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Rainbow Friends
Dr. Frizzle
Your mom’s not immune to my penis’s influence.
For a nickel.
In her face.
IN A CAVE, WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!!!
The level of influence! IT’S OVER NINE THOUSAND!!!!!1
Someone’s mom is getting fucked in her face for a nickel in a cave with a box of scraps? I think I need to rewatch Iron Man…
Joyce is above the influence.
When she’s not trying to turn ppl into jesus-loving catholics!
Oh no! Catholics aren’t real christians.
wrong c-word?
weeelllll…i do have some christian friends who act like c-words, but they’re hardly representative of the whole faith
she’s high on christ
“Jesus: My anti-drug”?
christianity: methadone for the soul
Religion: The opiate for the masses~Karl Marx
Communion: Cannibalism for Catholics.
(They claim that the wafers and wine turn into Jesus’s flesh and blood every Sunday)
And that’s not even getting into the Eucharist.
Religion: The opiate for the masses~Karl Marx
I guess that makes breasts my anti-drug. :3
At least it’s cheaper than anime, which is MY anti-drug.
It was established that Joyce is not Catholic, but Protestant.
For most americans that I know, Christians and Protestants are synonymous. If they know what a protestant it at all.
For the rest of the world, they aren’t.
That’s not entirely fair; something like 14% of Americans are Catholic, but concentrated in the Northeast and Southwest.
Joyce IS the influence.
She’s not Catholic…
LALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU THINGS THAT WILL CHANGE MY WORLD VIEW!!!
Ah, Joyce.
Jesus gives immunisation shots to his followers. Mine tasted like strawberry.
Strawberry? Odd. Mine tasted like chocolate.
he just punched me in the stomach and gave me the “i’m watching you bongo” symbol….oddly enough i tasted bananas afterwords
That’s because he knows you don’t love him.
it’s not that i don’t love him, it’s just that i don’t know if i’m in love with him yet. dude just needs to give “us” time y’know?
Appropriate, given your avatar.
I ducked out of the religion before they gave me the shot. I always imagined it’d taste like sugar.
Aww. I wanted bananas…
you don’t really believe that was strawberry or chocolate you were having do you? oh sly lord, you do move in mysterious ways.
I got bacon
With his penis.
No.
Wait, I’m confused, how do you taste an immunization shot? Aren’t those given with… y’know… needles?
Woah, my icon stayed the same person but got like, a thousand times better.
Not if the immunisation comes in a shot glass.
Although it’s possible to avoid tasting it that way, too.
Mine tasted like grape and almonds.
TRUST me she’s immune to influence. Well most of it anyways. Having lived a similar Christian life as Joyce, I can relate. Influence really hasn’t taken a strong hold, I’m more of the influence on others.
If what happened in the other universe is any indication, all it’s going to take is a willing guy, and she’ll be into premarital hanky-panky in a heartbeat.
There is a certain image that Religiously constrained people of this age are prone to break down and partake of everything they’ve been denied.
Of course, the distinction is whether or not they’re legitimate believers or not. Someone like Joyce doesn’t feel like she’s been oppressed or denied any joy or opportunities. It’s quite likely that she just plain does not desire what Billie has to offer.
Of course, if you don’t believe then you leave the house, find yourself free of an oppressive influence for the first time since conception, and it’s not unheard of for such a person to just flatout break loose. Enjoy all the vices and excess they’ve either never gotten to try, or just no longer need to hide. Even if they just hold a lot of doubt, haven’t ever really considered it so much as gone with the flow of it all, they’re highly susceptible to new ideas.
It’s not really a matter of being immune to to Christianity. It’s just a matter of having beliefs at all. Joyce is opposed to drinking in excess (drinking at all?) the same way Sarah is. There’s not a whole lot of risk of her being swayed the same way Billie would have her work cut out for her if she decided to try and bring Sarah into this.
Though admittedly, with Joyce’s background the way it is, who knows if she has a faith that’s nonreliant on her family or religious community or not? It’s unlikely she’s ever been put in a position to question any of this before, and heaven knows the questions are all being asked in pretty rapid succession now. We’ll see how she handles it.
False actually, it isn’t related whether to the fact they -really- believe or not, but whether they actually think the things denied to them are that important to their beliefs (rather just their parents and churches opinion) or even if their minds can be changed in that area. You can still be a christian and a drunk just like you can be one and any other vice at all. Plus of course a fair few people lose religious beliefs in university. And lots of them -were- true believers.
And college changes people in general. You can become a more liberal christian for instance and shockingly, some christians do actually drink (not that excess is necessarily required) and some of them are drunks too. Hell, you don’t neeed to be ‘sasp’ liberal even to do so, conservatives also can drink to excess for a cornicopia of reasons.
So no, a kid suddenly engaging in certain experiments does not mean they’re not true believers at all. They can still believe, it’s just they perhaps believe those beliefs don’t necessarily conflict with this behaviour.
You can still be a christian and drink, so long as you’re in a sect that allows for that. I’m assuming Joyce is not part of such a sect, simply based on the general allowances behavior wise and the “My parents didn’t let me do anything” statement.
If her doctrine allowed for her to engage in such activity then I don’t see how her religion would even be relevant.
Admittedly my statements were broad, but once again I think it’s pretty plain that I’d be refering to Christian sects that don’t drink, seeing as otherwise the religion wouldn’t be a relevant variable. Catholic man drinks in college and he’s just a man drinking, the same as any other. He didn’t drink because he was or wasn’t catholic. It was never an issue.
Even if Joyce’s beliefs DID permit alcoholic beverages, I’m sure they have some pretty strong rules about obeying the law, and the drinking age in the US is 21, not to mention the dry campus policy that’s been mentioned previously in the comic.
Joyce’s drinking, at least here and now, would almost certainly conflict with the beliefs she holds now. Just wanted to clear that up. I think she will eventually crack at least a little, but it’s unlikely that it will start by her getting wasted.
I know a bunch of kosher-keeping Jews who have absolutely no desire to ever taste a cheeseburger or anything they’ve been “denied”. Absolutely none, not a drop of curiosity to the matter. Maybe faith is a strong barrier afterall.
It’s more of not knowing what it tastes like. I have a Hindu friend who’s been a vegetarian since she was small, and she hasn’t tasted a cheeseburger. She doesn’t know how good (or bad) it is, so why should she want it?
After being a vegetarian for three years, I’ve forgotten so much about the taste of meat that I’m pretty much the same in some respects.
On the topic of whether Joyce’ll ‘crack’, the phrase ‘My parents never let me do anything’ is a big clue. I doubt she’s incredibly resentful, but it sounds like she feels as if she’s missed out at times. She probably won’t go off the walls, but I’d be amazed if she doesn’t change by the end of this.
I agree. It’s the same with allergies. Even if the allergy wears off as the kid gets older (and especially if it doesn’t), they still have no desire to taste whatever it was that made them react.
My mom is allergic to chocolate and that’s fine with her, because she doesn’t like the taste of it. My cousin has no desire whatsoever to consume peanut products. His sister, however, was just recently told she can no longer have lactose or gluten. Because she grew up eating those things, she misses them.
I’m not fond of milk, with the very background you describe (allergic during childhood, grew out of it). I’ll drink milk socially, but I’d never seek out a glass of the stuff.
yeah, in the same way superman is immune to kryptonite and amazigirl is immune to criticism: only when the writer deigns it
But Superman isn’t immune to Kryptonite…? The whole point of its invention is so he can have something he ISN’T immune to, surely?
I had to look up the wiki on kryptonite to verify that this was a thing. Blew my mind.
It would be kind of nice if Billie overheard that, took a moment to think, and began to, y’know, drink less find a real identity in life, be nicer to others…
Naaaah, too soon. It’s only the fourth day of school. I give it six months.
You haven’t known many alcoholics, have you.
I know plenty who are on the wagon!
Now, ‘e only said ‘it would be nice’. That gives the impression of wishful thinking, but knowledge of how absolutely unlikely it is to occur.
Yeah, it’s too early in the strip for that kind of realization. We’re not going to see that until she hits rock bottom and she does something that will either nearly ruin her life or someone else’s.
That sounds like a good origin story for Amazi-Girl’s chief nemesis: The Frat Lady
Oh, yeah. Forgot about the flask. That would inform Sarah’s opinion just a wee bit.
That said, I think Joyce deserves more credit here. When you aren’t conditioned to believe that unlimited quantities of alcohol are the be-all and end-all of having a good time, it’s surprisingly easy to resist going nuts with the stuff.
Hm, hadn’t considered that. Yeah, stay away from her Joyce. Unless you wanna end up pregnant like Mary.
the virgin mother of christ mary? or the annoying judgemental former friend of sal from Its Walky! mary?
The way she was putting herself on airs, there’s hardly a difference.
You forgot JC’s prostitute friend Mary.
I’m sorry, did I say I “like” Sarahs character…?
I meant to say LOVE.
I LOVE Sarahs character.
Shes my second favorite next to grown up Joyce (though technically since thats in Its Walky! and not here, DoA…)! Guess shes my favorite character so far. ^ ^
She does judge fast and is bitter, but no one can blame her after all shes been through, and she definitely hit the nail on the mark in her analysis of Billie.
Agreed. She’s been through this before after all. The act she’s not afraid to call someone like Billie on their impending train wreck isn’t a bad thing. Frankly, I wish I had that kind of foresight when it comes to people.
I know, right? I loved that!
@.@ You and me both! I’m a terrible judge of character because I’m too shy to get to know the person better and I refuse to see the bad in them unless its to such a high, high extremity and even then…s:
Gotta love Sarah. She actually is a nice person, but at the same time, I think Billie has some potential. She just needs to get her head clear.
Agreed.
Wow, a DoA strip where I like and respect what Joyce has to say. Sarah has a point, it’s a curmudgeonly point, but a point nonetheless.
Of course, the best way to foster Joyce’s independence is to tell her who she can and can’t hang out with.
I love how Sarah is all protective of Joyce in this universe.
I’m pretty sure she’s only thinking of herself. If her goody-two-shoes Christian roommate gets caught up in the wrong crowd, her peaceful, studious dorm life is shattered.
Angry Joyce looks hilarious in the last panel.
Even if it’s a right guess I can’t see her judge someone that harshly after a five second meeting and not think “what a bongo”.
She narced on a few people for pot and that isn’t “been through a lot”. I know plenty of lifeless stoners they don’t harm anyone that much.
She’s a judgmental jerk who is out to stop anyone from anything fun so she can feel better about herself. If anyone met her standards ever her system of being better then everyone else wouldn’t work. Hopefully joyce doesn’t get influenced to much by her and go from naive to high and mighty christian.
I guess I’m the only one who likes sarah less with this comic though.
c’mon dude, stoners and drunken fratboys might be harmless sometimes, but they do often have a negative impact on people’s study times if they live in the same dorm. not to mention (and i say this from experience) the dumb antics of one person in a dorm can cause havoc and put scrutiny on everyone else in the room.
Also, i don’t think sarah is out to ruin people’s fun, i’m sure she doesn’t give two craps about how people who don’t affect her live their lives. she just doesn’t want to have to live with other people’s issues and wants to focus on her studies. Hard to blame someone for that, although she does catch a lot of crap for it from people at her school
We don’t know the exact specifics what happened to Sarah last year, only a summary of events. For all we know, when she narced it was because of something more than just a little pot. And she could have lost her scholarship which is the only thing that is keeping her in school.
Frankly, I don’t blame her for being a bongo. She wants a good education and she doesn’t want to associate with another person who might screw that up for her again.
A year into living at my first apartment my mom was visiting and she found a bong and etc on top of the air conditioner in a tiny closet.
I’m lucky my parents know me well enough to know I wasn’t kidding when I asked “what is that glass thing? It’s pretty.” I can only imagine that kind of paraphenalia in a dorm, especially if it’s being actively used, can do to a person’s studies and college life and scholarships.
Also, when people say she’s “been through a lot” they’re not just referring to having to put up with her roommate doing illegal drugs, but also to the fallout/aftermath of her decision to narc, where she’s now basically a pariah amongst the rest of the student body, who have apparently have no qualms about walking right up to her and telling her to her face that they wish her harm:
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/02-uphill-from-here/taken/
So yeah, she may have been a bongo here, but she has every right to be.
Also, 5 seconds?
Sarah has “known” Billie for more than 5 seconds.
-airfox
I was going to say that Sarah is being completely unfair to Billie, then I realized that Sarah is completely correct.
Sarah’s got a point. When I was in college, it was the girls like Joyce that often turned into the hard-partying gold-medalist bed-hoppers by sophomore year. Once they were out from under their parents’ thumb, they just kind of… went nuts. I think Joyce has internalized enough of the churchy stuff that she won’t go that far, however.
*Nod* While I didn’t see the sheltered girls degenerate like that, I saw the sons of policemen and ministers turn into drunken druggie womanizers. No moral immunity since they were too sheltered back home.
The only way to be truly immune to influence is by having a closed mind.
Agreed.
No, you can have an open mind and still be immune to influence. I was very open minded and accepting of those who drank and smoked pot in high school. But even thought I accept that I had friends who did that, I didn’t partake myself.
You can be immune to influence by being confident enough to say “no thanks” to something you don’t feel comfortable doing.
I get where you are coming from, I am a non-drinker and over ther years, I had a few different people try to convert me to a drinking buddy but while I tried a drink once, I never felt the need to change in that regards.
Sarah’s not wrong… but she’s being a bongo herself. “I’ve met annoying people like you, therefore I won’t even exercise basic social politeness.” I don’t know how bad her previous roomies got, but she has judgmental “any drugs or partying is too much” written all over her.
Keep in mind she said all that in response to “So, know any good parties around here?”
Her five seconds of “meeting” Billie for real (after witnessing the fights, bragging, and flasks) was “Hey, I bet you know where to get wasted, lol!”
Not to mention Joyce’s “This is my friend!” Sarah’s statements today imply that she’d rather not let Joyce come to too much harm.
Has Sarah done anything in this comic other than act superior to other people?
This one seems to be even more annoying because she feels the need to dislike Billie because they don’t want the same experience. Not everything is a zero sum game Sarah!
Keep in mind, Sarah has been at this school for a least a year already and had a drug pushing roomie the year prior. She’s experienced all the major downsides that come from kids acting so stupid and almost ended up losing her scholarship because of those people. That’s not acting suprior so much as knowing what to expect.
And lets be frank, Billie IS a drunk. She got wasted on her first night there, and she has blown off the only person who tried to act like her friend because she herself thinks she superior to Walky.
If it was a zero sum game then Sarah would Benefit from Billie’s behavior, due to her not making any of the gains Sarah wishes to attain. Just thought I’d point that out.
This makes me like Joyce even more now. She may be naive, but at least she is open-minded (somewhat), and isn’t a judgmental bongo. I hope that this keeps on being her defying trait.
Aw, Sarah looking out for Joyce. This was a good interaction strip.
No, this means that your horribly weak against outside influences.
All they need is once…just once…
TURN TO THE DARK SIDE!! We have cookies and schnapps.
Oh, btw, any chance you accept character submissions?
Well, depending on how specific her Pastor was in her education, she might very well be immune. I worked with this guy who was a hardcore Christian, and whenever we tried to “corrupt him” with invites to go out with our group after work, he’d refuse to do anything that involved alcohol or going to placed where drugs or anything “un-Christian” could be involved. The guy was 26 years old, had never had a drink, never had sex, didn’t swear, never taken drugs, and as far as I know, never even read “Harry Potter” because it might be Satanic.
Of course Joyce I could easily doing a “what could one time hurt” and being addicted to it.
How can anybody live like that?
Thats the type of person that requires an intervention. One that involves chains. And two kegs of beer. Good beer.
God didn’t put us on this earth to live lives like that. He put us on this Earth and gave us free will so we could live our lives to the fullest! That doesn’t mean you should go batshit insane with the partying and drinking and drugs, but you should at least have some fun.
Hm. I became immune to influence by building up a high tolerance for it. Other kids were ALWAYS trying to get me to do stupid shit because I was the kid who didn’t swear or fight or drink or whatever, and they thought it would be FUNNY if I did.
And I’m not even religious.
Mind you, I DID start drinking after I turned 21, and I DID almost become an alcoholic before I quit, but nobody influenced me either to start or to stop.
Anyway, I think Ruth has it. I suspect Joyce doesn’t have that kind of immunity.
um Ruth?
Yes. Ruth has it. The Drago shirt. Remember?
Yeah. Posted at 3:11 EST, having slept a total of 4 hours in the last 3 days… Of course, I meant Roz. Er, Ultra-Ca-Er, Sarah.
I didn’t think I was going to like Sarah at first. She seems like such a hard-nosed bongo. But I dig the way she tries to protect Joyce, even if she’s not particularly pleasant to be around.
Sarah’s like the no nonsence big sister Joyce never had.
Derp.
nonsence –> nonsense
The dissertations on morality and religon in the comments section are even funnier than the webcomic that inspired them.
Damn. You know Sarah has just become my favorite female character in this universe.
Aaaand now I have Stephen Lynch’s, “Vanilla Ice Cream” song running through my head. Google it.
Honestly, the only way to be immune to corrupting influence is to genuinely not care about spending time with people who do things you don’t want to.
Honestly, I go to a partying school, but I don’t drink or do drugs, and the only time I have ever felt pressured by ANYONE was when two of my very good friends tried to convince me to become a church-going Christian and spread “the Word.” (I’m agnostic and fine that way.)
Now that I think about it, it’s easier to tell people that I don’t drink than trying to explain what I “believe”…
(as an aside, I go to parties all the time, I just refuse alcohol and drugs)
So. Fucking. True.
The only person who ever tries to pressure me to drink is my mother.
She comes close to succeeding, sometimes, but not for the reasons she thinks.
“My Uncle Thumper had to take these REALLY big pills ’cause he was having problems with his Protestant…”
So that’s why Sarah reacted to Billie that way. She could smell the booze on her.