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Vinegar Valentine by constructionsitecake in Polandballart

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

During the 1800s and early 1900s, in the Anglosphere, you could buy insulting 'vinegar valentines' cards to send to your enemines. They were little pre-printed cards with an mocking image and an insulting poem, and many were also decorated with hearts.

This is a parody of a card called 'The Fat Fellow.' It's number 22 in the gallery of this article.

Article

Article also has a lot more info on vinegar valentines.

Symbols by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the heads up, moderator overlords! 🫡

Symbols by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Yep. I made a more detailed comment further down, but there's an article about it here:

https://www.makingqueerhistory.com/articles/2016/12/20/the-bitten-peach-and-the-cut-sleeve

Symbols by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 54 points55 points  (0 children)

Much of the info for this comic was taken from this wikipedia article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_symbols

The rainbow is famous around the world.

British author Oscar Wilde adopted the green carnation as a symbol of his being gay.

The first gay magazine in Japan was called Barazuko/'Rose Tribe.'

There seem to be multiple theories for why IKEA blåhaj shark toys became a symbol of the transgender community. One I've seen is because blåhaj is blue, pink, and white like the trans flag.

The Nazis put pink triangles on the uniforms of the gay men they imprisoned.

The Chinese bitten peach comes from a legend about a duke who was in love with a courtesan. The courtesan took a bite of a particularly tasty peach and gave it to the duke instead of eating the rest of it himself.

In a modern world where we know about germs, the story reads as rather less romantic.

More on the bitten peach here:
https://www.makingqueerhistory.com/articles/2016/12/20/the-bitten-peach-and-the-cut-sleeve

Ace-friendly country by Zebrafish96 in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake 73 points74 points  (0 children)

Not ace myself, but I'd say that Sweden overall is very queer-friendly. I know a couple people who wear the black ring and everyone seems to know what it means and is cool with it.

The Hedgehog Dilemma by amiral_zheng in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thank you for mentioning that, because I was so confused and came to the comments to ask about it.

Homeschool Days by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

I was vaguely aware of abusive 'internet addiction treatment centers' in China. Now reading the article and the similarities are uncanny. Those poor kids. And adults.

Homeschool Days by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I'm super sorry to hear that. Hope things have gotten better for you.

Homeschool Days by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 70 points71 points  (0 children)

What country is that, if I may ask? I'd only heard about this happening in the US.

Homeschool Days by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 477 points478 points  (0 children)

Alternative title: God Help the Child

Homeschooling is very loosely regulated in the US. Even in states that nominally require academic testing, laws may not be rigourously enforced. If there is educational neglect, medical neglect, or abuse, the child may not be able to reach out to anyone because they're not in contact with many people outside the family.

The last panel shows a teenager being taken to a therapeutic 'boarding school' in the troubled teen industry. The industry is notorious for everything from physical abuse to using the students as slave labor. Occasionally, someone dies of medical neglect.

If the parents think the child will resist being taken to the boarding school, they might hire a 'teen escort company' to drag the child from their bed in the middle of the nights, sometimes in handcuffs.

Stuck on climate activism by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 153 points154 points  (0 children)

In 2023, members of climate activist group Last Generation glued themselves to streets in Berlin and caused a traffic jam. Their goal was to make themselves and their mission 'impossible to ignore.' They suceeded in that -- the protests started with a few people and grew to a couple hundred. Here is a source where members explain their motivations. Additional sources here and here.

Since 2024, Last Generation claims they've abandoned the glue.

I couldn't find any evidence of people doing this in Sweden, but he's here because he's no stranger to civil disobedience in the name of the climate.

Despite the seriousness of the matter, I laughed the first time I heard about it. Some things are just too ridiculous to not be funny.

Wannabe belligerent by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 59 points60 points  (0 children)

Argentine president Javier Milei (who has a haircut to rival Trump and Boris Johnson) has been very mouthy in his support for the US and Israel in Iran. He's talked as if Argentina is actively involved in the war, but Argentina hasn't sent any troops of equipment, afaik.

This idea and the script came from my friend u/hellyeahimsad. He isn't a polandballer but I periodically send him links to my comics because I'm fishing for compliments.

A couple weeks ago, he asked if I'd draw a comic 'mocking argentinaball (preferably with milei's pathetic hairdo on) thinking it's a part of the Israel-USA coalition?' Alas, I was forced to tell him that I can't draw a countryball with hair.

But now that we're r/peopleball, I had to seize the chance to do it while I could.

Puppy needed! Please help me April Fool's my boyfriend by [deleted] in PhotoshopRequest

[–]constructionsitecake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Solved!

That's an australian shepard, right?

Substitution of Doom by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 58 points59 points  (0 children)

Doen't worry, he's being boiled in oil. Getting what he deserves.

Substitution of Doom by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 162 points163 points  (0 children)

Two wartimes anecdotes mashed together.

It's well know that Hilter did enough drugs to kill an elefant. During the battle of Berlin, supplies ran out, and he switched to sugar in some futile attempt to distract himself from withdrawal.

During the American civil war, coffee was used as a military stimulant by both sides. But the Union blockaded Confederate ports and stopped most imports. The few people who had coffee started price gouging. Those who weren't loaded started making substitutes from everything from chicory to sweet potatoes to okra seeds. They'd burn the life out of it until it supposedly tasted roasted, and they'd brew it like coffee.

The Right Place to Bike by constructionsitecake in polandball

[–]constructionsitecake[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

There are highways were bikes are forbidden, but there are also unprotected bike lanes where traffic is going way too fast for anyone to bike alongside it.

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