Cat is being crushed by the whale. Girl repeatedly asks the whale to stop crushing Cat, getting louder each time. The whale ignores her until she shouts at it. The whale finally acknowledges Girl, but only to reprimand her for not keeping the "discussion" civil.
The joke is that whale ignored her pleas until she shouted, but instead of addressing the content of her pleading, all the whale cared about was the perceived incivility of being loud.
An additional layer to the joke is that the reason Cat is being crushed by the whale is because Cat complained about being crushed by a whale.
As an allegory, it's applicable to scenarios where one group abuses another group, and then punishes those victims for complaining about the abuse by victimizing them further -- and when called out on it by a third party, the abuser does not address the abuse, but instead complains about the tone of the call out.
What specific, real-world situation this strip refers to is open to interpretation, since it's illustrating a typical dynamic of severe power imbalances.
(But my own errant speculation is that it was inspired by the crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations at US college campuses. YMMV.)
Heathcliff without Heathcliff 5/18/2024 ( lemmy.world )
Gotta stab a new drive into computer ( lemmy.world )
No shit ( lemmy.today )
Via Twonks
But it's a necessary chore for successful business dogs ( lemmus.org )
Sticky Comics by Christiann MacAuley for May 17, 2024.
What did the lettuce say to the celery?
"Quit stalking me!"
What Is EGGCONSOLE? - Full Game List, PC-88, MSX2 On Nintendo Switch, Best Games To Start ( www.nintendolife.com )
Web Archive link....
Words for an epic quest, part 2 ( lemmus.org )
Incidental Comics by Grant Snider, May 16, 2024.
Pro-cat bias in education ( lemmus.org )
Mutts by Patrick McDonnell, 15 May, 2024.
The 7 deadly Amazon returns ( lemmus.org )
Sticky Comics by Christiann MacAuley for May 10, 2024.
Do you think you could survive on peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches? ( lemmus.org )
Haircut Practice by Adam Koford for May 13, 2024.
About Microvision, One Of The First Handheld Game Consoles ( mentalitch.com )
Article on a Fan-Made Remake Of Dragon Quest ( www.timeextension.com )
Improvised bookmark ( lemmus.org )
Mutts by Patrick McDonnell, May 10, 2024.
Stay steady and keep your feet on the ground ( lemmus.org )
Nancy by Olivia Jaimes for May 10, 2024....
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe (Comix Version) ( lemmus.org )
Super-Fun-Pak Comix by Ruben Bolling for May 10, 2024.
Where do saplings go to learn?
Elemen-tree school.
Prove you're really a Trekkist! ( lemmy.world )
Steve Albini Standing Outside Gates of Heaven Telling Everyone How Much He Hates the Smashing Pumpkins ( thehardtimes.net )
The mindless violence. And the way it's going, I sometimes wonder if we're even holding the line. ( lemmy.world )
Look out! I'm a wild-eye kitty today! ( lemmus.org )
Mutts by Patrick McDonnell, May 8 2024.
I'm being crushed by a big blue whale ( lemmus.org )
Cat and Girl by Dorothy Gambrell, May 8, 2024.
"Can you help me with my homework?" ( lemmus.org )
Haircut Practice by Adam Koford for May 06, 2024
Last week I thought I was a sea snake.
I'm glad I'm over that eelness.
The mullet isn't helping either ( lemmus.org )
Super-Fun-Pak Comix by Ruben Bolling for May 05, 2024
How to stop doing everything last minute ( lemmus.org )
Sticky Comics by Christiann MacAuley for May 03, 2024
Humans share the web equally with bots, report warns amid fears of ‘dead internet’ ( www.independent.co.uk )
Remember zip drives? ( i.redd.it )
cross-posted from: https://lemmit.online/post/2824472...
The Original Version Of Columns For The HP-UX Has Just Been Found ( www.timeextension.com )
The BASIC programming language turns 60 ( arstechnica.com )
I was definitely a Commodore kid, and BASIC was my first language. Maybe it's nostalgia, but I still like BASIC for hobby stuff.
Why are *you* here? ( lemmus.org )
Sarah's Scribbles by Sarah Andersen, May 1, 2024.
The academically social Vulcan ( lemmy.world )
Just past the tunnel of "it's complicated" ( lemmus.org )
Too Much Coffee Man by Shannon Wheeler for May 01, 2024
Retro Gaming Takes Over The BBC's Breakfast Show ( www.timeextension.com )
Final Fantasy IX – 2000 Developer Interviews - shmuplations.com ( shmuplations.com )
Fighting crime can be messy work ( lemmus.org )
Super-Fun-Pak Comix by Ruben Bolling for April 30, 2024.
Rae the Dad Joke ( lemmus.org )
Rae the Doe by Olive Brinker, April 30, 2024.
Calculus made easy ( lemmy.world )
"All the little bits"
To do: ( lemmus.org )
Comic by Liz Climo, April 24, 2024.
Words of Wonder: Emily Dickinson Edition ( lemmus.org )
Incidental Comics by Grant Snider, April 26, 2024.
What kind of healing...? ( lemmus.org )
Sarah's Scribbles by Sarah Andersen, April 24, 2024.
Cosmetics that break the 4th wall ( lemmus.org )
Rae the Doe by Olive Brinker, for April 24 2024.
*tap* *tap* *tap* *CRACK* ( lemmus.org )
Mutts by Patrick McDonnell for April 24, 2024.
I couldn't sleep last night... ( lemmus.org )
Too Much Coffee Man by Shannon Wheeler for April 24, 2024.
Which is more majestic? ( lemmus.org )
Extra Ordinary Comics by Li Chen, for April 24, 2024....
I bet he has an evil King *Monday* in the back yard too. ( lemmy.world )
Geordi he even sees him with a special Aura, almost like if he sparkles ( lemmy.world )