Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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joyce was the best at studying exactly how much eye contact to give
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July 11, 2026

Socialized

by David M Willis on September 22, 2010 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - Move-In Day
└ Tags: becky, joyce, sarah

Discussion (52) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Milosh
    Milosh
    September 22, 2010 at 12:05 am | #

    Apparently Joyce’s tongue is large and green, and has a hole in the middle.

    • Trae Dorn
      Trae Dorn
      September 22, 2010 at 12:10 am | #

      Dude – scotch tape dispenser.

      • JeffreyATW
        JeffreyATW
        September 22, 2010 at 12:25 am | #

        What would we do without you?

        • Trae Dorn
          Trae Dorn
          September 22, 2010 at 12:42 am | #

          Rely on Demoncat. 😛

          • fangrider
            fangrider
            September 22, 2010 at 12:48 am | #

            first read demoncat as democracy @_@ But seriously demon-cat is actually pretty reliable cause if you dont rely on him he shoots fireballs at you 100 balls a minute

            • Jenny Creed
              Jenny Creed
              July 19, 2013 at 1:30 pm | #

              THAT’S A LOT OF BALLS

              So, I was the only one who read “demoncrat”?

              • Marcos Dantas
                Marcos Dantas
                July 28, 2013 at 12:06 pm | #

                No.

          • SirConan
            SirConan
            September 10, 2015 at 8:53 am | #

            On my first try I read “democrat” and was a little confused…

  2. Alan / Falcon
    Alan / Falcon
    September 22, 2010 at 12:10 am | #

    Oh, Joyce! You’re such a Hifter.

    • Trae Dorn
      Trae Dorn
      September 22, 2010 at 12:21 am | #

      I read that as “Hitler” at first…

      • Kamino Neko
        Kamino Neko
        September 22, 2010 at 1:50 am | #

        So did I…including back the yesterday when Joyce said it…I can’t stop reading it that way…

  3. Ascension
    Ascension
    September 22, 2010 at 12:35 am | #

    I’m not quite sure what’s going on in that last panel. I’m guessing from the look on Joyce’s face she cut her tongue on the scotch tape dispenser’s tape-cutter thing.

    Or maybe, given where Sarah seems to be looking, Joyce’s realized her thong’s showing and it’s become obvious what “best-socialized” really means. Curveball!

    • ProjectXa3
      ProjectXa3
      February 24, 2012 at 12:27 am | #

      She’s only *just now* realizing that she IS her entire homeschool group.

      I think. Yeah, it appeals to my humor easiest that way so unless Mr. Willis says otherwise, that’s what I’m goin’ with.

  4. Trae Dorn
    Trae Dorn
    September 22, 2010 at 12:49 am | #

    You’re not quite right in the head, are you.

    • Trae Dorn
      Trae Dorn
      September 22, 2010 at 12:55 am | #

      That was posted in response to a since deleted comment.

  5. Rar
    Rar
    September 22, 2010 at 12:56 am | #

    Thirded, because I also read that as Hitler.

    • Rar
      Rar
      September 22, 2010 at 12:57 am | #

      …It really sucks to accidentally misclick and not hit reply.
      That was to Trae_Dorn.
      So I guess actually second. Damn, I need to read better.

  6. Jimmy
    Jimmy
    September 22, 2010 at 2:31 am | #

    Hey I know a couple of guys who were homeschooled, and they’re a lot more socialized than I am… maybe public school is what made me anti-social in the first place 😛

    • David
      David M Willis
      September 22, 2010 at 9:42 am | #

      Half of the people I knew in high school were home schooled. Despite being public schooled, I was probably less socialized than most of them.

      • sjosten
        sjosten
        December 12, 2010 at 11:24 pm | #

        Well that makes it a little better.

      • Digidestined of Trust (Tim)
        Digidestined of Trust (Tim)
        February 17, 2011 at 12:12 pm | #

        I was homeschooled through the 6th grade and then went to public school, Amelia (Cinci OH) for Middle and Anderson High (Cinci OH) for the rest. I was pretty well socialized at the beginning, but mostly for church and then was better socialized by my Sophomore year. Loved homeschool, but High School was pretty cool. High School never changed my views though. Both College and H.S. have only strengthened my faith.

    • ProjectXa3
      ProjectXa3
      February 24, 2012 at 12:35 am | #

      I’d buy that. I was abnormally short all eight years of grade school (catholic grade school, not being held back), so I wasn’t just a social outcast, I was a friggin’ pariah. I was made fun of by first graders while I was in eight grade! By the time I got out I wasn’t just socially inept, I was quite literally paranoid about anything non-hostile said to me by anyone not immediately within my small circle of friends and non-enemies. Which at that point basically consisted of just non-hostiles.

  7. LiamK
    LiamK
    September 22, 2010 at 6:36 am | #

    I’m not brilliant on the whole US-school system, but how can Joyce be homeschooled if she went to a high school? Am I misunderstanding something?

    • David
      David M Willis
      September 22, 2010 at 9:44 am | #

      Joyce never said she went to high school, just that she was afraid of going to high school.

    • p
      p
      September 22, 2010 at 11:35 am | #

      It did seem kind of implied, but maybe she was toying with the idea as she hit her teens.

      This may not be the case for many parents who homeschool their kids for moral purposes, but a lot of homeschool parents offer their children the option to attend public school once they get older.

      I knew a few kids who homeschooled up til the end of 8th grade, then went to high school with the rest of us, and one girl who went to school until halfway through high school, and decided she wanted to be homeschooled instead. I guess the halls were just filled with too much sin.

  8. MrGBH
    MrGBH
    September 22, 2010 at 8:40 am | #

    Joyce is the best socialised. That sentence truly boggles my mind.

    • Deviltrig
      Deviltrig
      September 22, 2010 at 9:42 am | #

      If she’s the best socialized, I’d hate to see the rest of them.

  9. Aeron
    Aeron
    September 22, 2010 at 8:48 am | #

    Joyce, that’s the wrong side of a tape dispenser to bite down on. I know this from experience.

  10. VigilanteMark
    VigilanteMark
    September 22, 2010 at 9:16 am | #

    Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure this is the first mention of Joyce having been home-schooled. Intriguing….

    • Deviltrig
      Deviltrig
      September 22, 2010 at 9:45 am | #

      You’re crazy… but I think you’re right anyway.

    • David
      David M Willis
      September 22, 2010 at 9:58 am | #

      Joyce was home schooled in Roomies!, too, but it never ever ever ever came up.

      • Joebo
        Joebo
        October 6, 2010 at 10:35 pm | #

        convenient

      • Rheios
        Rheios
        May 12, 2015 at 1:07 pm | #

        You did mention it briefly once. I recently traversed the archives and Shortpacked.

  11. creativerealms
    creativerealms
    September 22, 2010 at 9:18 am | #

    I find it strange how this Joyce is more sable (Is that a word) and saner then Joyce Prime yet is still the same Joyce. As lets face it Joyce Prime at this point in her life would have freaked out over the word “Stoner.”

    Oh I like it. I see this Joyce still obsessing over wanting a Husband and still choosing her “perfect man” but maybe being a bit more effective then Joyce Prime was.

  12. Zudarkness
    Zudarkness
    September 22, 2010 at 10:11 am | #

    I can relate to the anti social thing in High School. Besides taking music, having a girlfriend throughout highschool and doing some extra school stuff highschool was not really a good experience for me overall. Had to not tell many people that I watch anime, talk to people online about martial art stuff, Some of the people there lack any common scence, walking around with Tickle me elmo dolls, Buzz lightyear dolls, pacificers ((My favorite fad most of all like WTF were they thinking most of the fads in the 90’s were jsut stupid)) the really popular crowd, ((Which I land up saving a couple of them from a pounding at some other place cause they thought they were better than anyone else)) The jocks that though they can take anyone on which realyl they couldn’t . The fact is that they poke fun at me for having other commuments in life and playing The Bagpipes and wearing a kilt. Now what I did back in Highschool is “The Thing” which really which really eurks me most of all.

    Expect for the whole reglion thing Joyce sounds like a good woman that I would date and marry eventually.

    • begbert2
      begbert2
      September 22, 2010 at 10:49 am | #

      Except for the whole religion thing, what do we *know* about this Joyce?

    • Tekkactus
      Tekkactus
      September 22, 2010 at 10:51 am | #

      Bagpipes are “the thing” now?

    • twitch124
      twitch124
      September 22, 2010 at 12:23 pm | #

      pacifiers- Pacifiers as a bizarre fashion trend came out of Rave culture, where they were functional. Taking MDMA makes most people grind their teeth and pacifiers prevent jaw damage and cracked teeth.

    • No0ne
      No0ne
      September 23, 2010 at 2:06 am | #

      High School is just evil… My entire three years in a public high school, I think I spent 90% trying to plug my ears as the moronic girls in my Latin class talked entierly too loudly about their sex lives, getting told to take my sun glasses off by the exact same people everyday (I’m blind in one eye and all I see in fog in normal to bright light conditions and thus had a legitment reason to wear them, and a doctors note…) or telling people no I didn’t want to buy their extra pot… Well that and telling the annoying girl in my programing class that I would not take her to prom as I already had a date…

    • Andrusi
      Andrusi
      September 30, 2010 at 9:43 am | #

      Hey, Buzz Lightyear is awesome. He’s a Transformer, you know.

      • dcmeserve
        dcmeserve
        March 18, 2013 at 11:26 pm | #

        But he can’t breathe in space!

  13. Dr. Worm
    Dr. Worm
    September 22, 2010 at 11:08 am | #

    So she may not be screwed up from a childhood alien abduction, but she’s still very sheltered and naive. This is gonna be interesting. ONWARD!!!

  14. LiamKav
    LiamKav
    September 22, 2010 at 4:34 pm | #

    To be honest, I’d have wanted to punch someone wearing a kilt at highschool. Only Scots should be allowed to wear a kilt. And then, only at a wedding. And then, only if I’m not invited.

    I’m also with Tekkactus. Rarely have I ever seen a group of high school kids, loitering on a street corner, intimidating other folk with their aggressive bagpipe playing.

  15. Meems
    Meems
    May 26, 2011 at 10:02 pm | #

    I was homeschooled and I’m plenty socialised!
    …and if I’m not, it’s not the fault of the homeschooling. *shifty eyes*

  16. Djorra
    Djorra
    June 2, 2011 at 1:10 pm | #

    I’m kinda tired of the bad rep homeschoolers get. I was homeschooled all my life until college, and I did great when I got there. I have a steady girlfriend, a large group of amazing friends, and never had a problem socially.

  17. Derp
    Derp
    August 30, 2013 at 9:47 pm | #

    Oh my MAGATAMA!! ..What, I was the only one who got that reference?

  18. ParanoidSpy
    ParanoidSpy
    October 20, 2013 at 1:29 pm | #

    Anderson University or Hyles-Anderson College?

  19. RandomPerson12
    RandomPerson12
    October 15, 2014 at 8:45 pm | #

    JOYCE is the best socialized? Really?

  20. Aisling
    Aisling
    May 22, 2015 at 2:30 pm | #

    lol Joyce makes me cringe… I was like her a long time ago.

  21. anonymsly
    anonymsly
    October 21, 2015 at 3:20 pm | #

    oh jeez, that picture in panel 1 kind of hurts now. I think that’s Six Flags in the background, so I know who’s taking the picture.

    • Maveric1984
      Maveric1984
      November 28, 2015 at 2:56 pm | #

      Yeah, and the other thing I noticed is that Becky’s parents are making her go to Anderson, rather than singular. Wonder when her mom died (or maybe it’s just a continuity error)

  22. Mousa The 14
    Mousa The 14
    March 31, 2016 at 9:35 am | #

    Oh that’s not ominous at all.

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