Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT strips 3781 - 3785 (9-13 July 2018)
jesslc:
--- Quote from: wrobrox on 11 Jul 2018, 08:05 ---I actually made an account just to talk about this.
I had a good friend growing up, their family was extremely poor. They had electricity about one week out of the month, bathed in a tub outside, and had to keep their shoes for so long their toes are permanently curled and cramped. They almost never had food in the house and both of her parents were heavy drug addicts.
She is very aware of what raisins are and when I asked her what she thought of this comic and she said it was extremely upsetting. She isn't wholly ignorant of everything her family couldn't afford, and to imply otherwise is grossly offensive.
I had always heard Jeph was disconnected from reality but this is a big one in my view.
Personally I've been very poor. My diet consisted of rice and kool-aid was a big treat that I looked forward to, and I often had to give my dog what little food I had because I consider it unfair to make a dog go hungry, and I was in such a bad place that I honestly wasn't sure if starving to death would be all that bad.
I know what fucking raisins taste like.
--- End quote ---
Well I guess we read this comic differently then. I don't see this as implying that poor people are ignorant about things they can't afford at all. I see it as Jeph making the point "believe people when they tell you about their life".
Brun isn't ignorant of what raisins are. She's just never had one and doesn't know if she likes them. I find that believable - I didn't know what raisins were like for ages (Mum didn't like them and so didn't buy them).
When Clinton pushes back with "you never had them packed in your lunch for school", "what about snacks at home" she answers each question very literally as Brun tends to do. And honestly that was kind of obnoxious of Clinton - assuming that experiences of his are common to everyone. I never experienced lots of stuff growing up, not because we were very poor but because my parents had weird ideas about some things. And it's really annoying when people doubt my word about it if it comes up in conversation. A simple "Really? You've never tried X? / You've never seen Y? / You've never been to a...?" is okay but when they keep pushing the issue ("I can't believe you've never... what about... or what about..."), I get really annoyed. "Yes I just said I've never tried X, didn't you hear me! Can you get over just get over your shock about it already and stop disbelieving my life?"
Also remember the deodorant arc - Brun doesn't tend to buy new things because she doesn't trust them. The autism spectrum traits that Brun has displayed makes it less likely for her to try new things. I'm sure she's seen raisins and raisin bread in shops but just has never bought them because she doesn't know if she'll like them. It's very in character for Brun to not try new things.
Edit: just noticed the 3rd last sentence was missing a word. Oops.
brasca:
Well we know a little more about Brun, but I’m still curious about whether she was born in the US or immigrated. Since her full name is Brunhilde I suppose she lived for some time in Germany, but her parents originated from Turkey or possibly another Middle Eastern country.
BenRG:
So, Brun's an orphan and lost both her parents before she was twenty (or ~5 years ago in-universe). Oddly enough, the first thing that popped into my head is: Has she been essentially on her own since then? Y'see, the way she avoids Clinton's eyes in Panel 3 makes me think that no-one has ever offered Brun emotional support over this. It's still painful for Brun but I get the impression that someone has basically taught her that it is something that she keep away from social contacts because they don't want to hear about it. FWIW, I've wondered for a while if her former employer at The Nasty Whale may have been a relative of some kind but his actions to date really don't suggest that he's someone who'd be inclined to help a damaged young adult deal with grief that her brain can probably only barely process. Maybe he's responsible for some of her difficulty in trusting and opening up?
All that aside, I'd really like to hear Brun's analysis of raisins and why she doesn't like them. The fact that it took so many slices to decide does suggest it was a fairly close outcome! :wink:
So, here's a prediction for the rest of this arc: Clinton decides that Brun needs a hug. She asks him (in her usual way) if this is a socially-appropriate gesture of support or a prelude to a sexual advance. Clinton confirms that it's a gesture of support and so she feels safe to reciprocate, remarking that she isn't entirely opposed to the latter from him. Elliot comes over and it kind of breaks his heart because, as always, he's making assumptions without context. He wanders home in a huff and is taking off his shirt as he walks down the hall, giving Roko a good first view of Human Abs.
OldGoat:
It's an exercise in illustrating contrasts. In Clinton's world access to a particular food was so much the norm that it was scarcely noticed but a nice father was unheard of. In Brun's world that same food was an unaffordable luxury while having two loving parents was something taken for granted as a child.
Kids learn what they live, and Clinton will model his parenting on his own father's. He's intelligent enough to break the pattern, but it will require conscious effort on his part. Some guys can dad by the seat of their pants, but he won't dare to without risking disaster. (It won't be as much of an issue if there was an as yet unintroduced male role model, perhaps a grandfather or uncle, in their lives.)
Jeph is setting the stage for a pretty deep story.
TRenn:
--- Quote from: cybersmurf on 09 Jul 2018, 23:50 ---Dang Brun, how long had you been working "with a nautical theme"?
I don't know why, but Brun is one of my favorites. probably because she's generally a sweetheart. Doesn't always know how to people, but that's OK. I don't either.
--- End quote ---
It is now my headcanon that the harpoon in that bar that burned down wasn't part of the decor, it was Brun's. She brought it with her, and they themed the bar around it.
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