy a comic book (keep it clean) or even a bag of ’em from a retail discounter, write a simple and polite note about how comics were instrumental for you in your early reading development, point out politely that most studies show comics to be beneficial to early reading with young children and then mail the things to her home office with a request that the comics be donated to the local schools of her choice.
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God… We could have her office buried in a week.
Maybe should send her a list of all the non-comic book awards that comics have won (“MAUS,” anyone?). If someone wants to splurge, Scott McCloud’s UNDERSTANDING COMICS would be definite required reading for her.
Or maybe someone should remind her that reading *anything* may be better than just texting and playing video games…
Your ignorant dismissal of video games puts you in the same league as her.
I must admit, James, Chris has a point.
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Granted, most games truly do have little to no educational value. But there are certainly those that do, even if it doesn’t seem obvious.
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It may seem absurd to many, but even something like a kid playing a racing game can spur their interest in cars (and for legit reasons, not just for stuff like drag racing).
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Some of my all time favorite games are from Koei, who produced a lot historical simulation titles. These were very educational titles for me growing up. Hëll, I’m playing one of those original games right now
Yup, got to agree with Chris here.
Dismissing video games in the same way this nutball woman has dismissed comic books is equally as bad. I learnt a lot from playing games over the past 33 years, be it hand to eye coordination, problem solving, logic skills and more.
Indeed, my 7 yr old plays games almost religiously and reading the text that accompanies a lot of the games (Super Mario Bros anyone? :D) has helped his reading dramatically!
Craig, drag racing is a legitimate sport, conducted at purpose-built facilities with safety and competition rules in place. I believe you’re making the common error of confusing it with street racing, which is of course illegal and rightly so.
Paul, that is what I meant, yeah. But in the end, drag racing is done as a type of illegal street racing. 🙂
SHEEEEIT.
There’s only 1 comic in that pic really.
One of the books is the Heroic Age Previews special issue and the other is the X-Men Saga book which is less of the traditional comic and more like one of the TV shows that start each episode with “Previously on…”
Rule #1 – People are stupid
Rule #2 – Remember Rule #1
They can’t even make an ad with proper materials. Have they never heard of research?
Y’know, I’m generally considered pretty smart (and have test scores, academic history, job history, and opinions of people considered extremely smart by many to back it up)…and have been considered such since pre-school. When one indication was that I used comics among other books to figure out how to read by myself when I was three years old. And when I set a school record for books read by a first grader with over 300 (breaking the old record with several months to spare)…and still recall being ticked that they’d let me count “Ðìçk and Jane” books but not comics, which had much more advanced vocabulary, stories, and characters, since they would’ve put me over 500.
And the two universities where I’ve consistently seen comics lying around in dorms and lounges? MIT and Caltech. Which from top to bottom probably have the smartest student bodies in the country.
Not to mention that at the PAD moderated Pro/Fan Trivia match at San Diego this year, the “credits” of the Fan team members were “former Google employee”, “rocket scientist”, and “college professor” (the Pros went with their silliest credits, so we went with our most high falutin’ intellectual ones).
Yes, there are not that smart people who read comics. But there’s also a hëll of a lot of *very* smart people who read them as well.
When I was in first grade, back before there were such things as “gifted and talented” programs, my teacher asked my mother if she could persuade me not to use “big words” around the other students whose vocabularies were less developed. (This was the same teacher who thought having me read aloud in front of the whole class would be a good idea.) One example she used was “fantastic.”
My mother replied, “He learned that word from a comic book!”
I wrote her a very long EMail about how, as a kid, I became a voracious reader because of a teacher who introduced me to comic books. I scolded her for the ad, and suggested that she stump for her teachers to introduce more non-traditional material into their classrooms as weapons in the battle against illiteracy.
Bet she doesn’t respond.
Bet you’re right — or if you do get a response, it will be of the automated variety. That said, good on you for writing. The key thing necessary to get her attention, however, will be for Maryland residents who are “pro-comics” to fill up her snail mail and electronic mail boxes with notes of displeasure at her campaign of ignorance. Of course, I don’t know if you are a Maryland resident or not, but I do know the “hometown” folks always make the bigger impression on any politician.
I don’t understand how any kid reading anything is a bad thing. What does she want the kids to be reading, War and Peace?
I went to college with an African immigrant who was sad because his nephew wouldn’t even try to read the Orwell stories Uncle Kofi (no relation) tried to give him.
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Yes, that’s right – he tried to give the boy George Orwell, at the age of 10.
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Instead, the boy read comics.
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I did my best to educate Kofi, and also pointed out that even if he maintained the same opinion of comics, at least the boy was reading.
My best friend in elementary school read Orwell. I remember our reading teacher asking all of the students what they were going to be reading for their book reports. I thought it was odd when she told me I was too young to read Animal Farm, yet she didn’t bat an eye when my friend said he’d be doing his report on 1984.
I’m amazed that any kids can afford to buy comics.
I live in Maryland. That ad makes me angry. That is all.
There’s the bumper sticker, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” The people who tout that slogan often seem hellbent on proving it, this being the case-point. I wonder how much money she thinks is needed to properly “ignorate” the children of Maryland.
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As an aside, I wonder if the kids new why they were posing with comic books, or if they just said, “Hey kids, let me take your picture and I’ll give you some free comics.”
Well, happily, I can quote from this message distributed in my office in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“The Library Volunteer Program is again collecting donations for local education-related service organizations, specifically Community Action Network and the Perry Nursery School.”
[list of requested donation items including everything from pencils to coats excluded]
“While the above are the most urgent needs at this time, children’s books and magazines from early reader through middle school reading level are also welcome. Comic books are popular and good for reluctant readers.”
How sad, before I read the caption I thought it was an ad for Read Comics in Public Day. I hope they get a huge turnout in Maryland.
I’ve read comics since I was 8. I was inspired by them to get my degree in biochemistry/molecular biology with minors in physics and philosophy… I’m successful and work at an awesome university… So what I’m gathering from this ad is… If comics didn’t hold me back I’d probably be czar of the universe by now. Ðámņ you comics and your corrupting ways.
I think the point’s being missed here. Without education, kids will read “Curse of the Mutants”, instead of books like Secret Warriors and X-Factor. 😛
I can see her campaign slogan now: Seduction of the Imbecile.
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But maybe substitute ‘by’ for ‘of.’
Perhaps they should have added a kid reading the issue of ASM with Obama on the cover.
Or better, a picture of young Obama reading Spider Man.
Waitaminnit…this mailer is from a State Senator from Maryland? The same state where Diamond Comics is located?
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I see that Nancy King does not represent the district in Maryland where Diamond is located, but still…wouldn’t it be Steve Geppi made some sort of comment decrying King’s shall we say unfortunate idiom in conveying her support for her district’s teachers?
When I was in the 6th grade, I had a teacher get mad at me when I aced a test on Greek mythology.
She asked me how I did so well on it and when I told her it was because I read Thor comic books, she looked like she was going to vomit.
She just couldn’t grasp the idea that the Norse mythology in the Thor comics got me interested in mythologies, including Grecian.
On behalf of all teachers let me apologize for the idiot.
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In kindergarten my teacher talked about dinosaurs and made the horrible mistake of asking if anyone had anything to add. I did and she called my parents to complain that I made her look bad. My mom thanked her for the call and told me to keep doing exactly what I was doing in school. Wise woman, my mom.
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There are actually few things that delight me more than finding a student who knows more about something* than I do. It’s a great thing to see.
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* (as long as that something is not how to make a meth lab, training dogs for dog fighting, and how to make bombs from household chemicals. All of which have happened. In fairness, I do use some of the bomb making tips for demonstrating single replacement chemical reactions.)
I did that in college a few times . . . freaked out my Astronomy professor because I knew so much about theoretical physics and obscure astronomical phenomena from my own independent study. I told him I read up on the stuff because I was a Trekkie, and liked to pick out the errors in the show with my friends. He rolled his eyes and turned away. Acted like he thought Trek was a waste of time. Apparently, he had little respect for Lawrence M. Krauss.
Wow. And here I thought that, as a kid, comics gave me a vocabulary that was significantly above average and a strong moral center (I still want to meet Stan Lee someday just to thank him for what Spider-Man taught me about being a stand-up guy.)
Apparently, I must have been mistaken.
Or this woman is an idiot.
Hmmmm… I’m thinking the latter.
Wow. Talk about a killjoy for both Reading Comics in Public Day and Jack Kirby’s Birthday.
So kids reading comics is a sign of a lack of education? It sounds so much like something out of “Seduction of the Innocent”, especially since comics have been acknowledge as genuine works of both art and literature with Maus’s Pultizer Prize and Watchmen’s spot on Time Magazine’s 100 greatest english novels of the century.
I’m with David on this one. I feel like this woman has struck me down because she has struck against a medium that I love.
If she had shown kids watching television and doing nothing, I could understand what she was saying and that wouldn’t have hurt me, even though I believe that film and television can be used constructively in certain situations.
Here you have young children, reading comics of their own accord. So the message here is that without teachers kids will decide for themselves what they what to read? The worst I could get out this picture by itself is that they should turn on some lights so that they can see the pages better.
I’m sorry to get on my soapbox here, but this is really starting to get under my skin. It honestly reminds me of those environment awareness ad from a few years back were a famous monument like the Statue of Liberty or Lincoln Memorial being submerged or destroyed and the copy ranting about driving your car is killing the environment, its just cheap scare tactics that distract from the issue.
If preventing teacher layoffs is what you want to promote, then focus on the positive elements. Perhaps a stock photo of a teacher in a class of children, or if you want to go to extremes, show a teacher being overwhelmed by having to teach an absurd about of students all crammed into a classroom like a clown car, sort of like this propaganda posters they put in China of multiple children wearing out the two parents, while another image showing parents with only one children being content and happy.
I’m just saying to address the real issue. Don’t use comics as your scapegoat.
When I was in third grade, my teacher, Mr. Short, had comics in the classroom. We even got to take one home (I think it was just one; and was probably at the end of the year). I still have mine: Richie Rich Millions #71.
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After I graduated from college, I went back to school to pursue a degree in elementary education. I wrote a lesson plan about using comics in the classroom. I even handed out some comics when I did my student teaching in a fourth grade class. Then, a few days later, asked the class, conversationally, what had happened in the various stories they’d read. I didn’t quiz them or anything like that. It was reading for fun. And they seemed to like that.
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(tangentially related, I also showed a chapter of the serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel every Monday to those students who’d done all their work the previous week (after first showing chapter one to the entire class to whet their appetites). Though, in retrospect, I wish I’d taken the opportunity to discuss each chapter of the serial, gotten the students’ input.)
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I just gave the students the comics that one time, so I don’t know that it had any real effect on their interest in reading in general and/or comics in particular; but I’m pretty sure comics were available in Mr. Short’s class on more than one occasion. They were probably among the general reading material. And I’d lay odds that their presence in that classroom contributed to my love of reading.
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Rick
The problem is that the point the ad is making is a valid one, but they completely screwed up by not really looking at the reality of the image and end up alienating a group that would otherwise support the message–hard times make education MORE imperative, not less. This is simply so ham-fisted that the message is nearly lost.
Off-topic, but the schedule for Dragoncon is up at http://publications.dragoncon.org/pdfs/2010/DragonCon-Pocket_Program-Full%20Book-web.pdf. When looking in the index for Peter and Kathlen, they are listed more than once. Sadly, the new Trek Track people did not put Peter is his traditional “last panel of the con” slot.
Jerry,
“Here’s an idea for the internet comics community to get together on. Buy a comic book (keep it clean) or even a bag of ‘em from a retail discounter, write a simple and polite note about how comics were instrumental for you in your early reading development, point out politely that most studies show comics to be beneficial to early reading with young children and then mail the things to her home office with a request that the comics be donated to the local schools of her choice.
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God… We could have her office buried in a week.”
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Excelent idea!
er, EXCELLENT…
Perhaps they should buy that biography of Al Franken that just came out. Surely, even a comic book hating democrat could not resist!
I do live in Maryland;this is why I don’t brag about it.
Depends on the district you live in. I seem to be stuck in one of the most conservative parts of a right-leaning county and the number of signs I see supporting the re-election of a delegate who’s defined almost entirely by his bigotry is more depressing than I can express.
You know, there are a lot worse things kids could be doing that reading comics. I mean at least they’re reading. This is completely ridiculous, and I hope she gets her read end handed to her in the election.
Man, the Democratic Party can be really, really hard to be part of some time…a provision of No Child Left Behind ought to be delivering boatloads of comics to every school int the country!! Comics teach storytelling, characterization, an appreciation of art and imagination…I could go on and on. I suppose hunting elk from a chopper is more educational…
I wrote Senator King about this and received this response.
Dear Mr. Gaston,
Please understand that I in no way meant anything offensive to comic books. I have a group putting political mail pieces together for me, and that just happened to be one of them. The message was to be don’t cut school budgets, not don’t read comic books. Yes, I’ve heard from all over the country on this, but yours was one of the more civil emails – such that I would respond to!
I spent 8 years on the Montgomery County School Board here in Montgomery County, Maryland, before I joined the legislature 8 years ago. I do stay current on education issues and do see the value of comic books being read by students. We’ve stopped all printing and distribution of that mailer, and thank you for your email. Have a good teaching year! Nancy King
Senator Nancy J. King
Website: http://www.friendsofnancyking.com
Well, give her props for a nice response there.
This is why I disagree with politicians who have campaign managers.
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Seriously, if it isn’t your idea / opinion, then I think that you shouldn’t be allowed to use it to get elected.
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I honestly think it is less forgiving to find out that she didn’t personally approve the ad than to find out that she thinks comic books = uneducated.
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Theno
Yeah, what this says to me is that she can’t even run her own campaign, which doesn’t fill me with confidence in her ability to govern.
Just a quick note – notwithstanding all the good things that reading comics can bring, and all the bad history that reading comics has (back in the 50’s… I mean, she could also have complained about JDs and Commies…)
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Her message is a good one – SAVE THE TEACHERS. Her method of communicating it is… a little awkward. Now, if she’d shown the little darlings all rapt on Facebook and Twitter… 🙂
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I remain,
Sincerely,
Eric L. Sofer
x<]:o){
The Bad Clown…
Thenodrin,
“This is why I disagree with politicians who have campaign managers.”
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They are necessary in a big race. To set up the media appointments, check polls, etc. A President or Senator isn’t expected to micro manage every little thing that their office says and does. It is wise to delegate the small stuff. And in the grand scheme of things, one mailer out of what I’m sure were at least 20 is pretty small potatoes.
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“Seriously, if it isn’t your idea / opinion, then I think that you shouldn’t be allowed to use it to get elected.”
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Well, politicians do pander, but that is not eve the point here. The message about education IS HERS. The props used for a mailer were not selected by her but by underlings.
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“I honestly think it is less forgiving to find out that she didn’t personally approve the ad than to find out that she thinks comic books = uneducated.”
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Then you’re being needlessly harsh. one detail in one mailer got by her. That’s less forgiving than if she truly was a “Seduction Of The Innocent”-type? Really? have you ever been involved in the war room of a campaign? There’s multiple meetings about multiple things with multiple committees. This lady is a Democrat, but I’m willing to cut her some slack.
I’ll agree that campaign managers are necessary to set up appointments and do everything from analysis to grunt work. But, I find it inexcusable to allow a campaign manager to define the candidate’s positions on issues.
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If the props were selected by her underlings, or by an ad agency she hired, she still should have had the final say as to whether or not it went live.
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I have been involved in a campaign, albeit a city one. My father was a city councilman for many years. I remember that one of his platforms was a desire to increase tourism.
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A guy recommended to him to help design ads for fliers and newspaper turned in a beautiful landscape image. I don’t remember the slogan, but it included the word “Time.”.
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My father recognized that the photo was taken on the grounds of the correctional facility located elsewhere in the county. He worried that the message might be interpreted as inviting convicts to the area and he rejected it.
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King should have looked at the ad, and decided whether or not she agreed with it before anyone outside of her staff saw it. Saying that she didn’t do so tells me two things:
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1) She is a bad manager who can’t adequately represent her own opinion. Which makes me wonder why she should be trusted to represent the opinion of her constituants.
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or, 2) She agreed with the ad, but is backpedaling because people took her to task for it. Which makes me wonder why she should be trusted to stand up for or against controvertial issues.
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Theno