Re-read week 163: May 10 - 15

[brasca]

Except Charlotte has a HISTORY of being a liar. Including a BOMB THREAT. A HUGE BOMB THREAT. Like that's fucking disturbing on it's own. -____-

And Helen is still bad. She outted someone else to a crowd of disgusting people. She was a mole who fucked up her so-called friends lives to feel useful.

It was not a deliberate outing since Helen was drunk. If she really wanted to sell out her friends she could have negotiated for a better place at the table considering she knew 2 things that Karen would find valuable: Sara's sexuality and Aggie's crush on Marshall. Instead she gave away both because she was quite inebriated. That was not good, but her greatest failing was not admitting what happened and going along with the lie.

And seriously where do you get this notion that she fucked up their lives? It was highly unpleasant for a few days, but the whole confession/accusation was largely forgotten after Karen's popularity imploded. The way you recall it you would think Sara was almost burned at the stake.

[LadyObvious23]

You do know what actually happens to kids who get forcibly outted right? They get expelled,homeless,raped or fucking MURDERED. This isn't some little mistake. Helen shouldn't have outted her drunk or not. She just did it to feel useful! Like that's an excuse at all!

And yes the whole fake!rape accusation wasn't bad enough. Like it even hurt Penny's reputation. And if the school did anything. Anything at all. It might have been resolved. But the school doing NOTHING is seriously unrealistic as Hell.

[timemonkey]

You keep saying that like she did it deliberately. She was so drunk she had no filter and reacted to something she overheard because Karen was being a smug bitch. Yes, there are negative consequences for being outted, Sarah didn't suffer any of them that we saw, and yes she shouldn't have been in the position to do it in the first place but it was an accident. I'm not even certain she remembers doing it. Outting Sarah was a mistake, a dangerous one, but a mistake none the less, it's one the group wasn't even mad about, they were only mad at the deliberate betrayal. Plus Sarah herself was not being subtle about being a lesbian, if Karen's gang weren't so oblivious they'd have spotted it themselves.

[LadyObvious23]

THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT OKAY. THAT WAS SOMETHING HELEN DECIDED BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO BE USED AND USEFUL. SARA SUFFERED ALRIGHT. THE FAKE RAPE THING DIDN'T JUST GO AWAY NOW DID IT?

[timemonkey]

She didn't decide to do it, it was simply a reflexive comment that she put no thought into because she was so drunk.

[LadyObvious23]

Being drunk is not an excuse. Ever. -______-

[brasca]

You do know what actually happens to kids who get forcibly outted right? They get expelled,homeless,raped or fucking MURDERED. This isn't some little mistake. Helen shouldn't have outted her drunk or not. She just did it to feel useful! Like that's an excuse at all!

And yes the whole fake!rape accusation wasn't bad enough. Like it even hurt Penny's reputation. And if the school did anything. Anything at all. It might have been resolved. But the school doing NOTHING is seriously unrealistic as Hell.

Well I am sorry you grew up in Hatred, Mississippi where such things were the order of the day, but most of us did not and neither did the students of Belleville. If being outed was as potentially lethal as you claim Fred and Daphne would have spent high school as each other's beards until they graduated and moved to a tolerant locale. Karen thought Aggie was a lesbian, but none of her plans involved organizing a lynch mob against her. And like Timemonkey stated there is Sara's obviousness. If this town was remotely like wherever it is you are from she would have kept her helmet hair and continued going on fake dates with boys until it was safe to come out of the closet.

Being drunk may not be an excuse, but if you choose to hold everyone accountable for every stupid thing in their youth then you will be quite lonely.

[LadyObvious23]

WOOOOOW. YOU DELIBERATELY NOT REALIZED HOW SHITTY THIS IS AND HOW SHE COULD BE HURT. BUT HEY. MICROAGRESSION ISN'T AS BAD AS MACROAGRESSION EH? I MEAN HEY IF THE LOCAL WHITE KIDS ARE DOING WELL THEN HOMOPHOBIA DOESN'T EXIST IN THE VERSE AT ALL.

I never got drunk and outted my friend to make myself pathetically useful for someone I knew was harmful to them.

[brasca]

Good for you! Neither have I! In fact I have never made most of the mistakes the characters from this strip have, but I have the ability to empathize. Helen's need for attention stems from the lack of love and attention she received from the people who are supposed to give it unconditionally, her parents. There were plenty of times when I had no one to turn to in school, but at the end of the day they were there and because of that I could endure. Without that I do not know how I would turn out so yes I can empathize with a lonely and insecure girl who made a lot of mistakes to seek the approval of others.

And yes homophobia exists, but have some perspective. Yes it was an uncomfortable few weeks that Sara and Penny endured, but a lot of that was due to the rape allegation. Compare that to what happens to LGBT children in backward third world nations and any one those victims would gladly trade places with Sara in a heartbeat.

[timemonkey]

I've been outted by other people at both school and work. It's annoying and while there are potential negative consequences they are not a given. You can't play the psychotically homophobic consequences card if it doesn't apply to the setting. People cared more that Sarah was accused of rape than then ever did she was a lesbian. Hell, the person that gave her the hardest time because of her gayness, aside from her horrible mother, was probably Daphne, who was also outted during this arc, again to no consequences.

[LadyObvious23]

Except Daphne seemed to be out long before Sara. There was a shit ton of lesbophobic crap in with the stuff around the school. -____-

Good for you! Neither have I! In fact I have never made most of the mistakes the characters from this strip have, but I have the ability to empathize. Helen's need for attention stems from the lack of love and attention she received from the people who are supposed to give it unconditionally, her parents. There were plenty of times when I had no one to turn to in school, but at the end of the day they were there and because of that I could endure. Without that I do not know how I would turn out so yes I can empathize with a lonely and insecure girl who made a lot of mistakes to seek the approval of others.

And yes homophobia exists, but have some perspective. Yes it was an uncomfortable few weeks that Sara and Penny endured, but a lot of that was due to the rape allegation. Compare that to what happens to LGBT children in backward third world nations and any one those victims would gladly trade places with Sara in a heartbeat.

Wooow thanks for that. For the whole "YOUR TRAUMA ISN'T THAT BAD!! SHUT UP. GAY KIDS IN OTHER COUNTRIES-" just fucking don't. Don't ever. That line of crap doesn't fly.

Helen outted someone else. There's NO excuse for it. It can be explained with her needing to be used as she put it but it doesn't excuse her. AT ALL.

[timemonkey]

That's not what we said, she didn't out Sarah to be used, she outted Sarah because she was drunk and wasn't thinking what she was saying. Daphne was outted when Cyndi made out with her at one of the parties.

[brasca]

Except Daphne seemed to be out long before Sara. There was a shit ton of lesbophobic crap in with the stuff around the school. -____-

Good for you! Neither have I! In fact I have never made most of the mistakes the characters from this strip have, but I have the ability to empathize. Helen's need for attention stems from the lack of love and attention she received from the people who are supposed to give it unconditionally, her parents. There were plenty of times when I had no one to turn to in school, but at the end of the day they were there and because of that I could endure. Without that I do not know how I would turn out so yes I can empathize with a lonely and insecure girl who made a lot of mistakes to seek the approval of others.

And yes homophobia exists, but have some perspective. Yes it was an uncomfortable few weeks that Sara and Penny endured, but a lot of that was due to the rape allegation. Compare that to what happens to LGBT children in backward third world nations and any one those victims would gladly trade places with Sara in a heartbeat.

Wooow thanks for that. For the whole "YOUR TRAUMA ISN'T THAT BAD!! SHUT UP. GAY KIDS IN OTHER COUNTRIES-" just fucking don't. Don't ever. That line of crap doesn't fly.

You are welcome Lady Obvious, but I do not think you are taking my advice to heart. Let me clarify. I understand that some bad things happened in your life, but the problem is if all you ever do is rant and rave about all the unfairness and cruelty in the world people will avoid you. In some respects you are not all that different from Helen. She too has the tendency to wallow in self pity which puts a strain on her friendships, but she eventually grows out of it.

Helen outted someone else. There's NO excuse for it. It can be explained with her needing to be used as she put it but it doesn't excuse her. AT ALL.

If outing Sara was so inexcusable then why did she eventually forgive her?

[LadyObvious23]

Except Daphne seemed to be out long before Sara. There was a shit ton of lesbophobic crap in with the stuff around the school. -____-

Good for you! Neither have I! In fact I have never made most of the mistakes the characters from this strip have, but I have the ability to empathize. Helen's need for attention stems from the lack of love and attention she received from the people who are supposed to give it unconditionally, her parents. There were plenty of times when I had no one to turn to in school, but at the end of the day they were there and because of that I could endure. Without that I do not know how I would turn out so yes I can empathize with a lonely and insecure girl who made a lot of mistakes to seek the approval of others.

And yes homophobia exists, but have some perspective. Yes it was an uncomfortable few weeks that Sara and Penny endured, but a lot of that was due to the rape allegation. Compare that to what happens to LGBT children in backward third world nations and any one those victims would gladly trade places with Sara in a heartbeat.

Wooow thanks for that. For the whole "YOUR TRAUMA ISN'T THAT BAD!! SHUT UP. GAY KIDS IN OTHER COUNTRIES-" just fucking don't. Don't ever. That line of crap doesn't fly.

You are welcome Lady Obvious, but I do not think you are taking my advice to heart. Let me clarify. I understand that some bad things happened in your life, but the problem is if all you ever do is rant and rave about all the unfairness and cruelty in the world people will avoid you. In some respects you are not all that different from Helen. She too has the tendency to wallow in self pity which puts a strain on her friendships, but she eventually grows out of it.

Helen outted someone else. There's NO excuse for it. It can be explained with her needing to be used as she put it but it doesn't excuse her. AT ALL.

If outing Sara was so inexcusable then why did she eventually forgive her?

Wooow. Oppression Olympics. Only brought up when someone is pissed about homophobia or anything else bad. It isn't "all I do" but thanks for the generalization. And honestly. I ain't like Helen. I ain't interested in being used to feel good about myself. I never outted someone else or got drunk when I was a teenager.

[brasca]

I completely forgot about Yolanda. This is the last time we see her and Campbell never revealed her fate. In an alternate reality I could see her Helen, and Sandra Arden recruited into a group of drunk crime fighters, but sadly that spin-off will only exist in my imagination.