I find nothing funny in the Beetle Bailey strip yesterday (2/8. The first panel shows General Halftrack returning home and his wife asking, “Were you at the bar again?” The General answers, “yes, but I was drinking ginger ale.” The next panel shows the General adding, in a thought bubble, “with bourbon in it.” What is funny about a man lying to his wife about drinking? This is an all-to-common behavior as alcoholics seek to hide their addiction.

And what is funny about a general in the U.S. Army being portrayed as an alcoholic? This is just another instance where the strips’ creators, Mort and Greg Walker, have failed to realize that it is no longer the 1950s, and that alcoholism is no longer funny. Nor is bullying (Sarge), sexual harassment (Killer) or mental disability (Zero).

Tom Chase

Northwood