Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT: 2006-2010 (5-9 Sep 2011)
Emperor Norton:
The area I grew up in had no bike lanes, no sidewalks. I lived close to my high school compared to most people and I was still 5 miles away. I walked it a few times when in high school, but it was all down a large highway. I wouldn't want people under 12 walking down the side of a highway with steep shoulders with cars flying by at 60mph right next to them.
The thing isn't about being paranoid its about the layout of where we grow up being much different. I let my kids play outside all the time now without my supervision (though my 5 year old son needs to have my 10 year old sister with him if he goes out, she can go out by herself), but they don't leave the small subdivision I live in. Outside of that is highway. No sidewalks, no bike lanes, just cars flying by at high speed.
We walk out each morning to put the kids on the bus, and go to the bus stop to pick them up every afternoon (though, this one is because the school won't let a kindergartener off the bus without a parent present, personally they could walk home by themselves, and my daughter does if my son is home sick).
Things are just spread out. Not only spread out but they are connected by large highways, and bike lanes only exist inside cities. there are sidewalks inside the main roads of small towns and larger.
And yes, for the most part kids in the US ride school buses. In large cities there might be more people who walk or ride a bike, but I grew up in a rural area, and now live right outside a small city, and VERY few people walk or ride a bike, its just not feasible.
stoutfiles:
--- Quote from: LoliBot on 09 Sep 2011, 14:35 ---
--- Quote from: stoutfiles on 09 Sep 2011, 14:18 ---
--- Quote from: gangler on 09 Sep 2011, 13:43 ---
Marten's just a good grounding force. Got his feet deeply rooted in reality, he's mellow and helpful, he generally sounds like he knows what he's talking about, never makes a big deal out of the shortcomings, failings, or screwups of those around him. Always listens and knows just how to diffuse an emotionally turbulent situation.
--- End quote ---
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1818
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That's an isolated incident. He was severely depressed and very, very drunk. I'm not saying that excuses it, but that's one specific time.
It's just as easy to post a link to this comic (He does a ton of nice things for Dora and tries to cheer her up when he realizes she's not having a good day) or even this one, where he's making sure Tai is careful with Hanners. Even when his closest friends aren't around, he's not judging Hannelore for who she is and tries to take care of her. Even when things are awful, he still tries to do the right thing and can even appropriately bring in just the right amount of humor, like in this strip.
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I've known plenty of people who were severly drunk and depressed, but they didn't say dickish things. Alcohol brings out repressed thoughts, it doesn't make up new ones. It takes away inhibitions. Faye let it go because she had to, she's done so many dickish things it's a wonder she has friends sometimes.
I would say that the nice guy role has been taken away by Hanners, or Marigold, or Momo, or Winslow. While none of them are typically guys, even Angus has a better track record so far. Marten is generally a nice guy but, I'm sorry, after that incident I'd go to Hannelore for help with something. Marten seems quite bitter about people going to him for help, because he doesn't get anything out of it.
Spectreofwar:
--- Quote from: stoutfiles on 10 Sep 2011, 07:04 ---
I've known plenty of people who were severly drunk and depressed, but they didn't say dickish things. Alcohol brings out repressed thoughts, it doesn't make up new ones. It takes away inhibitions. Faye let it go because she had to, she's done so many dickish things it's a wonder she has friends sometimes.
I would say that the nice guy role has been taken away by Hanners, or Marigold, or Momo, or Winslow. While none of them are typically guys, even Angus has a better track record so far. Marten is generally a nice guy but, I'm sorry, after that incident I'd go to Hannelore for help with something. Marten seems quite bitter about people going to him for help, because he doesn't get anything out of it.
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How we treat our friends on a daily basis is how we really act, and hopefully how our friends see what they mean to us. The fact that Marten had one incident where he was indeed bitter about the outcome of a certain event was enough to condemn him entirely for you, is it? Do your friends never make mistakes? :P
gangler:
I've never done a school bus before, but I certainly was never allowed to wander too far from the adult supervision as a child. When I was a kid I was able to play outside in our housing complex, and not if there weren't already some of the trusted neighborhood parents watching the kids at play from their front step.
I could also be trusted to walk to the variety store which was outside of the housing complex, but in retrospect that was really contingent on my ability to walk straight there and back without wandering off.
In highschool I was granted a little more freedom. My parents wouldn't question if I came home late from school. From there the boundaries extended pretty organically as I kept having cause to go new places farther away and they kept not having reason to object to it. By the time I was sixteen I could pretty much go wherever I wanted so long as I brought payphone money to tell them where I was and they felt pretty comfortable just leaving me to my own devices.
It just makes sense to me. Wouldn't have occurred to me that there would be urban circles where it wasn't considered usual to keep an eye on the kids. Kids are stupid. I was no exception. The city is not a friendly place for unsupervised children. Children go missing they often don't come back in one piece. We all know how kids get with wandering off the moment you take your eyes off them.
I mean heck, it's hard to even move about the city without someone taller to get the cars to notice you. If you get lost then that's just complete hell after it gets dark.
This being said I didn't find it odd that someone so young would be unsupervised in a bakery. Even in a city there are a lot of reasons that could be. She could live right down the street from the bakery and her parents know she knows the way. The bakery could be on her way to school. Thirteen is ninth grade so this could be where she comes for her lunch break. She could just be an unsupervised child in general. There are always some of those hanging around. Either got some oddball parents with unorthodox parenting philosophies or just regular run of the mill negligence. Latch key kids can be found from time to time just doing their thing. The degree of supervision still doesn't mean it's an alien concept to see a kid walking around without an adult clearly attached to them.
FunkyTuba:
I hereby accept that it's not as unusual-sounding as I originally thought to think of a 13yo in a bakery unsupervised.
What about CoD? Faye would probably want to behead first and ask questions later, no?
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