She doesn’t mean their neighborhood street. Joyce’s mom means the STREET. She is secretly ’bout dat life.
People be goin’ up to hur like “Da’s Carol B. The mos’ wil’ honkey dat’s ever come up in the hood”
Living near Detroit, I can tell you that the drug stuff actually happens more in Pontiac. There are still some hellish parts of Detroit, but Pontiac is almost entirely a shithole while Detroit has good patches as well.
“I can’t be homophobic! Some of my best friends are gay!”
“I can’t be sexist! My mother is a woman!”
“America can’t be racist! Its early-on economic power was built on the backs of black men and women!”
How is it NOT true though? If you are friends with someone, can you really hate and/or fear an intengral part of them? If you are racist, you wouldn’t WANT a friend of a different race, it would be against your believes, and if you disliked their race then you would be such a bad friend that you couldn’t call it a real friendship. Same thing with sexuality/gender, you don’t repress a friend unless you’re scared (if you live in a time/society where tolerance is “evil”).
kiapdx
Having a “black friend”/”gay friend”/”female mother” does not make you a good person. Notice that last one? I would guess that 99.9% of sexists have a mother who self identifies as female (and were birthed from one) and yet they are still sexist.
You can have a gay friend but not want to see him holding hands with his boyfriend or be comfortable when your lesbian friend is hanging out with you and sending cute texts to her girlfriend or when your bi friend is checking out cute butts regardless of what sex the owner is. That’s still homophobia, even if you are friends.
Or someone who is friends with a PoC can still find their hair in its natural state (afro/dreads/etc is what their hair does naturally) to be gross. They can make fun of “urban” people, or jump to conclusions that the guy trying to break back into his own car because he locked the keys inside is actually a thief because of the color of his skin. They can get confused or offended when a PoC calls them out on racist language because “well they called me a cracker” or “my black friend doesn’t mind me saying that word.” They can see nothing wrong with the income disparity between when men and black men, and say that the reason so many more PoCs are in prison is because they are criminals – not because of society and laws targeting them. They can see nothing wrong with an ex-con with a history of racism shooting to death a black teenager who punched him after being stalked and provoked getting off on a self defense charge.
So yes it is perfectly possible to hate a group of people while being friends with a member of that group. One exception does not mean that you are suddenly perfect.
kiapdx
*white not when. It’s late, can’t type well.
NightRaven
Well, first of all… “not racist/sexist/bigoted” ≠ “perfect/good human”
.. And I still hold that the “friendships” you describe above
aren’t real friendships. If someone I knew didn’t respect my
race/religion/gender, he/she/it would certainly not be what
I would call a friend. That kind of relationship seems more
like acquaintances. A friend respects and supports a friend, period.
Yes, everyone has mothers, (and fathers) not everyone grew up with one,
not everyone respects or love them.
BTW, what does PoC stand for?
(My mind jumped to “Pirate of Carribean”, because of the dreads…)
NightRaven
And why would you even want to hang out with someone if you think so badly of what they identify with/heritage? It makes no sense to me.
We know both her parents are (she says as much when she meets Sarah). It seems highly likely, given that, that Joshua is as well, and most likely one or both of their brothers are either graduates, or currently attending, too.
Well, we’ve already had:
– Walky with his dick sticking out of his pants get caught in a group hug by Mike’s family
– Danny’s parents heaping emotional abuse on him
– Joyce’s mom being unintentionally racist
…and Howard.
Yep. It’s going to be awkward as hell, and we’ll probably love most of it!
Mr. Random
Just imagine if this family visit happened to you…
To add more, Grounded awkward end, less funny.
I wonder if Joe’s parents are going to make an appearance………
I know the street Joyce grew up on, and it’s definitely possible.
MarcinMN
Sounds like the entire small town that I grew up in. Basically all Caucasian…and I think it still is, but I haven’t lived there in 20 years. My parents can be a little….unenlightened….when it comes to race at times. I’m not saying it’s right, but I can understand it when you spend your whole life in a town that is basically one ethnicity.
David
Diversity is when someone moves into the neighborhood who’s of Central European descent instead of Western European descent like everyone else.
Scott
My property value! Damn you Slavic nations…!
David
Look we’re not even touching the Eastern European descendants here, that’s just asking for trouble!
Andiemus
My grandma’s Romani and lived in Minnesota. Ho-lee shit some of those people.
Romanticide
I can only imagine but I am sure nothing I can visualize could ever get close to the actual experience D:
Lu86
The smiling, thumbs up avatar really, really makes that comment uncomfortable. Just saying.
Reepicheep-chan
Haha, this reminds me of when my mom was flipping through her old yearbook and was all, like, “Dang, you know if my friends in highschool were horrible racists I would NEVER KNOW because we like all white. There is literally only one black girl in here. I feel really sorry for her, that must have sucked.”
Her yearbook was really disturbing like that, my neighborhood growing up was pretty dang white, but not _completely_ white, jeez.
But yeah, def a thing that really can happen, weird as it is.
181 thoughts on “Perfectest”
thecanvashat
Joyce’s mom knows the street.
Yotomoe
She doesn’t mean their neighborhood street. Joyce’s mom means the STREET. She is secretly ’bout dat life.
People be goin’ up to hur like “Da’s Carol B. The mos’ wil’ honkey dat’s ever come up in the hood”
thecanvashat
Which is why Joshua looks so nervous when his mom mentions it.
Yotomoe
Joshua: Mom, we swore we’d never talk about what happened in Detroit…Who could’ve thought the drug deal could’ve ended in all those casualties
Carol: Man up, Joshua. Mama ain’t raisin’ no pussies.
Aizat
Just imagined Scarface but with Joyce’s mom in the role of Tony Montana.
Yotomoe
OK, DARLING, I’M RELOADED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JBO
“Say hello to my little friend!”
*Pulls out bible*
thecanvashat
Makes machine gun noises with her mouth.
Kernanator
No, a machine gun that shoots Bibles.
Chronos
No, a Bible with pages made of bullets.
Totz the Plaid
Yotomoe! Make it happen!
Yotomoe
CAROL IS BOUT THAT LIFE
saltchocolate
Laughing against my better judgment!
Plasma Mongoose
She looks like Trailer Trash Barbie.
Kernanator
Someone help, I cannot breathe. I am laughing too hard.
RobJustRob
Sarah didn’t choose the thug life, the thug life chose her.
RobJustRob
Did I say Sarah and not Carol? I meant to say Carol. Curse my drunken state.
Totz the Plaid
Living near Detroit, I can tell you that the drug stuff actually happens more in Pontiac. There are still some hellish parts of Detroit, but Pontiac is almost entirely a shithole while Detroit has good patches as well.
NerdHerder
Sesame Street?
Historyman68
Danny the Street? From Doom Patrol?
Jen Aside
“Because she has a black friend, see??”
EvergreenFir
Sad how many people ACTUALLY think this.
Raibean
“I can’t be homophobic! Some of my best friends are gay!”
“I can’t be sexist! My mother is a woman!”
“America can’t be racist! Its early-on economic power was built on the backs of black men and women!”
NightRaven
How is it NOT true though? If you are friends with someone, can you really hate and/or fear an intengral part of them? If you are racist, you wouldn’t WANT a friend of a different race, it would be against your believes, and if you disliked their race then you would be such a bad friend that you couldn’t call it a real friendship. Same thing with sexuality/gender, you don’t repress a friend unless you’re scared (if you live in a time/society where tolerance is “evil”).
kiapdx
Having a “black friend”/”gay friend”/”female mother” does not make you a good person. Notice that last one? I would guess that 99.9% of sexists have a mother who self identifies as female (and were birthed from one) and yet they are still sexist.
You can have a gay friend but not want to see him holding hands with his boyfriend or be comfortable when your lesbian friend is hanging out with you and sending cute texts to her girlfriend or when your bi friend is checking out cute butts regardless of what sex the owner is. That’s still homophobia, even if you are friends.
Or someone who is friends with a PoC can still find their hair in its natural state (afro/dreads/etc is what their hair does naturally) to be gross. They can make fun of “urban” people, or jump to conclusions that the guy trying to break back into his own car because he locked the keys inside is actually a thief because of the color of his skin. They can get confused or offended when a PoC calls them out on racist language because “well they called me a cracker” or “my black friend doesn’t mind me saying that word.” They can see nothing wrong with the income disparity between when men and black men, and say that the reason so many more PoCs are in prison is because they are criminals – not because of society and laws targeting them. They can see nothing wrong with an ex-con with a history of racism shooting to death a black teenager who punched him after being stalked and provoked getting off on a self defense charge.
So yes it is perfectly possible to hate a group of people while being friends with a member of that group. One exception does not mean that you are suddenly perfect.
kiapdx
*white not when. It’s late, can’t type well.
NightRaven
Well, first of all… “not racist/sexist/bigoted” ≠ “perfect/good human”
.. And I still hold that the “friendships” you describe above
aren’t real friendships. If someone I knew didn’t respect my
race/religion/gender, he/she/it would certainly not be what
I would call a friend. That kind of relationship seems more
like acquaintances. A friend respects and supports a friend, period.
Yes, everyone has mothers, (and fathers) not everyone grew up with one,
not everyone respects or love them.
BTW, what does PoC stand for?
(My mind jumped to “Pirate of Carribean”, because of the dreads…)
NightRaven
And why would you even want to hang out with someone if you think so badly of what they identify with/heritage? It makes no sense to me.
kkiten
“I am NOT accustomed to diversity!”
Bob
Is everyone in Joyce’s family an IU graduate, or are they just really enthusiastic about buying probably overpriced shirts?
thecanvashat
Why can’t it be both?
David
You can buy those t-shirts at any Walmart in the state for ten bucks.
Sarah
Um not in Lafayette you can’t.
Indy Walmarts don’t really carry college shirts much either.
Tenn
Her parents are, at least.
Kamino Neko
We know both her parents are (she says as much when she meets Sarah). It seems highly likely, given that, that Joshua is as well, and most likely one or both of their brothers are either graduates, or currently attending, too.
Aizat
Joyce’s last expression. Is it happy, proud, uncomfortable? I’m going to uncomfortable with a hint of happy.
ShadowWing Tronix
Even Joshua looks like he isn’t sure how to react.
thecanvashat
Her FAAAAACE looks just uncomfortable, really.
otusasio451
It appears that there’s also just a pinch of shame, with a sprinkle of new perspective.
saltchocolate
^ That.
Shade
I’m going for uncomfortable, but she’s forcing a smile so her mother doesn’t realise it.
saltchocolate
^ And that.
OkamiKing
Can I just say…
ALL THE GLORY FOR THIS ARC!
Plasma Mongoose
Wait until they find out she has an athiest BBF.
Ragnal
And a gay Jewish boyfriend.
otusasio451
MA-HA-HAN, this story arc is gonna be FULL of awkward, isn’t it?
Alex Stritar
Oh yes, and we’ll all be loving every minute of it. XD
Plasma Mongoose
You betcha, Joyce’s face will end up stuck that way for quite some time.
JBO
Now I want to know whether Joyce inherited her “shock face” from her parents.
Totz the Plaid
Well, we’ve already had:
– Walky with his dick sticking out of his pants get caught in a group hug by Mike’s family
– Danny’s parents heaping emotional abuse on him
– Joyce’s mom being unintentionally racist
…and Howard.
Yep. It’s going to be awkward as hell, and we’ll probably love most of it!
Mr. Random
Just imagine if this family visit happened to you…
To add more, Grounded awkward end, less funny.
I wonder if Joe’s parents are going to make an appearance………
Aizat
And a possibility of having a demon infested hat.
Plasma Mongoose
No, Willis will save that plot-point for another story arc.
thecanvashat
A dinosaur hat has already been seen, though.
Aizat
His highness Joshua prefer to grace the game with his presence.
Ragnal
…Mrs. Brown, are you implying that everyone else on your street IS a racist?
…I’m not sure where to go with this information.
Aizat
Just keep nodding, I guess.
thecanvashat
Nope, if everyone on her street was racist, she wouldn’t have told anybody there.
Yotomoe
I imagine everyone on Joyce’s street has never seen a black person in their lives.
JBO
They also never saw an atheist, jew, muslim or catholic. Yeah it’s that kind of street.
David
I know the street Joyce grew up on, and it’s definitely possible.
MarcinMN
Sounds like the entire small town that I grew up in. Basically all Caucasian…and I think it still is, but I haven’t lived there in 20 years. My parents can be a little….unenlightened….when it comes to race at times. I’m not saying it’s right, but I can understand it when you spend your whole life in a town that is basically one ethnicity.
David
Diversity is when someone moves into the neighborhood who’s of Central European descent instead of Western European descent like everyone else.
Scott
My property value! Damn you Slavic nations…!
David
Look we’re not even touching the Eastern European descendants here, that’s just asking for trouble!
Andiemus
My grandma’s Romani and lived in Minnesota. Ho-lee shit some of those people.
Romanticide
I can only imagine but I am sure nothing I can visualize could ever get close to the actual experience D:
Lu86
The smiling, thumbs up avatar really, really makes that comment uncomfortable. Just saying.
Reepicheep-chan
Haha, this reminds me of when my mom was flipping through her old yearbook and was all, like, “Dang, you know if my friends in highschool were horrible racists I would NEVER KNOW because we like all white. There is literally only one black girl in here. I feel really sorry for her, that must have sucked.”
Her yearbook was really disturbing like that, my neighborhood growing up was pretty dang white, but not _completely_ white, jeez.
But yeah, def a thing that really can happen, weird as it is.
thecanvashat
For some reason, I think of Joyce living in Prohibition-era Chicago.
Which is silly, as Chicago isn’t in Indiana.
Plasma Mongoose
It wasn’t easy trying to be a christain while living in a busy speakeasy.
Raibean
Chicago and its suburbs are still one of the most segregated areas in the country.
The Candyman
Now you’ve got me imagining Joyce as a 1920s gangster.
And that image is awesome.
Dierna