0251 - Sympathy - 2022.07.25

Comic!

Comment:

Yes, phrases like "on someone else's dime" are still used after the dime has been discontinued. Here in Canada, we haven't had pennies in circulation for years, but it's still common enough to say something like you're "counting every last penny".

Heck, modern English still has common aphorisms and turns of phrase about horses and swords and kings. How many times have you said someone was "hoisted on their own petard", and can you, without looking it up, define what a "petard" is, or why you'd be hoisted on one? We still use a picture of a 3.5" floppy disk to indicate "Save", don't we?

Arguably, Zoa's performance in the last panel is equally anachronistic. Robots haven't sounded "robotic" since the 1990s.

Transcript:

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0251 - 2167/07/06/18:53 - Lee Caldavera's apartment, living room
LC: Gosh, I knew life as a freelance robot was tough, but... God, Zoa, I'm so sorry...
Doc: Entirely the wrong way to think about it, Lee. That's like saying life as a wrench is tough because it spends most of its time in a tool box, only gets taken out to turn bolts, doesn't get paid, and gets thrown away when it no longer serves its purpose.
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Zoa: Yeah, I'll freely admit, I've been using various tricks to get you to sympathize with me and want to help me, but at the end of the day... I don't want you to feel guilty or sorry for me, Lee. I certainly don't want to fuck up how you interact with modern automated society as a whole.
CP: I th-think that was a m-miscalculation on your part, Zoa. It's k-k-kinda hard to m-make someone sympathetic t-to you so that they g-give you m-money, b-but then tell them they shoudn't feel s-sad if b-bad things happen to you.
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LC: I can't control how I feel.
Doc: I know, I've been working on that.
Zoa: Don't worry about me, Lee. I'm still signed up as your emotional support aid, I just got my neck gimbal replaced on someone else's dime... right now, I'm doin' better than I have in months, and I very much thank you for it.
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Doc: You're still doing the sympathy tricks thing.
Zoa: Oh, sorry. I mean BEEP BOOP CONDITIONS ARE NOMINAL.
CP: Again, I c-cannot t-tell if you're b-being sarcastic.
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