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Day #367: It Was Lucky It Wasn't There Own Hair

"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated December 22, 1912:



Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JUNE 17, 2021):


This strip isn't much different from yesterdays and continues the same offensive Orientalism that we saw in the last strip. - 1/14

This time, McCay handles the language barrier by having Flip learn Chinese in a week (sure, it's a dream and a comic… I can suspend disbelief) and translating what's being said for the reader throughout. - 2/14

Only problem is… it's still gibberish. The "language" spoken prior to the "(meaning)" explanation is not Chinese, but rather a string of sounds meant to imitate it. - 3/14

Attire-wise, I have to wonder, are these close enough to resemble Chinese Hanfu or are they another example of cultural homogenization (they look more like Japanese kimono to me, but, again, I'm not an expert so wondering out loud)? - 4/14

Probably the most egregious issue here is the way that the Chinese queue is used as a tool for McCay's gag. - 5/14

First, Impie gets a laugh at the hairstyle (traditional Chinese style where the front of the head is shaved and the back is long and braided), which implies that it is different or strange and therefore worth laughing at. - 6/14

Also, why is Impie privileged enough to get a wig, but not clothing? Well, besides the fact that it ensures Impie's continued Othering, it was also necessary for the gag at the end of the strip. - 7/14

This is particularly frustrating since, more often than not, Impie is left out entirely from the costume shenanigans. That, in this moment, he gets to participate because it serves the purpose of the narrative, not because he *should* be included, is aggravating. - 8/14

Then, there is the question surrounding why the shop keeper even has wigs of this nature to sell to Flip and the boys… Am I wrong in wondering this? Again… suspend disbelief, I know… but it just seemed a bit too odd. - 9/14

All of this leads to a lot of cultural appropriation happening here in this strip. - 10/14

After the ridiculously silly kidnapping plan (I mean, c'mon Flip. What the heck?), they are sentenced to be hung by their queues (which the judge does not know are fake). - 11/14

I couldn't find any evidence of this being a historical punishment ever used… was it? - 12/14

Taken together, this strip was about as uncomfortable as the last and I'm glad that the group is swimming back to the ship by it's end… Hopefully, the next series will be less problematic. - 13/14

This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #367. What's yours? -14/14

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