this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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Sure. That's not what sealioning is, though. As the comic illustrates, sealioning is bad faith weaponizing of false politeness and feigned high mindedness, not honest inquiry.
I'm not sure the comic actually shows any bad faith from the sea lion's part. We assume he is up to no good but it doesn't really show it. They could be genuinely asking why the other person doesn't like sea lions (and they refuse to answer)
Sure, but the comic both starts with a public comment that they still refused to engage with and makes it like, weirdly racist?
It's funny, but diffuses the message a bit.
It does stick with you though, so it has that going for it.
How was it a "public comment"? Two people were talking to one another. The sealion interrupted their conversation and inserted itself into it. Then it followed them around instead of fucking off when shown it was not welcome in their even more private lives. Not everything needs to be a debate, not everything said needs to be debunked / supported by evidence beyond every miniscule amount of doubt. Know when to leave, simple.
Mr. Sealion overhears a conversation in public with clearly racist messaging and politely asks why he's hated.
Then he does things that depict the blatant stereotyping as correct.
You guys can pretend it's not on the whole a weird message if you want, it just makes you the lesser for it.
Or the "sealion" represents the kinds of people that engages in that behavior and has nothing to do with race.
that's the cool part about "representing" and "racism"
I don't hate POC, I just hate the "urban", "lazy", "criminal", etc...
you know those KINDS of people (look, I can't help it that the terfs who made this shit also happen to side with nazis)
So why did the author use language deliberately evocative of racial debates?
Because the author, humorously, made the sealion a sealion
It's actually the comic that coined the term. The creator just, for some reason, decided to use weirdly racial language to depict it, and imply the prejudice is based on evidence.
Which is kind of weird.
As is pretending it isn't, when you could just say "yeah it's a little problematic" and move on with your life.
Just an FYI, viewing everything through the lense of "racist/not-racist" is common in the US, and not so much elsewhere.
Your impression that "pretending it isn't", is simply... because it isn't, for most outside the US.
Hope that helps clear this up. Learning about new things is always fun, and a good thing. Right?
Wow, that's a particularly shit take, nice job.
Let me guess. American?
Let me guess, your country has deep seated issues with racism the population either refuses to acknowledge or "solves" by simply not letting other races in?
This comic was made by an American, in reference to an American issue, so pretending the American viewpoint isn't valid by virtue of being American is just, you know.
Stupid. Intellectually dishonest. Dare I say, pig headed.
No... Not really. But hey. You do you.
"sealion" is not a race.
So why did the author use language deliberately evocative of racial debates?
Her: I don't mind most people. But racists? I could do without racists.
Him: Don't say that out loud!
racist: Pardon me, I couldn't help but overhear...
Him: Now you've done it
[...]
My edit kind of ruins the whole sea lion sealioning visual joke but I hope my point comes across well enough.
I am sure some people who troll racist would do some sealioning but they are doing it in bad faith cus. Ya know, racists.
I get that you can group people based on race but you can also do it based on what they believe in, which I feel the latter is what most people thought David Malki was going for.
...is this satire?