Page 85: Stop Talking, Idiot
Thursday, June 19th, 2008Color version up later! EDIT: Color up!
Mr. Tyler’s a stupid moron who should shut the hell up. Also, we’re in the middle of a short sequence here that should just be called WORDS — so many words.
CLICK HERE to see my mouse drawn MS Paint sketch of this page!
June 19th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
trying to protect stasia from herself? well, he’s a nice dad^^
..but whats gunna happen next when janny’s room isnt where guy is taking them… btw im wondering if he’s got a plan
anyway first coment[my first time], but iv been following a while and look forward to the next page
June 19th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I have to ask: Is the title of the comic Guy’s thoughts or Stasia’s dad’s? xD I can very easily imagine both of them having that sentiment.
…or maybe the reader? o_O;
June 19th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
:grabs mr tayler by the ears and knees him in the face a few dozen thousand times.: ok now i feel better… no one talks to a boy from oklahoma like that…. no one..
heh.. i’m waiting for guy to go supersmart on him.. call him bad names he doesn’t understand
June 19th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
“whats gunna happen next when janny’s room isnt where guy is taking them”
MINOR SPOILER: It is where he’s taking him, but he’s just going the really long way.
“im wondering if he’s got a plan”
No real plan.
“Is the title of the comic Guy’s thoughts or Stasia’s dad’s?”
My thoughts, towards Stasia’s dad and also towards some of the people who comment on this site.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Yay, Second Comment!! Great Comic!!
June 19th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
$2 billion? 80 She’s got more money than Oprah!
June 19th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
ugh….I mean fourth comment…
June 19th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
you mean seventh commend lol and i still want to beat him
June 19th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Actually, this puts her dad in a new light. He may be rude, pushy, and a host of other not-nice adjectives, but it’s entirely possible that he has her best interests at heart, even if he’s wrong (assuming I can take him at face value–the next six pages should show).
If he’s wrong for the right reasons, I can forgive him, jerk though he be.
Nice page.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
wait isn’t oprah worth like 40 billion?
June 19th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
This is where Guy says “No… I need to protect her from YOU!” And strangles Stasia’s dad with his lei.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
And then drinks his blood.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Nah, Parker’s the vampire remember? =P
Guy is also too well mannered to beat up Ana’s dad. As gratifying as we all think it would be, I just don’t think it’s going to happen.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Wow… what little respect I might have had for Mr. Tyler just went out the window.
Personally, I think it’s nice that Stasia’s not leaving an inheritance for future heirs to fight over. Let them earn their own damn living.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
I like the non politically correct attitude you have Bobby, it’s a nice change from people who want to please EVERYONE and annoy the living hell out of me.
Great comic can not wait for the resolution.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Mr. Tyler sounds like a pageant mom. Or a money grubbing dad who wants the best for his child, but mostly for himself. I dunno. We haven’t really heard his complete side of the story.
D; I don’t want it to be over!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
While I am too poor to go to comi-con, I want a copy!
I’ve convinced my (less poor) friend to go to comi-con, and find me a [signed] copy.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I think both are thinking idiot. I think part of the reason Mr Tyler is so angry is Stasia’s complete idiocy has actually done better than his schemes have. He needs to prove her wrong.
Not that he doesn’t care for his daughter, but he strikes me as one of those stubborn people who need to be right, even when there are time he should admit his error. I’m a bit like that myself.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I don’t care if he’s bigger than me, and I don’t care that I’m female. If I met Mr. Tyler in real life I would probably punch him right in the mouth after hearing his little rant.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Ah, protecting her from herself…
/begin rant
Apparently Mr. Tyler doesn’t realize that his little girls are all grown up. (It’s not just Guy that he called “children”, after all.) If he really thinks Anastasia’s out of her mind, then why hasn’t he had her committed? Oh, yes, hard for her to earn the money that lets him fly around on jets if she’s in a hospital somewhere. Also maybe hard to convince a psychiatrist (even one of five) that 2 megabucks isn’t enough.
I recall earlier that Mr. Tyler is Stasia’s manager. Even if all he gets is the same 3% Stasia keeps (most managers get a higher percentage, IIRC), that’s about 60 million over the past decade. How much of that has he set aside for future generations? How much is in his bank account?
/end rant: Deep breath: Sigh….
Sorry, but authority figures who think they know better what to do with the money somebody else earned than the person who earned it are a bit of a sore spot for me. And that’s his good side.
His bad? “those shouldn’t spring from you.” He just met Guy, and seems to have already decided that he is no good for his little girl. This makes me wonder… What would Mr. Tyler be doing if Anastasia wasn’t the biggest pop star on the planet?
PS: No stitches pulled yet? Good. We wouldn’t want you to type too hard while Mr. Tyler makes an ass of himself ^_^
June 19th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Just guessing that as Stasia’s manager Mr. Tyler is making some percentage off his daughter, why doesn’t he just leave that to Janny and Parker Jr?
June 19th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Ahh, so that’s what it’s about.
He has got it pretty backwards, though.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Thing is, although I wanna bang Mr Tyler’s head into how blind and ignorant he is, I can kinda understand his reasons.
Understand, yeah. Accept, no.
Guy’s not too mannered to beat him up, it’s simply just not his way.
He wants to understand him, he wants to know his reasons, and maybe show him where those reasons fail. He wants to see why things work as they do, instead of just messing with the effects.
Geez, wish I was living in the US, so I could register on wowio….
June 20th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I like this. Guy’s got the guy talking, and even though Stasia’s dad can talk, I think Guy is the better diplomat here.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:52 am
“wait isn’t oprah worth like 40 billion?”
According to this: http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/17/richest-women-entertainment-tech-media-cz_lg_richwomen07_0118womenstars_slide_2.html?thisSpeed=15000
She’s the richest woman in the world with a net worth 1.5 billion.
Which is a testament to Stasia’s superstardom.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:08 am
I love how Guy just stays calm the whole conversation, stating rational point after rational point. While Dad goes further and further down the “father knows best because he’s … father.” track
I like how Guy isn’t making arguments for why He is worth while for Stasia, but rather why Stasia’s choices should be hers to make.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:11 am
OH, and If I haven’t thanked you yet Bobby and Remy (and I don’t think I have…) Thanks a ton for putting Marry Me up on WOWIO! I actually found this comic there, and just on a hunch googled it to find you here
talk about your pleasant surprises!
June 20th, 2008 at 1:41 am
At last. Someone in this comic who acts like an adult.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:46 am
I think he is just being an overprotective dad, that is merely worried for his children’s safety. After all, he has suffered the “pains” of being poor and just doesn’t want his children (and grandchildren) to suffer the same.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:02 am
Dear Mr. Tyler,
go find a real job or a therapist. Seriously. You’re crazy. Antiquated concepts of caring for the rest of your family are bogus. You have no right to leech off your daughter that way.
Kisses!
Loreley
P.S. Be nice to Guy, you’ll instantly be a better person for it!
June 20th, 2008 at 3:14 am
I see exactly where her dad is coming from because she IS crazy to be giving it all away like its free water at a marathon. However I think that instead of just controlling every little thing she does he should take a certain amount of her money every year and put it in a high interest account that she cant TOUCH for a certain amount of years. Just in case she does check on to cooks ville and spend ALLLL her money. However I don’t think she should have to support Janny and everyone else off of her money, her money =/= families money (except dad since as manager he gets a percent right?) Janny should get a job once shes able to work again she shouldn’t have to support them while shes still alive and Jannys more then capable of working.
I like the way Guys handling it though, hes being very cautious and diplomatic about the whole thing. And hes not a disrespectful jerk towards her father even if he is wrong, and hes making very valid points though it doesn’t seem like he’ll listen. Ana needs to just put her foot down and say no sometimes or stand up for herself (and stop giving SO much of her money away). She lets him have entirely too much control over her
June 20th, 2008 at 4:51 am
While it is completely defensible, I think it is still strange that Mr. Tyler would call his daughter Stasia. Maybe it’s because he’s rapping with Guy, an outsider? Maybe it’s because he’s secretly an aging Marc McGwire?
June 20th, 2008 at 5:11 am
LOVE the last panel.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:35 am
haha pretty cool. but some who gives that much has to have something kinda wack in there head? but <3 this comic
June 20th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Loving the comic, I’m almost sad to see it end, but hopefully we’ll all get to see it as a movie soon. And yes I realize that it’s continuing on afterwards, but the MAIN story is ending.
And on a personal note Bobby, I personally love that the fact that you are unafraid to say things as you see them, some of the funniest moments in this comic for me have been from you berating people to lazy to read the comments at the beginning.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:43 am
The dad is not right about wanting to control Stasia even tough he is doing it for her own good (well what is good for her in his own mind).
On the other hand if you made 2 billion and only have 2 million in the bank…. damn cut back on giving to everyone else and save some for you.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:01 am
I can actually see Stasia’s father’s point here; especially if he was raised by parents who lived through the Great Depression, he’s probably got a real fear that poverty could strike his family. And he has some very valid points: if Stasia has earned $2B over her career, that makes her a female superstar unheard of in the USA to date…with media attention to match. I’d imagine she has stalkers, paparazzi, tabloid lies, all sorts of troubles. She needs to be able to pay for a bodyguard - or several - a team of lawyers - and, if she wants any peace and quiet at all for her family, a house large enough to house them all and protect them from the public. That’s going to take far more than $2 million dollars…which her family won’t have if she dies.
As someone else said, I hope that her Dad has been investing his cut of her income wisely; if so, he ought to have tens or hundreds of millions for the family to fall back on. Of course, if he DOES have that much money, his points really cease to have much validity and fall back to fear and greed. I’m a bit disappointed that he hasn’t mentioned anything about Britney Spears and 48-hour divorces here; marriages built on knowing each other for a few days don’t have a great track record. I guess that just helps to show where his priorities lie, though.
Guy’s job is probably helping him a lot with dealing with her father; it wouldn’t be the first time he’d have had an angry parent telling him to butt out of their child’s life. I liked this scene; for some reason, it made Guy seem more human; recently he’s seemed too perfect to be real.
Looking forward to seeing the end of the series, and also enjoying that there have been regular updates recently.
I used to check the site once a week to see if there were any updates, but with the deadline up I’ve been able to check every day and often see a new page. That must be very draining, at a time when you’re already sick!
June 20th, 2008 at 6:17 am
# dan Says:
June 20th, 2008 at 5:43 am
“On the other hand if you made 2 billion and only have 2 million in the bank…. damn cut back on giving to everyone else and save some for you.”
Why? I could live the rest of my life comfortably with that money. Besides, I doubt Ana’s going to stop making money any time soon.
I’ve always thought this is exactly what rich people should do - save themselves only what they need to live fairly comfortably and give the rest to charity.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:35 am
He actually smiled in the first panel?
June 20th, 2008 at 6:38 am
[Money argument]
To be honest, I don’t disagree with her Dad. On the other hand, the numbers don’t seem work out. Please note I’m not trying to nitpick — her lifestyle has major expenses.
According to page 31, she gave 97% to charity. So that leaves her with 60MM in assets. Mind you, it could be that 58MM are invested or otherwise tied up, so it is possible that her money market and equivalents are 2MM. Still, 60MM is at least somewhat more than 2MM, which is not enough to run the operation she runs. (The two planes alone, which would each be its own corporation, would likely have a worth greater than 2MM.)
Of course, 2B is rather exceptional. The estimates for Britney I have seen are in the 100MM+ range. (And, no, Phil. Oprah is not worth 40 billion. According to a recent Forbes, Oprha’s net worth is 2.5B.)
Anyhow, if Mr. Tyler is running the Stasia Corporation, I would presume that he has some assets. And I would expect that he already set up some trusts for Janny and Anna. If a family trusts was perpetual, it would cover the grandchildren. Yes, royalties would continue to flow in, but it is nice not to have to go through the embarrassment of selling your home and other assets because you can no longer pay for taxes and upkeep. That has happened for lots of celebrities, including insanely wealthy ones like Michael Jackson.
Mind you, she can still give away most of her money and still live comfortably. But it is not unreasonable for her to retain 10%.
[Sitting in a village drinking blood all day]
I have a funny feeling she never let on to her dad that she does not like the taste of blood and drinks punch, instead. I suspect she did manage to play the blood drink trick on her father, though? =)
[Question for the God of Marry Me]
Out of curiosity, in the backstory on Mr. Tyler, what effect did his wife’s death have on him? Does he approve of Anna’s charity work on breast cancer? Is he in any sense jealous or frustrated that Anna is doing something where he was powerless?
[SLIM: it’s entirely possible that he has her best interests at heart, even if he’s wrong]
I agree. Though, I have the sense that she probably gives as much to charity in part because it annoys her father. She gives honestly, as she has stated in the past that she would love to give more. But it also seems that it gives her a sense of control that counterbalances her otherwise powerlessness in the father/daughter relationship. Mind you, I could be totally wrong, but won’t keep me from having fun speculating. =)
[SARAL: Stasia’s complete idiocy has actually done better than his schemes have.]
I don’t understand what you mean by “his schemes”?
[LORELEY: Antiquated concepts of caring for the rest of your family are bogus. You have no right to leech off your daughter that way.]
He’s not talking about himself. He’s talking about Stasia, her sister, her children, and her nieces/nephews. Given the size of her estate, that is not unreasonable. And the rest of her family works in the company — as wonderful as Anna’s talents may be, her sister provides some stability and her father presumably helps oversee the business. Given the numbers, there seems no leeching is going on.
And, as I said above, caring for the rest of your family that also cares for you is not unreasonable. Especially when you still have the vast majority left over for charity for others.
[ERIKA and how Anna’s dad is just being protective]
Completely agree.
And, as everyone else says, looking forward to see where this goes. =) I do hope it has a nice resolution, though. (With pops on Guy’s side.)
[Mr. Tyler on how Guy could write a book]
Oh, and before I forget, I find the cynicism Mr. Tyler displays with the “you could write a book … live off it for a few years” somewhat offensive. Mind you, given how things happened, I understand why he would think that way. (And it is curiously magnanimous of her dad not to try to prevent him from doing that instead of just offering to pay him off for his silence. In an odd way, that seems like a complement to him.)
Of course, that makes me wonder how one could resolve this without having Mr. Tyler and Anna talk. In Pride and Prejudice, you have Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth talk before Mr. Bennet gives his blessing. He needed to be convinced that she respected her future husband and that Mr. Darcy was worthy of her hand.
Anyhow, again, looking forward to the rest! =)
June 20th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Oh goodness, I just saw the colored version of page 84! I LOVE Daisy’s hair!
June 20th, 2008 at 7:16 am
Mr. Tyler is going bonkers right now; understandable, considering that he’s pratically circumnavigated the globe trying to catch up to his unruly daughters. I bet Stasia has a trust fund set up for Janny & her family (or she will soon, anyway).
And please bring back the loyal bus driver!!! 
June 20th, 2008 at 7:19 am
I realize that this is going to undoubtedly sound dumb given that multiple commenters have been able to figure it out but uh…where’s the colorized version of page 84? I keep getting the BW version.
June 20th, 2008 at 7:55 am
ana has plenty to live off of and it can only keep comming in with royalties for years to come. hell, i wish more people were like her instead of wasting their money on solid gold toilets and bigger houses than they could EVER need.
did i mention thats one of the big reasons i like ana? =P
June 20th, 2008 at 8:18 am
[NORMAN: Mr. Tyler doesn’t realize that his little girls are all grown up. ]
No matter how old someone is, you’re still their child. =) And many parents don’t stop worrying.
[TOM: (Oprah)’s the richest woman in the world with a net worth 1.5 billion.]
For woman, not even close. The richest listed woman (22.9 billion) is Liliane Bettencourt, who inherited the L’Oreal fortune:
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_Liliane-Bettencourt_F6EZ.html
And your Oprah link is a year old. (= Forbes in 2008 claimed to have ignored the value of her brand and put her 2008 net worth at 2.5 billion:
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_Oprah-Winfrey_O0ZT.html
She is up at or near the top for entertainment, self-made woman, and black woman, though.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Mr. Tyler’s face in the 3rd pannel = priceless!!! But he’s still a jerk. Does he remind anyone else of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast?
June 20th, 2008 at 8:51 am
I just want to say that this comic, as a whole, is amazing. The artwork is very well done and the scripting is easy to understand. I look forward to the conclusion of the main storyline as well to seeing what type of side stories may come from this.
Thank you, Bobby and Eisu, for sharing this with all of us.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Her father wants to protect her from being caring and giving and all that. Eh….fathers are wierd. But honestly considering Guy didn’t know the amount. Didn’t know anything really about Stasia tell the met and got ‘married’. I don’t think he really cares about the money. Its a nice thing that she has it but yeah. Course I think Mr. Tyler brain is about to burst so he probaly isn’t thinking about that. *watches the viends tweak in Mr. Tylers neck*
June 20th, 2008 at 10:12 am
There is such a thing as giving too much. While I’m sure that the 2 million that Stasia has banked is more then enough to get her by until her next album, when once again the money will poor in, that is a LOT of cash she’s given away. And sure, her dad is kind of a jerk, but I can see where’s he’s comming from. He wants what’s best for his kids. He grandson was born premature in Africa, and almost out in the middle of nowhere to boot, and now here’s some random, seems like a decent sort, guy, who’s “married” to one of his little girls, telling him how he should relate to them. He doesn’t know Guy from Adam, how is he supposed to react? I applaud Guy for keeping his cool, and sympathise with Mr. Tyler for all the globe trotting he’s done to catch up with his childern, and BUSINESS CLIENT WHO’S INTERESTS HE HAS TO PROTECT, and now has this all new factor he has to figure out what to do with. Sure, he could just be a jerk, but I’m willing to hold that judgement a little while longer. See how he is when the stress isn’t piled higher then he is.
Poor, wretched, human being, trying to do right as best he can to another, and not quite knowing how in his dual roles as father and manager.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Yep, that makes 99% *headshake* SERIOUSLY! What’s wrong with keeping to 90? XD But still, agreed. Shut. Up. Though he’s just being protective.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Analysis: No wonder Ana can’t stand up for herself; her crazy-ass dad wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise, let alone protest. Crazy dad…
June 20th, 2008 at 10:58 am
You know, stasia’s dad reminds me of of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast…. Very similar expressions….. Any comments?
June 20th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Mr. Tyler’s completely wrong. Stasia would NOT be sitting in a hut in Kenya drinking blood if she had her way. Geez.
…
She’s be sitting in a hut in Kenya drinking Kool-Aid.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Wow. I know it isn’t rational to want to punch a fictional character in the throat, but… I want to punch Stasia’s dad in the throat.
“Actually, this puts her dad in a new light. He may be rude, pushy, and a host of other not-nice adjectives, but it’s entirely possible that he has her best interests at heart, even if he’s wrong ”
It sounds more like he’s got the Tyler family fortune’s best interests at heart.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Such hostility. Daddy is a scary man.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:17 am
For some reason I feel those pages where rushed…well then again a BABY was being BORN and such so of course it would have to be a rush thing…Iunno. Indifference? Hm…oh well. I still love this comic.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Why is everyone assuming that her dad is getting a cut of what she makes? He may be just doing all of this for peanuts for all we know.
And its not like $2 million goes all that far anymore, especially if she lives in a pricey place like New York and has to deal with all the problems of being a superstar with the paparazzi/stalkers/bodyguards/etc. that she needs.
And while it is true that she earned her money and should decide how it is spent, what is wrong with helping out the rest of the family? Few ever earn an income over a million in their whole lifetimes and she is cutting them off - and their ability to make the wealth sustaining and helping their own children - for helping out people in third world countries suffering from massive structural problems that basically reduce all the money she gives to mere band-aids. “Great, you gave $300 million! After that, we’ll still have nothing!”
Charity is well and good, but she does ignore her family and future generations.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Ooh~~ graphic novel sounds interesting~
June 20th, 2008 at 11:55 am
This is a brilliant page and a very interesting discussion I would like to stay out of.
However, it might be worthwhile pointing out that the Queen, or at least the Royal Family, are probably richer than Oprah (heard of her once or twice before, don’t know who she is, blame me for being Scottish) and Liliane Bettencourt. I just wanted to remind the others of this fact. Pelt me with tomatoes if you want, flame etc., but this comic can be seen around the world, and the topics can be international.
By the way, loving the comic and story, Bobby. I’ll be sad when it ends, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it all ends.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Great, I entered after a few weeks and there’s more new pages.
What happened whit the coloured this time? Not enough to finish it?
Well, goddbye!
June 20th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I side with the Dad.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Looking foward to owning the trade
June 20th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
“Charity is well and good, but she does ignore her family and future generations.”
What the heck are you talking about? She’s given everyone in her family jobs — obviously Janny works for her too. And obviously everyone in her family has everything they want because of her. They fly around in private jets, remember? And with popularity like hers (think a more popular Madonna), she’ll be making tons of money long after she dies, and it hasn’t been specifically stated that her will gives all of that new money to charity — just the money she has when she dies. She’s certainly not ignoring her family. Mr. Tyler is simply going way overboard about all this. He’s simply got it into his head that it’s a TRAVESTY if in the year 3,000 her far flung future descendants aren’t super rich from her money. More to it than that, but whatever, he’s just a super annoying idiot.
Anyone who says there’s something wrong with Stasia for giving so much to charity is an idiot. Anyone who says the numbers somehow “don’t match up” is an idiot — impossible to know that from what we’ve been told, impossible to know when she started giving 97% and how much she gave before that (99% maybe before), impossible to know what percentage that $2 million in the bank is of her current net worth, and “earning” $2 billion doesn’t seem to account for taxes to me! Jeez. Also, Mr. Tyler makes a good amount and he spends most of that on things like private jets and keeping up the proper appearance that she’s ultra rich, making sure she’s in a super nice house and has nice things and all that. He never wanted to be seen as poor back when they were poor (this has already been discussed in the comic), and now he doesn’t want his family to be seen as not ULTRA RICH when they’re supposedly ultra rich. And so on and so forth.
Lots of extremely stupid things said in the comments on this page, but lots of good stuff too — I’ve enjoyed reading the comments.
June 20th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
hahaha, “Daddy’s” hair gets spikier when he is pissed off. He’ll come up with anything to keep baby girl under him. I want him as my dad. Kick ass angry money making dad.
June 20th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
So, basically, what her father is saying is that Stasia should be not only supporting herself, BUT she should be supporting her ENTIRE family - IN LUXURY - so that they can just ride on her coattails. In addition, she should bank as much away as possible so that her future offspring can grow up to be rich, silver-spoon-in-the-mouth brats that never have to work for a living… Do I have that about right, Mr. Big-Mouth Blow-Hard?? Mrmph. I hate people like this guy. All HE wants is to get his hands on the money.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I’d like to say that I have seen this before. This happens when I parent thinks their kid is just like them, or feels that they will make the same decisions that they made. They don’t think their child isn’t them. They know what they know.
I’m not saying Ana’s dad was any sort of humanitarian, but he’s made his own decisions that his own parents may have called “bad” and so that is where he gets it from.
He doesn’t bother asking Stasia what she thinks, since he feels he knows.
My mother is like this, though not on such an extreme scale.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Re Stasia’s income and donations: I just accepted from what we’re told that (A) she makes a ton of money, and (B) she has accountants to help her donate as much as she can without bankrupting herself and getting in trouble with the government. In other words, she donates 97% of her NEY profits after all taxes and expenses are paid, not 97% of her gross. It’s not all that important really, the amounts involved is pretty much just background information, not a majorplot point in and of itself. Looking forward to the conclusion and the followup short stories!
June 21st, 2008 at 12:30 am
Money, Oh Please!
listen “And your Oprah link is a year old. (= Forbes in 2008 claimed to have ignored the value of her brand and put her 2008 net worth at 2.5 billion:”
The piont is that Mr. Taylor said she earned (not is worth) 2 billion over the last 10 years. that means she earned about 200 million a year on avg. that is not really that much concerts, marketing, music sales. we don’t know if he means statia the bussiness or her personal income either. So please lets drop the whole money thing and get on with the story.
I thank you.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:25 am
Rosebud what I meant was that Stasia decided to marry the first guy from the crowd. An idiotic decision by any standards By sheer luck she picked a good Guy. Yet the person whom Mr Tyler seemed to pick is annoyingly less suitable for his daughter than Guy is.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I’m a bit curious what the demographics of the “I understand Mr. Tyler’s concerns” versus “Mr. Tyler should be strangled” crowds are.
By knowing people who had money and then lost most or all of it through medical problems or investment mishaps, I appreciate the desire to be conservative with a good nestegg. One day a couple is fine; the next day, both have chronic medical problems, neither has a job, and an investment gone bad nearly bankrupted them. One day a family is fine; the next, the parents are killed in a car crash. And seeing people who spend more than they earn, I understand how it is possible to lose unimaginable sums of money. And I’ve also seen the stresses that debts place on a family. It’s not healthy.
[BOBBY: Anyone who says the numbers somehow “don’t match up” is an idiot — … impossible to know what percentage that $2 million in the bank is of her current net worth]
And your clarification helps — thanks!
Whew! I said, “don’t seem [to] work out”, so hopefully that escapes idiocy. Saying “seem” is an intentional hedge.
I am still wondering about part of Mr. Tyler’s character, though:
In the back story on Mr. Tyler, what effect did his wife’s death have on him? Does he approve of Anna’s charity work on breast cancer? Is he in any sense jealous or frustrated that Anna is doing something where he was powerless?
[STEF: it might be worthwhile pointing out that the Queen, or at least the Royal Family, are probably richer than Oprah…and Liliane Bettencourt.]
The wealthiest Brit has a title, but is not part of the Royal Family. The Duke of Westminister is doing so well because of … the cabbage farm (now prime London real estate) his ancestors married into centuries ago.
The British Royal Family either get a bad rap or manage to put up a really good show. Because they’re not as wealthy. Not even close. The palace and crown jewels are state property, so, unlike your fellow Scot J.K. Rowling, the Queen of Great Britain is not a billionaire. Her distant cousins in Holland are doing better thanks to oil (Dutch Shell, in particular).
It’s a neat statement about the UK today that one of the wealthiest in Britain is a self-made writer, whose career began when she was a single mother on welfare. And in the US, one of the wealthiest media moguls is also self-made and started life in rural Mississippi born to an unmarried teen mother. And both are very active in charity.
So, even without a trust fund, little Parker should do okay.
[PAT: 200 million a year … is not really that much]
It actually is (only Oprah and JK Rowling do), but I’ll let it go.
I like trivia, history, and research, so it was fun to look things up. And for all the people who decry welfare and single mothers and the so-called decline of society, it’s nice to be able to counter, “Hey, look at JK Rowling and Oprah Winfrey.”
June 21st, 2008 at 1:55 pm
[SARAL: Stasia’s idiocy versus Mr. Tyler’s idiocy]
Ah, thanks for the clarification! That makes sense.
I’m still curious if Mr. Tyler and Christian will run into each other. It’s not necessary, but Mr. Tyler’s reaction would be interesting. (And seeing Christian explain the assault would be a distraction, but a hilarious one… “He hit me.” “Why?” “The little one was strangling me, so I punched her.” “You hit a woman?” “She was going to beat me up!” “Why?” “I don’t know. She just attacked me after I fired all the charity workers you asked me to hire.” “Why did you fire them?” “Because she married the big one.” “You’re an idiot.”)
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:26 am
Charity is fine. Charity is great but the % here is out of whack.
What is the best way to help on a grand scale? It’s not by creating a socialist state where the people get hand outs and never better themselves. This just doesn’t work. Never has never will. Have you looked at how some Africans treat the charity they are given?
I was quite disturbed to find that the parents let their children starve while the parents eat the majority of the food they have. They can do so because they can just go to a charity bank and get them fed. Enough so they can continue living anyway. They then stay in this cycle of poverty. This is the culture of dependence and simply giving them more money will not solve it. From what I can see, it just mkaes it worse because they will then just have more children. Just directing it to supplying the basics of life don’t fly.
You need a capitalist model (along with chaging some of the basic attidudes prevalent in Africa that are harmful. An education campaign would be helpful. An example of an unhelpful attitude is the way they see irrigation. Men farm, women handle the water. Since irrigation involves both aspects no one touches it. This stops farms from reaching full potential).
You help create that by growing its economy. It’s done, not by charity (though it does serve an important role, I don’t deny it) but by INVESTING in business. It’s not enough to feed the hungry masses. You have to create an environment where they can get jobs. Make their OWN way. You can’t have them begging for handouts the rest of their lives. You can’t have jobs that are dependent on someone else’s largeness.
Rich people (and rich companies) are the most vital, VITAL aspect of a country. They are the drivers of the real economy. A society of nothing but spenders always collapses and we are witnissing that now in the US. A nation that was once the biggest source of savers in the world spent all their money and for the last few years has been, instead, a nation with a negative savings rate due to all the debt they have piled up. This will end. It IS ending as we speak. It’s taken decades to get to this sorry state but it’s here not and the concequences are likely to be profound. Especially as we watch China take up the mantel the nation of savings.
The idea that all the super wealthy should just give all their money away is selfish. Plain and simple. You look to them and think to yourselves “Why can’t I have more of what they got?” and when you do get it by things such as the USA rebate checks for 600 a person that have been going out recently. You spend it! Even if you donate it, that particular money is still gone and never coming back.
It is a net detriment over time. It’s socialism. If no one allows themselves to become more then comfortable then how can they make the really big, long term, investments our society really needs? Show me one case where a society with a 90%+ tax rate on the wealthy made any goverment better. Russia communist model collapsed while China prospers because China GETS IT. They know that by allowing people to keep their money their society at large betters itself.
They are the ones that invest in the businesses that create the jobs and infrastructure that rises the boat for ALL people, not just the poorest. As more people become wealthy, they give a reasonable portion of their salaries to go to the needy, to furthering culture, for all the things that there remains a persistent need for. By donating just a portion of your money while investing the rest you do more over the long run. This is fact and has proven over and over again in society.
Stasia is wrong to give 98% to charity. Just plain wrong. Not as wrong as she would have been spending it on status symbols but still wrong for the purposes of doing the most good for all people. If she took the majority that money instead and invested it, she would make more money and then would be able to keep funding her projects regardless of how her career went. There IS a time when giving the majority of your money is appropriate on an individual basis but not this early. You wait 20, 30, 50 years down the road. You’ve finished your earning years, it’s time to leave you legacy now.
Think of Bill Gates, think of Warren Buffett. They are now at this stage and are handing over massive, MASSIVE amounts to charity. If they had given 98% of all the money they earned during their formative years do you think they would have been able to give so much? What about all the jobs that would have never happened without their investments? What about the advancements they created through their wealth?
How can we grow as a society if profits are treated like a scarlet letter and are disposed of as soon as they are received? Profits, properly invested, are the engine that drives everything foreward.
I like Stasia’s dad. He’s being gritty and decisive and not as controlling as some people think, at least in these last few pages (I was put off by him trying to set Stasia up with the loser ex-bf). If he was he never would have allowed all this charity. He’s mainly doing what a good manager should right now by trying to manage her public image.
His idea is also saving the money is closer to the mark then Stasia’s idea of donating it all. True, he’s overly focused on familly wealth but he’s not the idiot that some people seem to think he is. I really don’t like this comic page title.
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:33 am
TomaO2: Stop talking, idiot, wow. Wait 20 or 50 years? She’s trying to CURE CANCER RIGHT NOW and that’s where most of her money is going, as the comic has made pretty clear. I hate morons like you.
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:53 am
TomaO2:
You seem to have some “issues” that not only range from tangential to unrelated to the comic, but are also contradicted by the story.
ON Charity: You talk about business and autonomy. That is exactly what the women’s villages provide.
ON Investment: Yes, money invested grows. Guess what Anna is doing? Investing it in charity early! Invested wisely, she’ll have a much larger positive impact on the the world. Also, under your model, she could die of cancer herself because she waited 30 years before considering charity work.
On Mr. Tyler: As I said earlier, I partly agree with some of Mr. Tyler’s claims and views. Others do not. But he is also overbearing and may be dealing with his own issues, as well. (I’m still curious how much an effect his wife’s death and Anna’s charity work for a cure has affected him.)
But it is nice to see someone who is always working for the better world rather than being a robber barron today and buying absolution much later.
Or, worse, being a complete ditz who blows her money up her nose, gets knocked up repeatedly, spends more time in rehab than out, spends the rest of her time suing and getting sued by her family and friends, and then wonders why everyone hates her, her homes are being repossessed, and her sex tapes are all over the internet.
NOTE: I think everything else in your post has no relationship with the comic. I’ll address some, but they’re tangential to the story.
You seem to stereotype Africans and somehow claim charity causes them to keep their children near starvation. Poverty is complex, and the power brokers whom you worship are sometimes a major factor. World bank schemes that have farmers deforest the land and grow cash crops unsuited for the region rather than self-sufficiency food crops for local consumption and export have been a problem in many countries.
ON The Rich: They can be good. They can be bad. They are important. But it is the middle of the country that is the vitality of the country. If you only have rich and poor, there is no vested interest in the country.
ON Socialism: Europe is closer to socialist. The so-called Communist state of China is not. And Mexico is your counter-example. You have possibly the wealthiest man in the world combined with great poverty. China itself has increasing economic disparity as well as local corruption, ecological devastation, pollution, worker exploitation, and growing regional rifts. China is a growing power, but it will pay a large price for its corruption and failure to represent the interests of the middle of the nation.
ON the US: Yes, the rebates are stupid. Infrastructure is where the money should be spent. Ideally, you only want to borrow money for investments rather than consumption. And, yes, the country has problems. But what the heck does that have to do with tax rates (not at issue in the story) and savings?
On Anna: First, you’re pulling 98% out of nowhere, so please stop that. Second, I agree the percentage is high and Mr. Tyler has some good points, but there is a full disconnect between your claim of wealth being a scarlet letter and Anna’s world. Her father specifically had her biography say “over half” rather than the actual number because he feared people would consider her crazy if they knew the real number.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:50 am
Good story.
June 28th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
2 million might be a lot to most people…but if you think about it…houses around any “high normal neighborhood” can easily be a million or more…so 2 million, for someone who’s supposed to be protected and pay for so many things, is too little money…it makes Stacia look really stupid for not helping herself!