Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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June 24, 2026

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by David M Willis on September 15, 2021 at 12:01 am
  • 01 – Sister, Christian
└ Tags: danny, sal

Discussion (82) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    September 15, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    yeah, my first college roommate commented on that (from Florida, not sure how she decided on Tennessee)

    • Paul Grant
      Paul Grant
      September 15, 2021 at 2:46 am | #

      So True! Wife grew up in the hills of KY and WV, I grew up South Chicago. We now live in KY. Told her first time we went north to visit my family, “You have no idea of flat until we get North of Indy”…She freaked out 🙂

      • Geneseepaws
        Geneseepaws
        September 15, 2021 at 8:44 am | #

        Those folks from the hills, gosh, they get so lost in Iowa and Illinois.
        Me: “Go North until you get to 12th, go east on 12th til yu get to D, turn north and into the driveway.”
        Pennsylvania Pete:North? East? North? How the FUCK DO I KNOW WHICH NORTH IS??? THERE’S NOTHING TO SEE?

        • Victor
          Victor
          September 15, 2021 at 10:45 am | #

          “Screw it, I’ll just GPS it.” – Said by me when visiting flatland.

          Compass directions are easy enough if the sun is out, and my last few cars have had built in compasses. But I still generally use terrain landmarks in day to day driving, and flatland just doesn’t have that.

          • Koname
            Koname
            September 15, 2021 at 2:39 pm | #

            I narrowly missed an opportunity to work in a rural area of NJ that is just cornfields everywhere. Instead I ended up with a job two townships over from me that is nothing but hills.

            When going for interviews for the other job I got lost while using the gps twice because I forgot to turn and wound up walled in by the cornfields and cow pastures.

    • WikiDreamer
      WikiDreamer
      September 15, 2021 at 10:52 am | #

      Floridian hear, and lemme tell you Midwesterners are OBSESSED with beaches and shorelines.

    • Dang Fool
      Dang Fool
      September 15, 2021 at 12:20 pm | #

      I don’t kinow if I still have my “Ski Terre Haute” poster from Rose Hulman. It’s probably in my basement. It’s an iconic poster from the time, just a wee bit less famous than Farrah, at least in Indiana.

  2. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    September 15, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    The spirit of Indiana is the spirit of America, the spirit of what’s boring and what’s flat!

    • Eldritchy
      Eldritchy
      September 15, 2021 at 3:07 pm | #

      Jaghatai Khan whooping as he speeds off into the horizon over a nice flat road.

  3. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    September 15, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    Re: Alt Text – You could just turn the background of the website white, and erase large portions of the png image. When spring arrives, turn the site background green and voila, all the settings are now seasonally appropriate! 😉

  4. Hopey
    Hopey
    September 15, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    There’s always the mighty mountain of snow by McNutt. Heh, McNutt.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 15, 2021 at 7:13 am | #

      Sadly, I don’t think it’d be very easy to ride a bike up that snow mountain.

      • mrnoidea
        mrnoidea
        September 15, 2021 at 2:39 pm | #

        It’d be super fun riding down, though.

  5. Prince Mech
    Prince Mech
    September 15, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    These two play off one another really well. How sweet. 😉

    • Prince Mech
      Prince Mech
      September 15, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

      This was meant to be a regular non winky smile.

  6. Smooti
    Smooti
    September 15, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    Oh that is Definitely gonna depend on what part of Tennessee. Cuz on my end it’s flat as hell. Farther east you are, however. That’s where biking would be a challenge.

    So I guess we can narrow down what part of Tennessee her school was at

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      September 15, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      She just went to that school that everyone’s grandparents attended, so it was uphill both ways.

    • Wizard
      Wizard
      September 15, 2021 at 12:34 am | #

      Depends on what part of Indiana, too. The northern part is pretty flat, but the southern part is noth but hills.

      • Mano308gts
        Mano308gts
        September 15, 2021 at 1:33 am | #

        The difference between the highest and lowest points in Indiana is roughly 900 feet. I would say that it might have some rolling hills, but it’s pretty dang flat overall, when compared to any mountainous region.

        For comparison, Pennsylvania has only middling-tall Appalachian mountains (far from the heights gained at either end of the range), and its height variation is over 3000 feet from highest to lowest point.

        Tennessee, on the other hand, has some of the tallest mountains in the greater Appalachian range, and has a height variation of more than 6000 feet.

        Therefore, from the perspective of someone used to mountains, Indiana’s hilliest areas are still going to be pretty dang flat.

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          September 15, 2021 at 11:57 am | #

          Seconded, but from someone who grew up in BC. The ‘mountains’ around Vancouver are oft considered ‘foothills’, lil’ bumps to practice on for when you want to really play. Now I live in great-lakes canuck land, and while not the prairies, it’s a joke what people call mountains and valleys around these parts. And I don’t *want* to be a snob about it. But when I want to hike a hill, I expect it to take more than 5 minutes.

          • foamy
            foamy
            September 15, 2021 at 2:16 pm | #

            I’m from Calgary. Travelling into south Sask. or Manitoba is *unsettling*. The world is not supposed to be that flat.

            • Roborat
              Roborat
              September 15, 2021 at 3:44 pm | #

              Oh seriously? Calgary is pretty darn flat as well, once you get out of the foothills and go east or south.

              • Roborat
                Roborat
                September 15, 2021 at 3:53 pm | #

                But yes, in Saskatchewan you can watch your dog run away for 4 days.

              • Decidedly Orthogonal
                Decidedly Orthogonal
                September 15, 2021 at 5:31 pm | #

                Yes, but even then, at least you can *see* the mountains.

                “I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains”

    • Ana Chronistic
      Ana Chronistic
      September 15, 2021 at 11:16 am | #

      Definitely not this one

  7. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    September 15, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    Follow me

    Set me free

    Indiana’s flatter than Tennessee-ee…

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      September 15, 2021 at 2:39 am | #

      To the tune of ‘Dance With Me‘ by Orleans

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        September 15, 2021 at 12:33 pm | #

        I think this is City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2.

  8. butts
    butts
    September 15, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    flatness sure is the spirit of indiana, yeah

  9. Leorale
    Leorale
    September 15, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

    Oberlin College is so flat that, when they dug out a new swimming pool, we named the resulting pile of dirt Mt Oberlin and sledded down it on cafeteria trays.
    Before the swimming pool, Mt. Oberlin was the name of the pitcher’s mound.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      September 15, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

      I used to work down the street from that place.

      Or up the street. Hard to tell without a level. 😉

      • Geneseepaws
        Geneseepaws
        September 15, 2021 at 8:48 am | #

        Damn, that made me laugh. Except it is sad, but it’s true, and that makes it funny!

      • khn0
        khn0
        September 15, 2021 at 2:43 pm | #

        I used to live across Oberlin’s editions.
        Down or up the other continent?

  10. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    September 15, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

    Sometimes I lead, sometimes I follow
    This time I’ll go where she wants me to go
    Maybe today, maybe tomorrow
    Deep in the woods down the long Valley Road
    … (Bruce Hornsby & The Range)

    • woobie
      woobie
      September 15, 2021 at 12:58 am | #

      Fitting.
      As usual from you.

  11. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 15, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

    Sal’s true mortal enemy – Geography.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 15, 2021 at 1:30 am | #

      An interesting choice of enemy, because how does one defeat geography?

      • milu
        milu
        September 15, 2021 at 4:43 am | #

        with LASERS

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        September 15, 2021 at 6:37 am | #

        With water and time

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        September 15, 2021 at 7:10 am | #

        With a Death Star

      • Vukodlak
        Vukodlak
        September 15, 2021 at 7:24 am | #

        Bulldozer

      • mrnoidea
        mrnoidea
        September 15, 2021 at 2:36 pm | #

        With maps.

  12. Fëanen
    Fëanen
    September 15, 2021 at 12:15 am | #

    To Jason’s great sorrow, none of those 24 sports is cricket.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      September 15, 2021 at 1:02 am | #

      And football’s been demoted to soccer.

  13. Dr. T
    Dr. T
    September 15, 2021 at 12:16 am | #

    I mean, as someone with a form of muscular dystrophy I find that the campus has plenty of hills that make bike riding hard for me, but these kids would probably handle them fine enough.

    • Dr. T
      Dr. T
      September 15, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

      Of course, even I would be fine with the parking lot of the two sports stadiums.

  14. Bryy
    Bryy
    September 15, 2021 at 12:17 am | #

    I forget if it’s Indiana or Kansas that is scientifically flatter than a pancake.

    • Dr. T
      Dr. T
      September 15, 2021 at 12:20 am | #

      Actually, Bloomington is right about where the glaciers stopped so further south in Indiana is actually hilly.

    • He Who Abides
      He Who Abides
      September 15, 2021 at 12:36 am | #

      You might be thinking of Head East.

  15. Spencer
    Spencer
    September 15, 2021 at 12:19 am | #

    Sal’s plan:

    Follow me

    Set me free

    Trust me

    Escape from the city

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 15, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

      I may loathe all of the games but even I have to admit that it’s a good song.

  16. ktbear
    ktbear
    September 15, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

    “Lead me, follow me or get out of the way.” General Patton. (No relation.)

  17. brionl
    brionl
    September 15, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

    24 Sports, one team?
    So they are pretending that ladies golf is as important as, say, basketball?

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      September 15, 2021 at 1:03 am | #

      When the pretense is convenient for them? Yes.

    • milu
      milu
      September 15, 2021 at 4:49 am | #

      no they’re saying that the same people play all the sports. it’s a thing.

      also what is wrong with ladies’ golf? except for the golf part

      • brionl
        brionl
        September 15, 2021 at 10:48 am | #

        Nothing wrong with it. It’s just that the athletes and coaches for the minor sports, like golf or field hockey, don’t get anywhere near the money and influence that the “real” sports do.

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      September 15, 2021 at 12:00 pm | #

      I’d guess they’re “one team” when the big budget teams /still/ manage to run out of funds and need to ‘borrow’ from the lower-profile teams.

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        September 15, 2021 at 3:55 pm | #

        Good old U.S. college athletics, where the budget for the football team is bigger than the academic budget for the entire school.

        • Deathjavu
          Deathjavu
          September 15, 2021 at 5:54 pm | #

          And yet they can’t pay the players because that would make them professionals, instead of students. Even when EA licenses their likenesses for a video game the money still goes to the sport’s governing body and/or school.

          Nope, no corruption to see here, move along.

  18. Kravis
    Kravis
    September 15, 2021 at 12:49 am | #

    Well, Sal, it would seem that your plans of showing off to Danny…

    *puts sunglasses on*

    …Just fell FLAT!

    *YEEEAAAAAHHH!!!*

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      September 15, 2021 at 1:03 am | #

      Flattery will get her nowhere.

  19. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 15, 2021 at 1:23 am | #

    It was a cool line, though

  20. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 15, 2021 at 2:30 am | #

    I think that Sal is looking for a high spot where she can stand dramatically and gaze down on Bloomington. I suspect that she’s going to have to scale a building to do that.

    • Bicycle Bill
      Bicycle Bill
      September 15, 2021 at 3:24 am | #

      Garbage Roof!

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      September 15, 2021 at 6:41 am | #

      Well there was a big old snow hill just yesterday, but I guess Walky was hanging out there which makes it less cool

    • Dr. T
      Dr. T
      September 15, 2021 at 7:21 pm | #

      I think that view would be from the top of Ballantine Hall, but she won’t have a key for that.

  21. Opus the Poet
    Opus the Poet
    September 15, 2021 at 3:54 am | #

    As a former inhabitant of TN I can verify that mid and east TN have lots of wrinkles of varying depth that make bicycle riding more difficult. I now live in TX where I can ride 60 miles and not go more than 100 feet up or down.

  22. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    September 15, 2021 at 4:02 am | #

    They want to make a challenge together. How cute♡! Surviving peer/parents pressure after they find out they’re together will be their challenge. It will be hard and tiring. I hope their relationship survives.

    • Alex
      Alex
      September 15, 2021 at 5:33 am | #

      People have mentioned Linda will be a point of contention, but Sal doesn’t seem like the type to share details of her personal life with Linda.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        September 15, 2021 at 5:58 am | #

        Linda will find out. Narcissistic parents always find out.

  23. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    September 15, 2021 at 5:01 am | #

    Much easier to do when your cycle has an engine

  24. drs
    drs
    September 15, 2021 at 5:39 am | #

    Sal looks like Asher in 2nd panel.

    Bloomington does have some challenging inclines but you have to get off campus. To the north there’s a climb and then rapid descent to some reservoir.

  25. Keulen
    Keulen
    September 15, 2021 at 7:12 am | #

    DoA Book 12: This Isn’t Very Hard

    • Roborat
      Roborat
      September 15, 2021 at 3:57 pm | #

      That’s what she said.

  26. Vukodlak
    Vukodlak
    September 15, 2021 at 7:26 am | #

    Somewhere Joe had the sudden urge to blurt out. “That’s what she said”

  27. Keith
    Keith
    September 15, 2021 at 7:41 am | #

    Mostly, what you need are the long slow murder hills of Oklahoma or the northern part of montana . Oh it looks flat…it’s uphill for 20 miles. 🙂 steady. Oh and 1 mile in town is nothing.

    • Kitsune
      Kitsune
      September 15, 2021 at 3:22 pm | #

      I remember they used to have “Ski Turkey Mountain” T-Shirts . I also remember watching True Grit and realizing that those were the Rockies not the Ouachita.

  28. raultsi
    raultsi
    September 15, 2021 at 10:14 am | #

    my first trip out to the midwest was to visit a friend who lived in Urbana, IL. I flew into Chicago at night, we drove down to Urbana. I marveled at how non-curvy the highway was. My friend took his hands off the wheel and we went for 32 miles before he had to touch the wheel again. This was 1983 or so, self-driving cars didn’t exist.

    The next day we went to the mall because I needed stuff. I got out of the car in the parking lot and as far as I could see in 360° around me, was flat Flat FLAT. An utterly impossible vista where I come from. It almost freaked me out, but I think my hangover kept me grounded.

    Also the same trip where I discovered White Castle for the first time. A bag of burgers? Really?

  29. Megan Rivera
    Megan Rivera
    September 15, 2021 at 3:28 pm | #

    I am 100% INTO Sal doing Wholesome Stuff

  30. Sol
    Sol
    September 15, 2021 at 3:41 pm | #

    I’m from the prairies, where the land around is flat, flat, flat…

    When I moved to Ontario in 2019, I was really confused one day when I entered a mall on the ground floor, went down a floor, then exited on the ground floor… wait…

    Takes a while to get used to non-level elevation lmao

    • Roborat
      Roborat
      September 15, 2021 at 3:59 pm | #

      Yup, when the oldsters talk about walking to school uphill both ways, they aren’t joking.

  31. Roborat
    Roborat
    September 15, 2021 at 4:01 pm | #

    So the next three days will be silhouettes of them slowly inching across the ginormous parking lot?

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