Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for February 04, 2012

hahahahahha love it

fracking oil prices (are a bit higher than drawing from a natural reservoir)

Wow, just wow. Funny, but I think there are some that won’t feel the same, and they tend to take things rather personal. Siberia would be a good place to flee to.

You’re a wicked lad, Mr Pastis!

Any chance the gov’t still has any of those blankets they gave the “Indians?” they ’d make lovely headresses for the sheikhs.

Is Pastis trying to win the Pulitzer Prize for religious bigotry? He’s supposedly depicting the mainstream Muslims who have overthrown their countries’ dictators in the Arab Spring. I don’t think Pastis is really a bigot, but this is badly misdirected satire.

I’m guessing that, when all the excitement started, Rat disguised himself as a woman so he could sneak out of the situation, and that’s why he now has to wear a burqa.Either that or he just loves the way it feels…

What I love about this is how it nicely points out how the Arab uprisings tend to be replacing despotic religious tyrants with despotic theocracies.

Arab spring turns into winter of discontent.

It’s Farfur!

Oh, my! Now is the winter of our discontent! Down with domination by burka! Down with oil cartels! Rescue McFeely!

Wicked humor, maybe the best this column has produced.

racist

Well done, actually.

Well, there goes the neighborhood . . . . ☻

When? When did you ever see a racist wash his robes?

Muslims or Arabs are not above being derided. I’m glad actually that a mainstream comic strip gambled in poking a little fun at a group of people who, on the very extremist side of their culture, would kill a cartoonist for depicting a picture of Mohammed. There seems to be risk in making even a passing joke about Arabs & Muslims, and I applaud it. No person or group of people are above being comedic fodder.

who do you like better?rat or pig?

At the start of all of these “Arab Spring” situatuions the crowds contained a large amount of Females. As the situation progressed there were fewer and fewer Females. Now, there are almost none (and those “allowed” to participate are covered and escorted). Sorry. It is the truth. Don’t take anyone’s word; LOOK at film of the situation. Enough of soapbox from me.

This is probably the last “Mr. Rat’s Neighbourhood” since liquor is now banned.

How about drawing Mohammed, I have always wanted to see what he looks like, cartooned.

I think it is funny. Ironically, Pastis didn’t make this up. He is merely showing a view of some of the things going on overseas.

If this was about 75 years ago, Rat’s neighborhood would have been stormed by a Nazi army. There would have been some puppets hiding upstairs behind the king’s bookcase.

@Montaholic so calling things as what they are is bigoted to you?

Spring forward, Fall back.

Did anyone else notice the “Die Imperialist Dogs” sign? Not pigs…..

so no more “Speedy Delivery”?

Mr Trolley’s new name is Fatwa Feldman, as he says “what hump?” Also, Pastis must be well aware that the only non-violent mohammedans are the ones that are not fully committed to following the koran and the hadiths. If someone doesn’t know that they are either ignorant or complicit… there are no other options.

I am amazed how racist this strip is. Even more so when I see how some of the comments run with this theme. “Indian blankets for sheiks”?? Do you realize what you are saying here?

This strip is awesome.

I wasn’t sure I could like Pastis even more than I already did…but now I do!

When’s Rat gonna met Achmed? ("Rat, don’t look at me, I keeeeel you!) This sort of humor is way overdue.

Ooops!

LOL xxx

I turn to the comics for escape, a break; it’s why I skip Doonesbury. I hope that we can soon return to goat, rat and pig, and, of course, the crocs.

Sorry, but I don’t need this in the comics section.

I was laughing until today. Now I’m a little worried.

Sometime it might be interesting to check on the times and situations that Muslims are allowed…even suggested…to lie.

It’s really interesting and puts a whole new light on lots of behaviors. You can google it, or go to a good library.

Hear, hear! Well done.

OMG! LMAO! BITYGTFATJAGTKYNGLWT! (But I think you’ve gone to far and the Jihaddis are going to kill you now. Good luck with that….)Oh dear Mr. Pastis, why o’ why couldn’t you have just stuck to the obscure and veiled Wall of the Zeeba? Now, you have shown your true colors… Oy.

I find it interesting that the last two ‘Pearls’ strips on GoComics are different than the ones run in the Detroit Free Press. Perhaps the Freep is trying to avoid offending its audience in Dearborn.

Wow, this has to be the hardest I have laughed at a comic since Bucky from Get Fuzzy thought Johnny Damon was the Jesus and swore the Yanks would have Buddha by next season.

Satire? Yes. On target? Perhaps. Funny? Not in the slightest.

Ooohh… Stephen is taking on radical Islam (i.e. Islam, which by definition is radical when practiced as instructed. Not Islam when practiced radically…)!

This is absolutely hilarious.

I agree. A Christian who follows the example of Jesus is a radical: non-violent submission to unjust accusations, who “turns the other cheek” and “goes the extra mile.” But few are willing to be that committed.

I have really loved this strip – but I hate racist sterotyping even more….it’s truly a shame that someone as smart as Pastis would deal in narrowminded shallow imagery to smear a whole culture (really multiple cultures at one time). Truly a shame….

@pdxjmorris , you couldn’t have said it better

Hilarious! Another favorite!

Loved it! Depicts the innocence of yesterday mixed with the realities of the present. When Eddie Murphy used Mr. Robber’s Neighborhood on SNL they thought it was funny.

yeah, unfortunately they have a completely different sense of humor there so none of this will be funny

Why did Go Comics change this strip?

It ain’t a beautiful day in that neighborhood.