Pokefan_Frank,
I’ll bet those dentists spoke first about what was wrong, then about what choices there are for correcting the problem, and last allowed you to choose based on what you can afford. The cartoon dentist starts with money and that is NOT professional and does NOT depict real dentists. That is what bothers me… I guess it reflects Ziggy’s poor luck, but I think the depiction paints dentists in a bad (and untruthful) light.
widjibeaker,
I’ve seen many Ziggy cartoons about his visits to the dentist… but they were about Ziggy, not the dentist… I never felt attacked or insulted like I do this time. And I never noticed implications like this toward any other profession/occupation… why you refer to it as a “type of humor” I do not know. Ziggy is usually a victim of his own poor luck or circumstances or of someone’s sarcasm, etc… This one doesn’t read that way to me.
CoronellaKeiper,
I can tell you that dentists and hygienists have always spent time and effort educating patients on how to take care of themselves, with most emphasis on how to avoid the damage caused by bacterial plaque. A great majority of the need for dental treatment is a consequence of the chronic presence of bacterial plaque on the teeth and around the gums. BTW, dentists and hygienists charge zero for the time they spend teaching patients how to care for themselves and usually provide a toothbrush and floss and toothpaste for the same free price.
CoronellaKeiper, since you know exactly what everyone should know, why don’t you make sure to give everyone a copy of same? But if I were you, I’d mention “plaque removal” somewhere in there.
There is no wry humor in this cartoon. It is an attack on dentists… it isn’t humorous at all. Would you consider using the same “humor” towards an electrician, plumber, message therapist, optometrist, carpenter, chef, exercise trainer, etc? This cartoon questions the motivations of the entire dental profession… on what ground do you stand for making this attack? Would you find humor in someone saying the same about you because you make money creating cartoons? I’ll guess you’d say something like: ‘Yes, I get paid to create cartoons… so what? Is it surprising? Is there a problem?’
Pokefan_Frank, I’ll bet those dentists spoke first about what was wrong, then about what choices there are for correcting the problem, and last allowed you to choose based on what you can afford. The cartoon dentist starts with money and that is NOT professional and does NOT depict real dentists. That is what bothers me… I guess it reflects Ziggy’s poor luck, but I think the depiction paints dentists in a bad (and untruthful) light.