In the meantime, Jeff is going to be trying to more actively maintain his blog over at www.jeffpreston.ca where you can hear his musings on politics (local and otherwise), the media, disability and his research. Don’t be a stranger, come over and say howdy!

All that remains to be said, really, is thank you for your support these past few years and we’ll see you when we see you!

The post Taking some time off appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

Seems legit, I see them at the market all the time.

I am honestly completely and totally baffled by this decision. I have no words to explain this, but I think John Flemming, quoted city planner, is on to something here. He said the image was to be “a visionary image of what could be the possibilities.” That is a brilliant strategy to attract people to London. What is possible? Everything is possible with a little Speidi!

So in that vein I’ve decided to do some free photoshopping for London City Council. Feel free to use any of these, free of charge, in the 2012 Annual Report, guys. Please leave your own contributions below and I’ll insert them into the post.

Joe Fontana with Speidi (click to see bigger)

Jim Bobs with Speidi (click to see bigger)

UWO with Speidi (click to see bigger)

Knights with Speidi (click to see bigger)

Holy Roller with Speidi (click to see bigger)

Grand Theatre with Speidi (click to see bigger)

City Hall with Speidi

The post Fun with Photoshop in London appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

A look back at some lessons learned from an encounter with a troll.

“Ernest Scared Stupid” was WAY ahead of its time

Some people have been asking for closure on my troll run-in so I thought I’d spend Christmas Eve writing a quick update followed by a few quick observation. Indeed, my little troll friend wrote back, first saying “So I got the job?” followed about 30 minutes later with “Want to get a drink?” We are now in process of finding a time to meet for a pint (and lengthily chat). Of course, there’s a good chance this is merely an extended troll and the kid will never show up, but a small part of me is hoping he’s crapping bricks and just wants to make good on his mistake. Christmas miracle? I’ll let everyone know when and where we’re meeting for a drink so you can join us.

But more importantly, here are some things I’ve learned/observed over the past week:

Never listen to your gut reaction when dealing with trolls. The problem is that in the moment of a good trolling, your raw emotions will lead you to do something rash that you’ll usually regret later. The best piece of advice I’ve ever heard, something that all ISPs should be forced to tell people when they sign up for an internet connection, is “Don’t feed the trolls.” The best way to defuse a trolling is to simply ignore it. This seems obvious, in retrospect, but in the heat of the moment, usually all you can think about is revenge.

The high road may be harder but it’s usually more fruitful. Decided to simply write an email and extend an olive branch to Mr Troll was agonizing, but ultimately it was the right choice. The cycle has to stop somewhere and the only person’s actions whom you can control is your own, so be the bigger person and stop the cycle.

Maybe we’re thinking about cyberbullying all wrong. We spend a lot of time talking about bad kids, threats of legal action and “it gets better” campaigns to encourage victims, which I think there is value in, maybe to tackle cyberbullying we need to start listening to the bullies. This is kind of like the high road thing talked about earlier–it will be extremely hard but likely the most fruitful. Rather than the stick, maybe it’s time to use the carrot to give agency back to these people who lash out because they, themselves, feel powerless. How we’d do this, I do not know–what do you think? Leave your ideas in the comments.

Lastly, it would appear the disabled population is pissed. When I put the call out on twitter and facebook to find out what I should do about the troll there was an obvious pattern that quickly emerged — people with disabilities who responded to me unanimously called for revenge and those without disabilities responded almost unanimously calling for amnesty. I think people with disabilities, by and large, are growing tired of being pushed around and this seemingly innocuous troll, something that was essentially a joke in bad taste, tapped into a much deeper feeling about the abilism we face in our daily lives, finally, was an opportunity to hit back.

I think this might be the most significant thing I hope people take from this whole situation — while the nondisabled saw this as being a petty joke, it was actually symbolic of a deeper undercurrent of abilism and disrespect that people with disabilities face. Perhaps we aren’t being called “derps” on a daily basis, but it feels about the same when we encounter near-ubiquitous inaccessibility because, when you break it down, both are saying “you’re not welcome here.”

Food for thought. Happy holidays everyone!

The post Some parting thoughts on Troll Hunting 2011 appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

Blacked out the address — no need to spam the kid.

So I have spent the past few days contemplating what to do about this guy. Should I chew him out about mocking the disabled? Should I troll him back? I had a lot of good ideas and suggestions on what to do–like going carolling at his house or sending him a fake letter in the mail from Fanshawe stating he will be expelled if he does not send a written apology to the dean of his faculty.

After a lot of soul searching (and after receiving some personal information about this gentleman) I’ve decided to do two things: first, send him an email and second, write this little blog post and share the email with all of you.

Hopefully, Josh will learn something from this whole experience and, if not, at least there will be a nice google-able documentation of it.

Privacy settings. They’re grrrrrreeeaatttt!

Without further ado, this is the email I just sent him (from a fake email address).

***

Joshua Cottrell,

Recently you submitted a mocking job application to a post on Kijiji, claiming to be willing to “look after [my] retard” and inquiring as to whether or not the individual was “fully derp [sic].” I’m sure you thought it was pretty funny, especially the 4chan meme photo attached to the application, but frankly your snide remarks aren’t appreciated. Unfortunately, the comments were not made quite as anonymously as you may have expected. In fact, it took very little effort to track down your name, alternate email addresses, and mailing address. In fact, I even talked to some people who went to high school with you.

Over the past few days, I’ve been trying to decide what to do about this. Clearly you were just trolling, doing it for the lulz, but that doesn’t make it okay to pick on people with intellectual limitations. First I considered simply outing you online, ensuring that any future employer looking for you on Google would find some of the poor choices you’ve made online and reconsider hiring you. Then I thought about reporting you to your dean at Fanshawe College, as your behavior clearly contravenes the student code of conduct. Lastly, I considered simply reporting you to the police, as your actions would classify as cyber bullying of a vulnerable population, something that could land you in both civil and legal court.

But it was during my digging that I discovered something that should have been obvious from the very beginning—you were bullied. And that’s kind of what this is all about, isn’t it? For who knows how long, you’ve felt powerless as others picked on you. You spend your time attempting to escape these feelings of inadequacy by playing games like World of Warcraft and, more recently, the new Star Wars MMO as a character named Zaeus—in these worlds, you can be more than just the kid who was picked on in high school. You hang around 4chan, because then you feel like part of something bigger than yourself—a part of a community that exerts real power online through intimidation and satire. And for all these reasons, in a desperate attempt to exert some power in your life, you lashed out at the intellectually disabled, presumably anonymously, because it made you feel superior: it made you feel in control.

And, honestly, that’s one of the saddest things I’ve heard all year. In fact, it’s so sad I decided that I wouldn’t bully you back. I wouldn’t kick and scream or troll you in some elaborate scheme to get revenge. Because somewhere along the lines I realized that we’re not so different, you and I. I know what it’s like to be picked on because you’re perceived to be different and, by inference, weak. I know what it’s like to be the butt of jokes and to be ostracized and I don’t want to be yet another in a long list of people to put you down.

Rather, Josh, I want you to know that there are other ways to be powerful in this world and better ways to make your voice heard. You might be surprised by the respect you will earn from people if you step out of your comfort zone and do something to make London a better place. Try volunteering, get involved with a community group, maybe even help out with an organization like Community Living so you can get a better perspective on what it’s really like to live (and thrive) with an intellectual limitation. Mocking people online might seem like the only way to regain power in your life, but trust me, it’s not the best.

For what it’s worth, I think you can be so much more than a troll.

Sincerely,

Derp.

The post To catch a troll appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

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Jeff can’t even imagine what high school would have been like with the social networking technology available to teens now-a-days. Sexting definitely complicates the dating world a bit…although Jeff probably would have still spent most of his nights playing video games. Nerd.

TRANSCRIPT:

Cell 01
Flirty girl trying to ignore Tyler.

Tyler:
Yo, baby. Did you get my text earlier? The one with the picture of my abs and the message “Wanna do some laundry 2nite?”

Cell 02
Flirty girl still ignoring him, looking uncomfortable.

Tyler:
Well? Baby, I just wanna bust out the bounce sheets and tide you bounty.

Cell 03

Flirty Girl (embarrassed):
Can you just leave me alone?

Cell 04

Tyler:
Pfft. Bitch. Whatever you’re ugly anyway. I was just trying to do you a favour…

Cell 05

Kate:
Hey Tyler, is it hard being such a shining example of humanity? Your mother must be so proud…

Cell 06

Tyler:
Shut it Komichi, you’re not much better.

Cell 07

Kate:
Don’t worry, Tyler, I’m sure some day you’ll find true love.

Cell 08

Kate:
When you’re older, you’ll meet a lovely woman who steals your heart. Sure, she’ll think you’re a dirt bag but I’m sure you’ll devise some way to capture and lock her in your basement for a few years.

Cell 09

Kate:
Then she’ll escape, you’ll go to jail forever–no doubt stabbed to death during a dispute over cigarettes–and the world will be all the better with one less man whose is such a charming, but fragile, little snowflake.

The post It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

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On October 6th, don’t ignore the invisible gorilla.

The post Change appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

And the Gorilla was like: “Huh. Did you know they sell bananas at the JLC now?” And Chris Moorhead was like: “My lawyer told me not to talk about it.”

In fact, a study was done by two professors at the University of Illinois into our ability to process information, in an experiment now dubbed “The Invisible Gorilla,” to show how people can miss important information if they’re too focused on one specific task. Essentially, participants were asked to watch a video of people dressed in white shirts and black shirts and to count how many times people with white shirts passed a basketball. About halfway through the video, someone dressed in a gorilla suit walks through the screen, thumps their chest and growls, finally exiting stage left. When asked afterwards, participants could normally tell you how many passes were made, but over half the participants had no idea a gorilla had walked through the stage. More importantly, when the tape was shown to them again they couldn’t believe they’d missed something so obvious. I’m going to be honest with you, I totally missed the gorilla too when I watched the video the first time.

This might seem like just a kooky psych experiment, but I think it holds particular import right now as we close in on October 6th. Here in Ontario, there is a gorilla beating his chest in the middle of the screen and, somehow, a ton of us have missed it.

Let me take you back to the 90s. Remember those times? The Leafs weren’t terrible yet, Saved by the Bell and Fresh Prince were still on TV. Life was pretty good. Except there was this man named Mike Harris in charge. A man who thought it was a dumb idea to provide funding for things like schools and hospitals, so he chopped and slashed and closed a bunch of them down. Remember that guy? Remember how we promised ourselves we would never, ever vote for the party that gutted our social services? If so, why are some 34% of Ontarians considering voting for the Progressive Conservatives next week?

The size of his cranium indicates he’d make a good leader. Either that or he’s ready to mate.

Despite what you think of Dalton or Andrea, the most terrifying proposition here is Tim “I Love Mike Harris” Hudak. If you can believe it, before being elected the head of the PC Party in Ontario, Hudak’s platform was essentially that he was a proud Harrisite. Oh good gravy, Mike Harris is back and he’s wearing a Tim Hudak suit.

Through the constant “We Can’t Afford Dalton” commercials, to the conservative candidates not showing up to local debates, the Conservatives are clearly running a pretty simple campaign–don’t look at the man behind the curtain.

My only hope is that when Ontarians step into the voter box on the 6th they aren’t so busy counting how many passes are made to miss the man in the Hudak suit, thumping his chest directly in front of us.

The post Don’t Ignore the Invisible Gorilla appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

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I’m just thankful I have the proper permits…those mall cops take those stickers quite seriously. In other news, what exactly has Griff killed for?

TRANSCRIPT:

Cell 01

Rhett:
Are you going to sign up for ODSP?

Cell 02

Griff:
I’m stackin’ too much paper my part-time job so I don’t qualify.

Cell 03

Griff:
S’okay though, I kinda dig gettin’ my swag the ol’ fashion way. Got a real sweet position too. Lots of authority.

Cell 04
Image of Griff rolling up to a mother and two young kids at the wheelchair table in the food court.

Griff:
Ma’am, you got a proper permit to be sitting at the handicapped table?

Woman:
Um, no? We’re just eating lunch.

Cell 05
Griff pulls out a crowbar.

Griff:
Ya’ll best be steppin’ off then. And if you be resistin’, I’m not above brutalizing a woman in front of her progeny.

Cell 06
Woman and children running away, Griff looking philosophical.

Griff:
People be thinkin’ this sticker is just a joke or something. It ain’t. I’ve killed for less, lady.

The post Part-time Job appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

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Hrm. This program sounds kind of familiar.

TRANSCRIPT:

Cell 01

CAPTION: After School…

Principle:
Now, Rhett, Mr. Harlem tells me you had some…ahem…choice…words regarding F.A.T.S?

Cell 02

Harlem:
Tell’um that mumbo jumbo you’ve been spewing all afternoon.

Rhett:
Converting physical labour into fetishized commodity is against the rules of nature.

Cell 03

Principle:
I think I understand what’s going on; you’re just worried you won’t be able to participate on account of your afflictions.

Rhett:
Afflictions? No, it’s Marxism.

Cell 04

Principle:
Right, Marxism. Well you don’t need to worry son, we won’t let your Marxism get in the way of you earning some F.A.T.S. It just so happens I have a great idea.

Cell 05

Principle:
Any student who can’t earn F.A.T.S because of their “problems” will be put in a program that awards them some F.A.T.S every month—not as much as the people working really hard, of course, but just enough to get by.

Cell 06

Harlem:
That’s a terrible idea, ripe for abuse. People who aren’t disabled will try and get on and the disabled will just find ways to con the system.

Cell 07

Principle:
We’ll just have a rigorous screening process that goes into exorbitant, humiliating, detail about medical history and such. You know, just pages and pages of forms and paper work to prove you’re of an arbitrarily decided qualifying disability. Of course, they’ll also need to continually prove their disablement…just in case they get cured or something.

Cell 08

Principle:
And we’ll make them report their income—I’m sure they won’t mind giving us complete oversight and rigorous controls over their finances. And if they go over the monthly limit, even by just 5 tokens, we’ll just clawed back their monthly allocation and repeat offenders will get kicked off. That way no one can get rich off the program.

Cell 09

Principle:
And we shall call this service “Obviously Disabled Special Points,” ODSP for short.

Rhett:
I think you may have misunderstood my concerns…

The post ODSP appeared first on Cripz: A Webcomic.

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This episode is dedicated to the fine folks at rTraction, a local web design company, who donate SO much time, money and energy to making London a better place. You don’t see that too often from a private business and they’re a business we can and should be really proud of.

Keep up the great work over there

TRANSCRIPT:

Cell 01

Principal:
It’s come to our attention that at some point over the summer, many of you have developed a bit of an unhealthy weight problem.

Harlem:
You’ve ballooned out like a Palin kid before their wedding.

Cell 02

Principal:
Um. Yes, well, we’ve decided it’s our responsibility as educators to help combat the plague of obesity that’s befallen our school and are proud to announce a new program to help us in this fight.

Cell 03

Principal:
After this assembly, you will all be given custom debit cards. Every time you complete some form of physical activity you will be awarded points for the “Fitness and Activity Token System.” Walk to school? You earn F.A.T.S. Take phys ed? You get F.A.T.S. Join a sports team? You’ll be rolling in F.A.T.S.

Cell 04

Principal:
Thanks to a wonderful donation from local web developer we have opened a brand new store in the cafeteria where you can use your hard earned F.A.T.S for everything from electronics to clothing.

Cell 05

Principal:
Physical labour will get you cool stuff, while at the same time helping you get healthy. Our entire school will now be a functioning economy run on F.A.T.S.

Cell 06

Harlem:
Get ready to sweat, fatties, because your bubble butts have blown their last butt bubble.

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