It's a sign of insanity that I have taken up reading Questionable Content, a webcomic of the romantic hijinks of music fans.

It goes like this: Twenty-something "emo-boy" Marten likes all-around cute bespectacled girl Faye, who works at the Coffeehouse of Doom. Faye's "goth" boss, Dora, likes Marten. So does Faye. This shouldn't be a huge problem, as the feelings between Marten and Faye are mutual, however Faye has "boy issues." Namely, her father, who was very kind and supportive of her, killed himself for no reason when she was a teenager. Somehow this means she can't let herself get into a romantic relationship, and she says this to Marten. This hurts Marten, but it opens the way for Dora to put the moves on him. For some reason Faye and Dora are still friends even after Marten and Dora become a couple.

Time passes. Faye, Marten, Dora, her ladykiller cousin Sven and Marten's neurotic neighbor Hannelore go out for karaoke night. Marten and Dora retire early, the rest decide to hang out at Sven's apartment. Sparks have been flying between Sven and Faye all night, and much to Faye's surprise she hooks up with Sven.

So, this should be a good thing, right? Although Sven isn't exactly the committed type and a relationship would be disastrous, Faye at least gets to experience some normal sexual activity and start overcoming her "boy issues." This ought to be a cause to celebrate!

But alas, the world of Questionable Content is filled with questionable judgment.

That's okay. Questionable judgment is good dramatic fodder. However, there is a treatment of such judgment that results in abject stupidity. Questionable Content achieves these heights when Dora and Marten discover Faye's tryst.

Dora is incensed. She believes Faye is trying to get back at her by sleeping with her cousin. Why sleeping with her cousin is such a bad thing is beyond me. Sven and Faye were consenting adults, and what they do in the bedroom is their business. Furthermore, it is Sven who is the more predatory of the two. One would think Dora would be angry at him for purportedly leading a delicate and emotional Faye on. But no, Dora is angry at Faye for imagined plots for vengeance. A weird and pathetic vengeance it would be indeed. Marten gets into an argument with his girlfriend over the rationality of her reaction, angry words are exchanged. Marten then finds himself in a bar with Hannelore and another friend of his, venting over the irrationality of women.

Now, besmirching all women for the actions of a single individual, I'd agree that is sexist. But what happens next still floors me. Hannelore suggests that Marten was at fault for questioning the rationality of his girlfriend's reaction.

And you know what? Marten buys it, and he and his friend bemoan the general dorkiness of men.

This is a bothersome development. Having Dora get upset over something so silly and in such an illogical fashion already strains the borders of believability and sympathy for the characters. Marten was entirely right to call her on it, even though it did upset her. But the author doesn't respect his character's decision. In the punchline of that last strip, which in the web-comic world is a Moment of Truth, he reduces the entire conflict between Dora and Marten to a case of "Women are Always Right, and Men are Awkward, Incompetent Douches."

It is a tired old cliché, yet one that inevitably seeps its way into just about any romantic comedy. Women act "emotional," men act "insensitive," and this puts the men and the women at odds with each other. It is more than a little sexist, which is ironic since it seems an attempt to be feminist by placing the blame on the man. Sometimes the male lead does genuinely trample his love's feelings and should be held responsible. However when women are portrayed as irrational and challenging that irrationality is taboo, not only does it reinforce the stereotype of women being overly emotional: it sanctifies it. Ignorance and insecurity in women are elevated onto a pedestal, and others are made helpless to change it. True friends, regardless of sex, are honest with one another. Some are more frank and others more gentle, but friends force friends to examine unfounded insecurities. They do not let them stand. Just because one friend happens to be a woman does not excuse her friends from calling her out. To discriminate along gender lines serves only to maintain conditioned, stereotyped behaviors and perpetuate the sexist meme.