Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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May 22, 2026

Filler

by David M Willis on March 22, 2024 at 12:01 am
  • 03 – Trystin' in the Wind
└ Tags: jason, robin

Discussion (155) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    March 22, 2024 at 12:02 am | #

    Daffy Duck, eat your heart out -_-

  2. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    March 22, 2024 at 12:02 am | #

    “no they do NOT get a complimentary author’s copy”

    …

    “unless they want an ebook, which will not be valid for class”

  3. IntangibleMatter
    IntangibleMatter
    March 22, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

    (later) “…why does our textbook have so much lesbian romance?”

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      March 22, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

      Jason you might have better off at the bar.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        March 22, 2024 at 12:04 am | #

        this was not meant as a reply

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          March 22, 2024 at 9:55 am | #

          But depending on the bar, it works very well as one! 🤣

    • jeffepp
      jeffepp
      March 22, 2024 at 12:58 am | #

      Surprisingly, most of that was written by Dottie. OK, not that surprising.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        March 22, 2024 at 1:22 am | #

        It wouldn’t be surprising coming from Robin either

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        March 22, 2024 at 2:51 am | #

        Dorothy writes a book about how the government is supposed to work in theory.

        Becky re-writes Dorothy’s book to make it sound more like Robin.

        If Robin bothers to read any of Dorothy and Becky’s book, she’ll laugh her head off and tell them how it works in practice.

    • anon
      anon
      March 22, 2024 at 9:49 pm | #

      Every textbook should have more lesbian romance, just ’cause 8D;

  4. ian livs
    ian livs
    March 22, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

    As a writer, I’ve made the decision to ignore the gendered nature of “blond/e” because I got too annoyed having to think about it (half-joking)

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      March 22, 2024 at 12:07 am | #

      They aren’t even pronounced differently.

      • Rowen Morland
        Rowen Morland
        March 22, 2024 at 4:39 am | #

        That’s why we have a third spelling for pronouncing the E.

      • eh, whatever
        eh, whatever
        March 22, 2024 at 5:49 am | #

        They are in the original French: the last letter of each is silent…

        • keithcurtis
          keithcurtis
          March 22, 2024 at 12:14 pm | #

          Unless you are singing, in which case French often voices a silent vowel: “Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques…”

    • Cholma
      Cholma
      March 22, 2024 at 12:10 am | #

      Huh. Never knew it was gendered. Always figured the one with “e” at the end was a British spelling. They’re always adding extra letters to words, like “colour” & “aluminium”.

      • Dara
        Dara
        March 22, 2024 at 12:26 am | #

        As with so many things, it’s Because French.

      • Azhrei Vep
        Azhrei Vep
        March 22, 2024 at 7:46 am | #

        See, I assumed it was also a British/American thing, but the other way around. I only ever see Blonde in most stuff here in the States, so I figured Blond was for across the pond.

        • RoyanRannedos
          RoyanRannedos
          March 22, 2024 at 10:50 am | #

          That’s a fascinating observation on gender roles over here: having a light hair color is mostly remarked on when referring to the blonde status of women, to the point that people don’t even see the masculine spelling.

      • ktbear
        ktbear
        March 22, 2024 at 12:04 pm | #

        Sorry what? The British are NOT adding letters to words thank you very much, Americans are removing them. And if you pronounce aluminium correctly you need all those letters in there.

        • flake
          flake
          March 22, 2024 at 12:32 pm | #

          i mean the brits originally had those letters because of french, seems like fair game not to include them as language evolves. i just like the way it looks, which i believe is why the french added all those letters in the first place.
          As for aluminium, alumium was apparently the original spelling; the same guy published both versions, adding the extra letters later because it sounded better. Which I tend to agree with, but correct seems like a strong word for “prettier”

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          March 22, 2024 at 2:24 pm | #

          I’ll say “aluminium” when the container has the second “i” on it.
          They’ve got a loom in ’em.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      March 22, 2024 at 1:05 am | #

      which one is for ale and which one is for wood finish?

      • TJ
        TJ
        March 22, 2024 at 2:00 am | #

        Whichever you used, it’s the other. It’s the linguistic equivalent of plugging in a USB drive.

        • Casi
          Casi
          March 23, 2024 at 1:41 pm | #

          but USB drives 3 orientations, the first and second tries are never right, and it’s only the third one that works. That’s why USBs are actually 4 dimensional objects. in this essay i will..

          • Andy
            Andy
            March 24, 2024 at 1:16 am | #

            There is an air gap on one side of a USB connector, it faces the top of the motherboard.

    • LiamKav
      LiamKav
      March 22, 2024 at 5:57 am | #

      I didn’t realise blond/e was a thing until literally this strip. The things you learn.

      I do know the difference between whisky/whiskey though.

      • Ana Chronistic
        Ana Chronistic
        March 22, 2024 at 11:19 pm | #

        now do macaron/macaroon

    • Azhrei Vep
      Azhrei Vep
      March 22, 2024 at 7:45 am | #

      Wait … Blond/Blonde is a gendered thing? I always assumed that was an American/British English thing or something. Huh.

    • nicoleandmaggie
      nicoleandmaggie
      March 22, 2024 at 10:43 am | #

      I was really impressed by its use here!

  5. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    March 22, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

    I feel like maybe profiting off your students unpaid labor breaks some sort of rule or law but I’m not sure on that.

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      March 22, 2024 at 1:43 am | #

      It’s okay. I’m sure they’ll pass whatever bill is necessary to make school more similar to prison.

      • clif
        clif
        March 22, 2024 at 3:29 am | #

        If you’re not profiting off of your students, then how do you know you’re teaching them enough to be useful.

        Who’s going to learn more, the student that writes your textbook or the one that doesn’t?

    • Smallmoon
      Smallmoon
      March 22, 2024 at 4:46 am | #

      Tell that to the pre-2021 NCAA.
      Oh wait. I have to make that distinction because someone did. 😛

    • M!a
      M!a
      March 22, 2024 at 2:11 pm | #

      It’s no different from corporations profiting from the unpaid labor of their slaves…

      …oh. Interns, apparently. Sorry.

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        March 22, 2024 at 3:39 pm | #

        Thank you.

  6. Icalasari
    Icalasari
    March 22, 2024 at 12:04 am | #

    Robin. Stop. Please.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      March 22, 2024 at 11:58 am | #

      You should take a stress pill and think things over.

  7. Derek
    Derek
    March 22, 2024 at 12:04 am | #

    I hope Becky tells Robin to fuck off

    • Proxiehunter
      Proxiehunter
      March 22, 2024 at 12:12 am | #

      That doesn’t seem like Becky’s style. By the time she’s done she might wish Becky had though. Either that or it’s accidentally going to be a hit best seller. One that says a whole bunch of stuff Robin doesn’t agree with.

      • Jed!
        Jed!
        March 22, 2024 at 12:43 am | #

        Now that she’s out of Congress, I don’t think she cares about what the book says as long as it sells. She’s more likely to agree with Becky than anything.

        • anonymsly
          anonymsly
          March 22, 2024 at 12:52 am | #

          Heck, if the book does well enough and she can remember what it says, maybe she’ll have a career renaissance on the opposite side. I don’t think Robin actually ever cared what she said.

    • anon
      anon
      March 22, 2024 at 3:27 am | #

      i’d expect her to do puppy dog eyes again and be like ‘give us all free A’s?’

      or jason can talk to sarah and she can semi-threaten to sue that she’s abusing her power or whatever lol

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      March 22, 2024 at 3:24 pm | #

      Shit, Robin should ask only Dorothy. Becky? She’s poor.

  8. Armadillo
    Armadillo
    March 22, 2024 at 12:05 am | #

    Never heard about blonde being gendered before today. Gonna ignore it forever now because that’s fucking stupid.

    • IntangibleMatter
      IntangibleMatter
      March 22, 2024 at 12:07 am | #

      We took it from Fr*nch. And like most things we took from Fr*nch, yes it is extremely fucking stupid

      • Dara
        Dara
        March 22, 2024 at 12:27 am | #

        Remember, “At Least It’s Not From Latin,” because at least the French brought eight declension classes down to two.

      • Spacie
        Spacie
        March 22, 2024 at 6:47 am | #

        That be yhe French, Latin based, inventors of mayonnaise.

      • Eric
        Eric
        March 22, 2024 at 10:26 am | #

        At least the Normans passed along the French ‘s’ for plurals – mouse/mice, tooth/teeth, child/children, etc. . . are all from Old English

      • Dante
        Dante
        March 22, 2024 at 5:54 pm | #

        Gendered language survives in all of the Romance Languages so I’d be careful on saying it’s stupid. Like, yeah I’d love if Spanish adopted back broadly the “e” that signals neutral pronouns, present in its origins. But, uh…….

        Even leaving aside that all language interact and drink from each other, that’s always a little grating to hear from native English speakers.

        • milu
          milu
          March 22, 2024 at 9:17 pm | #

          It’s also just a really boring way to think about languages.

          “This language is annoying and irrational” discussions never fail to produce zero compelling points for an unprejudiced listener while actual curiosity in linguistic history is an open door onto a boundless ecosystem of interwoven insights about history, semantics, cultures, art, sciences, myths and you name it.

          • Dante
            Dante
            March 23, 2024 at 12:20 am | #

            Etymology is so fucking fascinating! I admittedly don’t get people who’ve never wondered “hey but why do these two words look alike? Where does this one come from?”, and I swear it’s not the ’tism flexing. It’s about being curious about the world! And even if someone can’t because idk, it’s not in them, or their interests 1000% lie elsewhere…

            It wouldn’t kill anyone to be more respectful of other people’s cultures.

    • Jo_cubstar
      Jo_cubstar
      March 22, 2024 at 12:11 am | #

      I hadn’t heard that before, either. I always assumed one was the Canadian spelling and the other the American

    • Imogen
      Imogen
      March 22, 2024 at 12:15 am | #

      The gendered thing is on its way out. “Blonde” is more often used as a noun, though.

    • anonymsly
      anonymsly
      March 22, 2024 at 12:50 am | #

      It’s even worse: brunette is gendered the same way technically. A brown-haired male is technically brunet, women are brunette. Weirdly I realized thus when I noticed only women are referred to as brunette, while men are brown-haired.

      • Nono
        Nono
        March 22, 2024 at 12:53 am | #

        Has it ever been explained why black-haired people are also called brunette?

        • anonymsly
          anonymsly
          March 22, 2024 at 1:29 am | #

          Not to me! Especially since it makes no sense. Sorry!

        • eh, whatever
          eh, whatever
          March 22, 2024 at 5:51 am | #

          They’re not.

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          March 22, 2024 at 3:31 pm | #

          They’re called that because the person calling them that is a dope.

        • Dante
          Dante
          March 22, 2024 at 6:01 pm | #

          Hewwo :3 According to etymology, y’all got that one from the way of Normans influencing Old English. “Brun” means “Brown” in French, which makes sense because:

          1- Black hair isn’t totally pitch black, and other peoples in the past perceived colors differently than us.

          2- It also means “olive”, and it comes from the same Mediterranean idea of human features as “olive skin”.

          Same as with “blond”/”blonde”; us who learn English as a second language (and are subjected to perform it to way harder standards that native speakers in practice lest we’re thought savage Latinos, have you ever seen us being all “forgive my dismal English, I beg you, for it’s embarrassing and badly constructed”?), we’re also taught to write it as “brunet”/”brunette”.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            March 22, 2024 at 11:11 pm | #

            It’s interesting that black hair doesn’t get a word to describe it – like blond or brunette. Or ginger, maybe? Not sure if that’s the same class of word or if it developed as a slur.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      March 22, 2024 at 12:51 am | #

      Ironically, while “stupid” comes to English by way of French, “fucking” is Germanic. I think that means that only a German/French hybrid language like ours can have such fucking stupidity in it.

      • milu
        milu
        March 22, 2024 at 9:31 pm | #

        Actually as a french speaker i will occasionally borrow “fucking” in colloquial french for emphasis and quirkiness, and thus may also call something (or someone) “fucking stupide”. Or perhaps this adverb may spill out to lend an unexpected twist to a pile-up of expletives, such as, “mais c’est tellement putain de bordel de fucking stupide de ses morts”. Cathartic and classy!

    • anon
      anon
      March 22, 2024 at 3:29 am | #

      does it even sound diff out loud compared to text? i had one teacher that was uptight about being called Miss versus Ms. even tho most ppl speaking, it sounded more or less the same even tho there’s tech a slight distinct way of saying it sometimes but you could barely hear it (tho i’m surprised more ppl didn’t just say ‘ma’am’ since we were in the south but she was fine with us saying just her last name versus Ms. Name)

  9. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    March 22, 2024 at 12:09 am | #

    Becky and Dorothy Perform an Unpaid Ghostwrite: a Dumbing of Age Pat-Leeque

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      March 22, 2024 at 12:00 pm | #

      Ghostwrite is the name of my next supervillain identity. Kinda like the Spellbinder from The Electric Company.

  10. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    March 22, 2024 at 12:10 am | #

    still feels like she’s committing to a bit when it went over Jason’s head.

    • Jeremiah
      Jeremiah
      March 22, 2024 at 12:28 am | #

      Nah, this is about the level of ridiculousness to be expected of Robin for it to be serious. At least until she gets distracted and forget about it.

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        March 22, 2024 at 12:55 am | #

        This still is about the level of ridiculousness to be expected of Robin when she’s having fun at his expense, or to see if he’ll stop being a doormat. Let’s check back during the next chapter to see how cross she actually is when he hasn’t written a whole fucking textbook in 24 hours. Maybe she has had a psychotic break and isn’t just a goofball, messing with him.

        • Daibhid C
          Daibhid C
          March 22, 2024 at 6:27 am | #

          Maybe the entire class is a gag nobody’s getting, and as soon as someone says “Is this just a bit you’re doing?” she’ll say “Yes, well, spotted, lets have an actual Pol Sci class now.”

          Man, it’s a shame nobody said that during her actual political career, so she could drop the whole bit there.

          • Daibhid C
            Daibhid C
            March 22, 2024 at 6:37 am | #

            Now that I think about it, as far as “to see if he’ll stop being a doormat” goes, I kind of feel like the idea that Robin is seeing how far she can push the guy utterly dependent on her to stay in the country before he pushes back would actually make her slightly worse than if she’s just a deranged self-centred person with no idea how things work, because making them work is somone else’s job. YMMV.

            • HueSatLight
              HueSatLight
              March 22, 2024 at 10:46 am | #

              Perhaps she’s nudging him to say no to her. Escalating from “get be a bag of fountain cola” to “write a book in a day” should have gotten him to put his foot down. Especially with the title “Become Ungovernable”.

              Yes, messing with him like that is kind of dickish. It’s also more believable than Robin not knowing what a day is.

              • Jeremiah
                Jeremiah
                March 22, 2024 at 2:06 pm | #

                She knows what a day is. What she probably doesn’t know or care about is how long it takes to write an actual book.

              • HueSatLight
                HueSatLight
                March 22, 2024 at 6:11 pm | #

                just remembering how funny it was when it was revealed Carla and Charlie had already been hanging out, holding hands and a significant portion of the comment section was, “I don’t understand, in the entire run of the comic, we’ve never seen Carla once be chill or show any consideration for anyone else, she’s only ever been her cartoonish antics.”

        • Mark
          Mark
          March 22, 2024 at 6:53 am | #

          Maybe we’ll discover that she has forgotten all about the book, since it’s been, like, more than thirty seconds.

    • Mturtle7
      Mturtle7
      March 22, 2024 at 4:08 pm | #

      I have no doubt that she’s about as serious as she ever gets (well, maybe 75%), but also I have no doubt that she will be quite happy to abandon this entire idea that moment somebody with an actual spine either tells why it’s a bad idea for her, or just makes sure that she’s distracted from the idea for more than a week.

      Jason is doomed, and almost certainly Becky and Dorothy as well (though for different reasons).

  11. Coatl
    Coatl
    March 22, 2024 at 12:11 am | #

    Seriously, isn’t there someone who can stop her?

    • Dean
      Dean
      March 22, 2024 at 12:18 am | #

      Dorothy, Joyce, Becky Roz and Jason, when they combine to become Political Science Voltron. Jason is the left leg, he will be complaining the whole time.

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        March 22, 2024 at 12:46 am | #

        excuse you sir
        we have it on good authority
        that Jason is the _middle_ leg

      • morleuca
        morleuca
        March 22, 2024 at 5:25 am | #

        Starring Leslie Bean as Coran

  12. Mano308gts
    Mano308gts
    March 22, 2024 at 12:19 am | #

    I have never before in my life heard that Blond/Blonde is a different spelling based on gender… Afaik it’s just an alternate spelling.

    • Mano308gts
      Mano308gts
      March 22, 2024 at 12:21 am | #

      (To be clear, that afaik was ‘as far as I knew’, not ‘as far as I know’)

    • Sam
      Sam
      March 22, 2024 at 12:36 am | #

      It has been used in a gendered way before as it originated in French where that is the norm. We just. Kind of don’t care as much about it any more so both ways are acceptable now.

      UK favours using blonde for both, USA favours using blond, but neither is really wrong at this point.

  13. Dara
    Dara
    March 22, 2024 at 12:29 am | #

    Become Ungoverningable is painfully accurate for today’s Republican party and explains a lot about how she actually survived as long as she did.

    • Jeremiah
      Jeremiah
      March 22, 2024 at 12:34 am | #

      My country elected an ultra far right asshole that has the same political views and maturity of the average 4chan user. Literally responding to political criticism with a meme of him peeing on them. I am not ever going to surprise about how you far you can get in politics while as much of a dipshit as possible.

  14. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    March 22, 2024 at 12:30 am | #

    you doing this for reals Roz? Oh please…

    you’d probably earn more by making a chess clone with mutant ants

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      March 22, 2024 at 12:48 am | #

      How did i confuse Robin for Roz?

      eh, guess I have to choose between making sense here and making code, at least for now

  15. Taffy
    Taffy
    March 22, 2024 at 12:42 am | #

    I don’t think there’s any reason to ever take Robin seriously.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      March 22, 2024 at 12:53 am | #

      Reason to take Robin seriously: When she’s doing with potentially dangerous consequences. (eg, invading and squatting in Leslie’s home).

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        March 22, 2024 at 1:11 am | #

        Nah.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      March 22, 2024 at 12:59 am | #

      She’s like Walky, but with charisma.

      • Jamie
        Jamie
        March 22, 2024 at 1:52 am | #

        I’d honestly rate Walky higher on charisma.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          March 22, 2024 at 8:47 am | #

          Walky’s more likable.
          Robin’s got that kind of charisma that just picks everyone around her up and sweeps them along with her.

          • Reltzik
            Reltzik
            March 22, 2024 at 12:46 pm | #

            Plot twist: Tornadoes are charismatic.

            • Schpoonman
              Schpoonman
              March 22, 2024 at 3:37 pm | #

              For a few minutes, at least.

  16. BBCC
    BBCC
    March 22, 2024 at 12:57 am | #

    No the one who writes it gets it free, leading to resentment from other students, thereby keeping them distracted from YOU. God, Jason, it’s like you’ve never managed a crab bucket before, pay attention 😛

    • Weatherheight
      Weatherheight
      March 22, 2024 at 3:57 pm | #

      thank you for the image of “managing a crab bucket.”
      Now I need to clean up a spit-take. 😂

  17. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    March 22, 2024 at 1:04 am | #

    Okay, pure hypothetical —

    If Robin wanted to make a video game for money, what would be her idea?

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      March 22, 2024 at 1:12 am | #

      Oregon Trail with microtransactions

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      March 22, 2024 at 1:23 am | #

      Dating sim.

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      March 22, 2024 at 1:52 am | #

      Sonic 06.

    • AbacusWizard
      AbacusWizard
      March 22, 2024 at 1:55 am | #

      Robot Unicorn Attack, but you collect skittles and cola, and it gets faster each time you collect one.

    • Amelie Wikström
      Amelie Wikström
      March 22, 2024 at 2:41 am | #

      Angry Birds. as in “No madam they already made that game and we don’t own it because they do.” “I said Angry Birds!”

    • Mark
      Mark
      March 22, 2024 at 6:56 am | #

      Tic-tac-toe

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      March 22, 2024 at 12:21 pm | #

      video games for mo-ney
      and the chyx for free

    • Mturtle7
      Mturtle7
      March 22, 2024 at 4:09 pm | #

      All of the above.

  18. AbacusWizard
    AbacusWizard
    March 22, 2024 at 1:33 am | #

    My face physically cringed at the word “ungoverningable.” Well done.

    • M!a
      M!a
      March 22, 2024 at 2:21 pm | #

      Mine nearly collapsed upon itself. It’s so hard for me lately to take Robin’s bits as farcical because they so perfectly describe the stupid, amoral narcissists who govern our real world today.

  19. staszu13
    staszu13
    March 22, 2024 at 1:51 am | #

    Good old Robin, always prioritizing

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      March 22, 2024 at 2:58 am | #

      ABC.

      Always
      Be
      Collectingmoney

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        March 22, 2024 at 9:12 am | #

        “Always be clos–cobbling.”

        Proof Lorne Michaels doesn’t really know comedy that well.

  20. GUIGUI
    GUIGUI
    March 22, 2024 at 2:37 am | #

    Doesn’t “blond”only spell “blonde” in denegation of female being if it is a noun and it only spell “blond” in all circumstances when it is an adjective?

    So it’s always “blond ones”, as “ones” is the noun, there?

    Sorry if it’s nitpicking, English is not my native language and I thought I had actually figured that one. Asking to be sure if I was actually mistaken.

    • clif
      clif
      March 22, 2024 at 3:19 am | #

      No one cares except for English majors and journalists.

    • Delivery McGee
      Delivery McGee
      March 22, 2024 at 3:23 am | #

      Don’t worry, we native English speakers don’t really know either. I feel like I’ve mostly seen it with the e when used for things other than people (like a yellowish wooden table or whatever), but now I’m beginning to doubt my memory.

    • Tan
      Tan
      March 22, 2024 at 4:03 am | #

      Technically: blonde is the correct spelling when feminine, whether noun, adjective, or even verb; blond is the correct spelling when masculine or of indeterminate gender, whether noun, adjective, or verb

      Practically: “incorrect” uses in every direction are so common at this point that only the most ardent of prescriptivists will take issue with you using “blond” pretty much wherever

      • GUIGUI
        GUIGUI
        March 22, 2024 at 4:30 am | #

        well, thanks.

      • Zaxares
        Zaxares
        March 22, 2024 at 7:59 am | #

        Huh. Thanks for the info! I had noticed the difference in spelling in a few places before, but I always assumed that “blonde” was an older, archaic spelling that wasn’t really in modern use anymore.

      • nicoleandmaggie
        nicoleandmaggie
        March 22, 2024 at 10:47 am | #

        I’ve read so many published romance novels that use blond to describe CIS women’s hair… I notice it every time, but I think blonde is gradually going away. Still, I’m always impressed when someone uses it “correctly.” (Just like when people treat “data” as plural instead of singular– data are, but enough people say data is that they’re probably both fine.)

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          March 22, 2024 at 11:13 am | #

          Wow. Around here blond vs blonde still gets pointed out a lot as a mistake and of the two, “blonde” is way more common.

          • David DeLaney
            David DeLaney
            March 22, 2024 at 12:23 pm | #

            next we need to do fianc\’e vs fianc\’ee

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        March 22, 2024 at 12:04 pm | #

        So non-binary people are blond?

        • David DeLaney
          David DeLaney
          March 22, 2024 at 12:23 pm | #

          they’re bloond

          –Dave, Jay Bloond

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          March 22, 2024 at 2:17 pm | #

          Actually, my hair is more of brown/calico type color.

    • GUIGUI
      GUIGUI
      March 22, 2024 at 4:30 am | #

      “denegation”
      *designation

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      March 22, 2024 at 2:18 pm | #

      I’ve never noticed any difference in use and just figured both spellings were fine in any situation. I see and use “blonde” a lot more often, though.

    • M!a
      M!a
      March 22, 2024 at 2:24 pm | #

      I refuse to consider the issue and use “blonde” to describe either gender.

      Can I get a show of hands y’all? ✋🏻

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        March 22, 2024 at 3:30 pm | #

        That’s what I’ve been doing, but less “refusal” and more “not realising I was ever supposed to”.

    • Dante
      Dante
      March 22, 2024 at 6:04 pm | #

      /hi5

      Yeah, no. Us ESL get hit with the “cultural shock” when it comes to “actual us” vs “norm”, but believe me – I feel you so much :’33

    • milu
      milu
      March 22, 2024 at 9:41 pm | #

      Literally nobody cares. Spell it any way you want and if someone makes some noise about it mzntally replace their voice with turkey noises and that will be mental energy better spent than bothering to parse their actual boring words

  21. C.T. Phipps
    C.T. Phipps
    March 22, 2024 at 3:40 am | #

    Shouldn’t Robin be getting Barabus, her other teacher’s aide to help or did he get crucified like the Second Eaton?

    • Tan
      Tan
      March 22, 2024 at 4:11 am | #

      Barry was never really a part of this

    • DaisyFM
      DaisyFM
      March 22, 2024 at 4:00 pm | #

      No, she’s having Jason do it because he sucks.

  22. CianM1301
    CianM1301
    March 22, 2024 at 6:05 am | #

    How did she pronounce the parentheses in the second blond(e)?

    • Mark
      Mark
      March 22, 2024 at 7:00 am | #

      Short parentheses, as in “(if that is your real name)”.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      March 22, 2024 at 10:48 am | #

      enunciating the ‘d’ strongly.

  23. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    March 22, 2024 at 7:23 am | #

    Of all the deadly sins, sloth is one of the two least attractive.
    She’ll probably have it printed in a local copy shop, and make out quite well.

    • M!a
      M!a
      March 22, 2024 at 2:30 pm | #

      I’ve developed a notion that there is really only one sin, a Root Sin as I’ve come to call it: that of selfishness. Trying to develop the idea for purposes of publishing a book.

      Robin’s book will sell far better, I think.

      • Vulcanodon
        Vulcanodon
        March 22, 2024 at 2:43 pm | #

        Get the right title and talk show circuit, and it’ll sell great! Especially if you can frame it as some kind of self-help.

        (and hope no one notices the irony)

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      March 23, 2024 at 12:14 am | #

      *video of man picking up bebe sloff off ground and putting it on tree trunk, right below mom. who extends an arm&claw to him in what looks for all the world like a slo-mo high-five*

  24. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    March 22, 2024 at 8:33 am | #

    Ugh, ALL people I have knew in high school are already parents.
    My 36 years old ass don’t have any of this. Not even a date.

    • M!a
      M!a
      March 22, 2024 at 2:32 pm | #

      You need to calculate all the money you’re saving. If you can bank just half of that, you should be able to retire pretty comfortably.

  25. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    March 22, 2024 at 8:40 am | #

    Suddenly, a new plot have started. I want to see to frenemies, like Becky and Dorothy, struggling to create a book together.

    • Mturtle7
      Mturtle7
      March 22, 2024 at 4:16 pm | #

      I don’t think Becky and Dorothy have interacted much since Dorothy’s doomspiral started really getting out of hand! I’m excited!

      Checking the tags, it looks like their last actual, prolonged, conversation was last year, when Becky learned of Dorothy’s decision not to go to Yale, got really genuinely pissed, and called her a terrible politician. And the last time they APPEARED together is when Becky started making really transparent attempts to make sure Joyce and Dorothy were banging separate dudes (and not each other).

      Ohhhh, this is gonna be FUN.

  26. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    March 22, 2024 at 11:32 am | #

    Robin’s complete lack of self awareness will never ceases to amaze me. No wonder she was a politician

  27. UrsulaDavina
    UrsulaDavina
    March 22, 2024 at 12:25 pm | #

    Honestly if we’re talking about poltical science books that I would recommend for undergrads is: the Dictators Handbook by Bruce Buneo De Mesquia and Alistar Smith Coup’d Etat a Practical Handbook by Edward Lutrwick and Theories of International Relations and Zombies.

    • Hof1991
      Hof1991
      March 22, 2024 at 1:14 pm | #

      On tyranny by Timothy Snyder.

    • M!a
      M!a
      March 22, 2024 at 2:26 pm | #

      These certainly would provide a good depiction of the world as-is.

  28. Yeet
    Yeet
    March 22, 2024 at 2:28 pm | #

    this is going to be the best textbook ever

  29. Handley Ramirez
    Handley Ramirez
    March 22, 2024 at 2:51 pm | #

    Ungovernable…intolerable. Tomato…tomato.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      March 23, 2024 at 12:12 am | #

      Potayto, potahto, stick’em inna stew

  30. june gloom
    june gloom
    March 22, 2024 at 2:53 pm | #

    Robin is a garbage human and I love her. Underrated character.

  31. Dante
    Dante
    March 22, 2024 at 5:50 pm | #

    Coming too late to comment on Robin, I just wanna add, as someone who has English as a second language:

    I was very surprised as a teen when internet peeps eschewed so many hard rules drilled onto us. For example! That “blond” is male and “blonde” is female. To this day, it’s what kids get taught in places that aren’t the USA.

  32. BP
    BP
    March 22, 2024 at 11:51 pm | #

    Today I learned that DeSanto can mean “blameless” or “holy”. Now I get a lot of how Robin works.

  33. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    March 23, 2024 at 12:04 am | #

    Actually, I thought, why don’t I look up MY high school crushes?

    Then I remembered, the last one I did, I found out that person died in 2012.

    So.

    Not doing that anymore 🙁

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      March 23, 2024 at 5:58 pm | #

      That’s weapons grade OOF right there. Sorry to hear. 🙁

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