Discussion (154) ¬
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Barb O. Saur 
⚧️
*Linda and Charles drop everything and start scratching Danny behind his ears*
“He ain’t a DOGGO… I think?”
Are you sure though?
If Danny would transform into an animal it would absolutely be a dog.
The goodest doggo.
They read a comic written by Joyce because she’s white and that gave them the idea Danny was a dog.
He would totally be a golden retriever.
They ask him to play something, but unfortunately he gets nervous, can only remember one song and…Well…
That is still my single favorite strip because I laugh as hard as Sal does
lol well the contrast of that might make him more endearing liek when a tiny puppy barks at a larger dog
Anyway, there’s always Wonderwall.
Okay, but the “I’m a big fan of your daughter.” “Me too!” exchange is really cute.
(If only Sal’s parents were *actually* big fans of hers)
Yeah, I might be reading too much into Sal’s expression, but she seems surprised to hear it.
I dunno, I’ve always felt like Charles at least seems to care. Maybe I’m wrong but it just seems to me like Linda is the one really pushing the shitty parent agenda.
IMO, I think Charles’s worst traits are probably just that he’s kind of passive/apathetic and doesn’t stand up to Linda.
He’s a professional boat-steadier.
This is genius analogy.
Oh dang, he is.
See also: hole drillers. Everyone (else) is bailing water to keep the boat afloat, the hole driller yells, “I’ll help too,” and then… drills another hole.
+1
Hes actually seems to like sal but he’s Linda’s biggest enabler. He’s never once stood up for her, he happily stands at Linda’s shitty side. So, he’s part of the garbage unit
Pretty sure he’s just replying to “…pleasure to meet you”
Dumbing of Age Book 13: THE GOODEST BOY
Speaking of which, I wonder which Brown got Snoop in the divorce? Has that been made clear? I hope it was Mr. Brown, he really seemed to need the dog more. Also, that why Joyce can visit Snoop without having to see her mother.
She sold the family home to finance the
cultchurch that sided with Toedad after he attempted to kidnap his daughter at gunpoint. It was exactly that sort of blind zealotry that led to the divorce. Mr. Brown probably agreed to let her have the house in exchange for his taking sole custody of Snoop precisely because he didn’t trust her to be a responsible pet owner without his supervision.god, I hope not, he would have to be this universe’s biggest moron to give away his share of their house just to keep the family pet.
Like with most aspects of their relationship, he probably let her keep the house because he trusted her to keep it and keep up with it so the kids would have somewhere to return home to as and when needed. I’ve given up my stake in a house without asking during a divorce, because I wanted to leave the other person, not destroy the things they loved in their life. He paid the mortgage, he provided the down payment, and when we threw a lump sum at it some months earlier he provided 70% of that sum. It just felt more fair to let him keep without contest, and meant I could go faster. I imagine Mr. Brown was way more keen to leave than he was to draw things out by fighting over assets.
They’re all good boys bront
15/10
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? 0_0
The Remake
There’s been like 3 remakes already
“Also I’m bisexual”
I half-suspect Charles’s reaction might be “me, too!”
I really hope it is, if only to surprise Sal twice (I can’t recall if Sal is aware that Danny is bi)
And maybe surprise his wife too. I wonder if like Hank he might wind up a half decent person if you get him away from his wife.
Maybe Hank can also discover his bisexuality and Joyce and Walky can become step siblings.
Joyce will not accept Walky as a step brother, but she will demand it happens if it means she gets Sal as a sister.
And wow, what a weird relationship triangle that would end up being:
Sal’s step sister is dating the brother of her former nemesis’ AND current BF’s ex.
Sal’s had a big clue: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-13/01-bring-me-to-life-drawing/bluster/
What, saying so openly?
Nah, in my experience that never works.
I’m sure Sal thought it was just playful jokes. My straight friends always joke about dating each other but they never mean it seriously and i’m pretty sure it’s the same here
Also Joe explicitly mentioned it in front of Sal https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-12/01-sister-christian/taptap/
Okay now Danny this up Danny, your realtionship depends on it.
Danny in a golden bikini waving a big fan at Sal.
Danny, peel me a grape!
I’m imagining him dressed as a giant can with PROPERTY OF SAL emblazoned on the costume, but that’s partially the fault of the hover text.
Giant FAN, that is. Stupid typos.
Charles is so frustrating because he regularly says cute things like say ‘Me too!’ when Danny says he’s a big fan of Sal’s, but his actions (and lack thereof) don’t back him up, especially when he’s whispering about how shocked he is she actually has a decent boyfriend out of the other corner of his mouth. Come on, dude, have some faith in the girl you’re such a big fan of!
Still, out of the two, I have more hope for him. Linda, I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop on this whole interaction.
I am also expecting and waiting on the other shoe to drop, but I’m glad Sal is happy atm.
I’m pretty sure the other shoe is them trying to get Danny to break up with her.
Nah, they don’t have anything against sal intrinsically (from their point of view). The problem is the attitude she has and the friends she makes, they are not proper of a nice white girl.
This? This is something they (specially Linda) will hold onto forever. If sal and Dany broke up he will be always be remembered as the one who got away from their daughter.
“Well, it’s a shame, but obviously Sal wasn’t going to stay with him. It’s just not what she’s like.”
I think “the other shoe” is going to be Sal quickly becoming the Golden Child because Walky is dating a black girl, and maybe her psyching herself out and questioning if she’s only dating Danny for her parents’ approval.
This, I’m afraid.
I think that Charles is, like most people, even Linda, a mixed bag. He has definitely said and done shitty things, but I do think he cares about his kids. I think even Linda does, but she’s so self-righteous that the care she does dole out is often from a really shitty place.
But yeah, I’d like if both of them, but especially Charles I guess more realistically, could more routinely not suck.
Oh, Charles has definitely said and done things that suck. I will not forget that, but I think out of the two, they’d have better luck talking Charles around. Out of the shitty parents, he’s one I can muster a little ‘maybe’ hope around.
He’d have to ditch Linda though. That’s the thing I think will crack any chance of this working, unfortunately.
Charles is there to keep giving Sal hope so that Linda can dash it.
Charles gives me “ignorant but cares” vibes. Like Walky from the start of the strip. He did care but he lacked sensitivity and it was hard on Sal especially.
Honestly, I just don’t get that vibe. Charles hasn’t shown any sign of disagreeing with Linda on anything, he just hasn’t actively been The Bad Guy for any of those interactions yet.
He’s mostly had the benefit of being in the background, but everything else has him being just as bad as Linda is, just not as up front about it.
He can’t, because that would upset Linda.
Ah yes, “bagged.”
There is no way in hell this doesn’t end with the Jerkertons warning Danny away from their daughter in some backhanded way.
Or they’ll be so enthusiastically approving that they’ll screw things up without meaning to
I lean more towards this, where their being overly enthusiastic clues Danny in that something is up with the situation.
I don’t think they’ll do that, necessarily, but I could see Danny speaking up if they are shitty in a way he picks up on. Sometimes, a dogwhistle can turn right into a didgeridoo. That might result in him tanking their opinion of him.
I am glad Sal is getting “positive reinforcement” from her parents, but the reasons behind it going this well thus far are pretty fucked up.
So when is the other shoe going to drop? I’m guessing November, irl of course.
I’m waiting for someone to actually drop the racist word on them.
I’m sure Sal’s taking notes, especially after seeing Linda’s response to meeting Lucy earlier.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/whispering/
I hope it comes from Danny
I’m pretty sure Sal has. In one of the flashbacks, Sal said she knows the real reason Linda doesn’t like Marcie and Linda rolled her eyes.
Maybe this time someone they’ll listen to will drop it.
Bets on whether or not they get an invite to dinner after all? We can watch Walky drop in their estimation and Sal rise.
“What do your parents do for a living, Danny?”
…As if that had anything to do with what kind of a person he is.
RIGHT? They wanna know his “connections”, bourgeoisie fucks.
How dare a human being exist outside the ideal consumable package for capitalism to grind to dust.
Obstetrician and real estate agent are straight-up class signifiers, which is 100% what Linda was looking for.
On the other hand, there are some parental jobs that can give you way more to go on about a young person — especially when they’ve only been living away from their parents for a few months. Like, my mom taught 1st and 2nd Grades at an at-risk public school, and my dad is a rabbi. People can/have made some assumptions about me, based on my parents’ careers. The assumptions are certainly not always correct, but, it’s way more to go on.
Obstetrician and real estate agent are straight-up class signifiers, which is 100% what Linda was looking for. Because of course she was.
On the other hand, there are some parental jobs that can give you a little more to go on about a young person — especially when they’ve only been living away from their parents for a few months. Like, my mom taught 1st and 2nd Grades at an at-risk public school, and my dad is a rabbi. People can/have made some big assumptions about me, based on my parents’ careers. The assumptions are certainly not always correct, but, it’s way more to go on.
It’s the ‘polite’ way to ask what his home life is like, as it brings along a buncha lesser included questions that can’t be asked directly without prompting. Is one parent (or both) out of the picture? Did he grow up wealthy, poor, middle-class? Does he get along with them? Are they from somewhere else? And as Sal demonstrates it’s also a segue into other family members/influences
Is it polite? Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but I honestly can’t image asking “what do your parents do for a living” within 19 seconds of meeting someone.
Extremely rude.
Not really? It’s one of those things where it’s considered “good manners” in the sense that this behaviour is considered acceptable to the cultural group. In the same way that it’s considered “normal” to ask a couple ‘so when are you having children?’ if they’ve been together for a certain amount of time.
IRL both questions are nosy and most often none of the asker’s business; but they’re considered neutral as a holdover from a time when discriminating on social or marital status was openly encouraged. (As opposed to know, when this discrimination still happens but more subtly)
TL;DR it’s a probing question dressed in polite language; and Linda could easily pretend it’s entirely neutral
So it’s extremely rude.
It’s one of those bland questions you start with, to ferret out a topic that’s comfortable and interesting for everyone, to get conversation going. Really, I’d be more concerned if my girlfriend’s parents took no interest, or immediately dragged me through a questionnaire on my religion, politics, takes on various economic theories, and views on marriage.
Sure, but there are so many more questions that could be asked. Charles gave a more general opening to learn about Danny, while Linda’s questions sound like interview questions to decide if someone meets a standard. She also jumps with her questions rather than building on Danny’s first answer.
That little ‘so far’ added a whole extra star to Danny’s rating under the Walkerton Approval Rating System (WARS). It suggests that he’s willing to make an effort.
Hm, the feeling I got was “if I can keep it.”
Wholesome nerds are indeed the best
Partners who appreciate wholesome nerds are the bestest best!
I’m both worried and intrigued about how this will go.
very surreal to watch Mom Walkerton use the phrase ‘The Goodest Boy’. It feels like a thing that should be locked from her repertoire
The dissonance does not exist in her mind because Linda seems to be completely oblivious to how shit she is.
Almost all of us are oblivious to our major flaws.
How fortunate I am not to have any.
I think the sliding timescale puts the Walkerton parents as being around late Gen X-early Millennial. It’s actually not unrealistic that she’d say “the goodest boy” or “heckin pupper”. Probably saw it on Facebook or Instagram.
Good Lord, Linda is my age!
Give it a few years. That’ll change.
No, my eldest is 8 and I’m an older Millennial that makes no sen- oh yeah, I had her when I was 30, I guess late Gen X could track…
Yeah it’s pretty wild to me that I have a 6 month old, while my (same age) cousin’s youngest is graduating high school this year. And it’s not like she got pregnant crazy early. I don’t feel old enough to have a kid in college!
Mid millenial here – oldest is about to enter college (husband’s 1st marriage and hes an older millennial) Youngest is 7. Could definitely be our gen but with the hair I put them currently at Gen X.
Linda’s dead eyed full frontal stare in that last panel is killing me. It’s like the fuckin’ Martin Scorsese fish of fictional racist white women i’m kinda obsessed.
*points* she is awe that the daughter she secretly dislikes is dating a man she approves of
Who’s it a secret to? I’m pretty sure everyone knows.
I think it might actually be a secret to Linda, honestly.
It’s like her brain is fried
He’s adorkable.
Sal deserves a good boy, and Lucy is a wholesome nerd, too, you big jerks!
OK now how do we explain that both their kids bagged wholesome nerds???
Like attracts like, or in this case “opposites attract”? While Sal is basically the opposite of a nerd, she is basically wholesome at heart.
man the way they react to danny vs lucy, an even more wholesome nerd, is so fuckin much
I’m gonna say it. Called it.
lol i love how ukelele=nerd
makes me wonder if there are assholes with ukelele. it does seem like a thing mike would do, mockingly play the ukelele when someone’s down
Just a few days ago there was a (formerly?) famous Youtuber who did an apology/denial of grooming allegations by writing a ukulele song about it. So yes, there is, lmao.
yep coming back to this after the ‘apology song’ was quite a ride lol
Screw Puppy Dorothy, now we have a Greyhound Danny
Don’t slip with how you describe yourself, Danno
“The Goodest bly” hahaha I’m dead
This would be cute, and Sal deserves a win, except that their son also bagged a nice christian girl from a good family. Lucy is a girl next door type who parents are supposed to like. I don’t remember what she’s majoring in, but she probably has grades just as good as Dan’s.
Charles, grow a spine!
We don’t know what Lucy majors in yet. I kinda hope they ask because I’d like to know myself!
They’re not going to ask. Three guesses as to why. :\
Lucy majors in telecommunications, same as Walky. don’t remember which strip
https://www.dumbingofage.com/mmfpf/ when she’s introducing Walky to Lyle.
Ah, okay! I forgot the strip confirmed telecom. Thank you!
Christian might be a negative to the Walkerton parents, come to think of it. The family doesn’t seem religious, and, well, *points at everything a super-evangelical sect did pre-time-skip*.
A bland non-religious nerd with good grades might be way better in their books right now.
Danny’s also a christian, just not a church going one right now.
If I didn’t already I’d have thought Linda was Joyce’s mom
Already know…
the goodest boi XD
it took all of 3 panels for Sal’s mom to ask about Danny’s parents salary indirectly…
Yeah, now I remember why I hate the Walkertons.
Oh, no. Her parents approve and like Danny. Kiss of death for that relationship.
Please no.
Sal can be conflicted, but letting their approval ruin a relationship that makes her happy will just hand Linda another “win”.
She may hate herself for it later, but she’s trying so hard for their approval now it makes me sad. Pointing out his GPA and his brother in the army.
It’s like when she showed up for family weekend in the school girl uniform.
Poor Sal desperately wants approval, even if she’ll never admit it.
Yup. We’re witnessing her desperate last Hail Mary for parental love.
Hopefully.
She deliberately dragged him out here because she knew her parents would like him. Obviously that’s going to be complicated for her but she was aware of it from the start.
I really like the differences shown with the questions each one does.
Charles: Tell us about yourself.
Linda: Tell us about your parents.
Interesting…
Well, aside from when Linda asked about his major.
So, imagine this:
Charles: Tell us about yourself.
[answers]
Linda: Tell us about yourself.
Uh, what? What should she ask? Tell us about Aldebaran? tell us about making strawberry shortcake? Should Danny speak more loudly?
The imputation of sinister motives to what, in the BF position, I would regard as a rather innocuous question, is really surprising me.
“Tell us about yourself” is open-ended and conveys a desire to get to know the person. “What is your major” is a fairly standard question for a college student, but “what do you parents do for a living” is not. In combination it implies Linda is most interested in his social status and future earning prospects. It’s the kind of thing Raidah might ask.
Uh, Linda’s the one that asked what his major is.
Ah, misread your comment, apologies!
Yeah, I think the question itself is innoccuous.
It’s the fact Linda is asking it that means it should be viewed with suspicion. L
…why Linda, exactly?
Yes, when it comes to Sal, we’ve seen her be the villain most obviously. But nothing Charles has done has been particularly benevolent either. Hasn’t done anything to give any sign that he disagrees with her viewpoints or perspective.
This doesn’t feel like the Browns, with a Good Parent and a Bad Parent…
Because she’s the villain most obviously. Charles is … passive. Apart from a single reference to Sal’s hair being nicer when it’s straight, the worst I remember him ever doing is letting Linda attack Sal with no pushback.
And to be clear, I think that makes him pretty terrible. But it’s a passive kind of terrible. I don’t instantly suspect his conversation of being anti-Sal, I suspect it of being designed to pass completely through the Sal-Linda animosity without either side catching him on it.
it felt like a two-pronged attack to figure out Danny’s damage and why he’s dating Sal.
Here comes Danny, he’s a good egg!
A good egg!
Eh give it time he’ll fuck it up
I’m not sure how he could actually f it up, given that Sal has made it clear she only wants to know what parental approval feels like out of intellectual curiosity. If he somehow manages to say something that makes them conclude he’s the worst person she’s ever dated, she’ll just be like “Well, that was interesting, now things are back to normal, whatever.”
In fact, if Danno doesn’t manage to say something that offends Mrs I Can’t Be Racist Because My Husband’s Black, I personally will think less of him for it.
Yes Danny, it’s working! You’re overwhelming them with the goodness of your egg.
Well, it’s working on her dad at least. Her mom is more thinking “he comes from good stock” or something like that.
Linda is a lost cause, I automatically discount her from anything positive.
I’m afraid how they will act towards Lucy when she shows up..
This reminds me of my ex girlfriends parents. (They were so creepy.)
i feel ya bruh (*audibly shudders*)
I dislike that I have been where Danny is currently.
“pretend to hate him just a little bit so she’ll rebel against us by staying with him, but not so much that she’ll push us away for not approving”
My bet? Danny will call them out on either their treatment of Lucy, Sal, or both. THAT is when they’ll (mostly the mom) will decide Danny isn’t a welcome addition to Sal’s life.