Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

WCDT January 9-13, 2012 (2096-2100)

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Blackjoker:

--- Quote from: Schmorgluck on 12 Jan 2012, 13:29 ---Oh, and given that it's not Something*Positive, I still have hope for a... satisfactory ending, at least.

--- End quote ---

I actually like Something Positive, if the endings are sad there's at least some levity to it. With this one, it seems more like salt being rubbed into wounds.

Tormuse:
Personally, I think the real problem is that neither Marten, nor Padma, are being honest about their feelings about each other, or their feelings in general.

I think it's safe to say that the real reason that Padma didn't call isn't because she was "too busy packing."  Something has been troubling her.  Back at this comic, it was pretty clear that something was bothering her, (though Marten didn't pick up on it) and she's probably been troubled ever since.

Similarly, Marten isn't being honest about his feelings.  He could have said today that he felt hurt by the fact that she didn't call.  It wouldn't have to be an attack or accusation or anything, just an honest, assertive statement about his feelings.

In fact, all of this angst he's been feeling could probably have been headed off back at his last phone call with Padma in this comic.  We find out from this comic that she said that she's "feeling down."  Speaking for myself, if someone I cared about told me they were feeling down, my response would not be, "okay, bye."  It would be more like, "What's wrong?  Do you want to talk about it?"  I would acknowledge and respect their feelings and maybe try to help cheer them up.  That's the point where Marten started handling things badly and it's just gone downhill from there.

Of course, in my experience, most people have difficulty with that kind of emotional expression and most people want to avoid that kind of confrontation, so all in all, I'd say this is a realistic portrayal of everyone's actions and reactions.  Bravo, Jeph, for writing this so well!  :)

NotAwesomeAnymore:
@lepetitfromage
I used your quote because it was the first in a long line of women-do-this comments. I wasn't expecting anyone to read my mind, I was merely illustrating the personal consequences of this kind of sexism, because I believe male privilege exists. Women experience that to different extents, for sure.

Boradis:
Contrary to Jeph's opinion, Marten did the right thing on both days.

For whatever reason, Padma not only avoided him during her last week there, she didn't even try to explain. Maybe she was feeling stressed, or sad, or crazy busy, or some other crises arose. It may be perfectly understandable and unavoidable, but the burden of explanation is on her.

She left him in the dark until the last possible minute, then she expected him to drop everything (including his self respect) and go see her.

Marten shouldn't do anything, and definitely needs to move on. I do think Padma owes him another phone call to apologize or explain, but in the long run it doesn't really matter.

As for Marten, he knew she was a flake from the start and is just reaping what was sown. If there were one word I'd use to describe Padma's character it would be "oblivious." He should not be surprised that she's bulldozed his feelings without thinking twice about it.

She's not a good romantic match for him or probably for anyone at this point. Marten needs to either be a bit more like his mom and realize that sometimes sex is just sex, or learn to avoid sex-based relationships altogether.

pwhodges:

--- Quote from: Boradis on 12 Jan 2012, 14:04 ---then she expected him to drop everything (including his self respect) and go see her.
--- End quote ---

Why would seeing her again have meant losing his self respect?  Has he not actually lost self respect by doing something which he himself thinks was wrong?

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