Dumbing of Age Book Fourteen

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
RSS
  • Home
  • About/Read before posting
  • Archive
    • by calendar
  • Cast
  • Store
    • Main Store (books and stuff)
    • T-shirts
  • Patreon
    • Patreon (regular)
    • Patreon (NSFW)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

October 20, 2026

Tags

agatha amazi-girl amber art asher becky blaine booster carla carol charles danny dexter dina dorothy ethan fan art faz hank jacob jason jennifer jocelyne joe joyce leslie linda liz lucy malaya marcie mary mike monkey master patreon rachel raidah robin ross roz ruth sal sarah sierra walky
not tall or venti
CONVENTION APPEARANCES


September 13/14, 2025 - Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland, Table F2


Roomies! It's Walky! Joyce and Walky!
The Transformers Wiki

Comics Curmudgeon
College Roomies from Hell!!!
Dinosaur Comics
Dork Tower
Fleen
Girl Genius
The Golden Boar
Maximumble
Medium Large
Octopus Pie
PhDcomics
Power Nap
Jeph Jacques Taint Hour
Real Life
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Bad Machinery
Scenes from a Multiverse
Sheldon
Something Positive
Sorcery 101
Two Lumps
Wapsi Square
Wonderella
Wondermark
Yellow Brick Ramble!


Frumph.NET
‹‹ First ‹ Prev Comments(254) Random Next › Last ››

Sneak

Posted In: comic
└ Tags: charles, linda, walky

Discussion (254) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. newlland(Henryvolt)
    newlland(Henryvolt)
    January 21, 2024 at 12:05 am | # | Reply

    Alright since we’re doing this, might as well go the full 9 yards. If it ain’t Lucy it’s Marcie who honestly was a good influence on one of her kids but she couldn’t see that do to her crap judge of character.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      January 21, 2024 at 12:11 am | # | Reply

      Marcie’s a poor Latina though! And now she’s disabled, which is icky! Linda wanted “better” friends for Sal, like Jennifer, who shoved her son in lockers through high school.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        January 21, 2024 at 8:39 am | # | Reply

        And when she underage drunk-drove, all the hit was a tree! And that tree’s probably still just fine!

        /s

  2. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    January 21, 2024 at 12:05 am | # | Reply

    awe hell yeah Walky!!!!

    also

    RUN BROTHER!!!!! D:

    *plays “Run Red Run” by The Coasters on hacked muzak*

  3. C.T. Phipps
    C.T. Phipps
    January 21, 2024 at 12:05 am | # | Reply

    Walky should date Sarah’s sister and see if Mom approve then!

    We need more data!

    Also, more of Sarah’s sister.

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      January 21, 2024 at 12:10 am | # | Reply

      His mom would probably like tough, cynical Sarah haha. They could fight and respect the other’s backbone and acerbic wit. Sarah’s little sister is still desperate for everyone’s approval just like Lucy, much to vulnerable.

      • Coatl
        Coatl
        January 21, 2024 at 12:15 am | # | Reply

        Oh god, I can already imagine the chemistry of that pair that resulted in an interesting challenge for both, torment for Walky and a feeling of violent desires on Lucy’s part.

      • Nono
        Nono
        January 21, 2024 at 1:05 am | # | Reply

        Like Dora vs Iris?

      • Archieve
        Archieve
        January 21, 2024 at 2:59 am | # | Reply

        Honestly, given what a hypocrite Linda is I don’t think she would respect even Sarah and instead would apply the double standards to her tough cynical behavior. Sal showed the same back bone when calling Linda out on why trying to get amber expelled was bad and all it got her was a condensending response.

        • Imogen
          Imogen
          January 21, 2024 at 5:58 am | # | Reply

          Yeah, remember that Linda already has someone who stands up to her and never backs down. It’s Sal. Things aren’t going great.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      January 21, 2024 at 8:40 am | # | Reply

      Yes, more Data!

      More Brent Spiner in general, come to think of it.

      • John Campbell
        John Campbell
        January 21, 2024 at 6:36 pm | # | Reply

        Honestly, I can’t deal with Brent Spiner out of the Data makeup. It’s like some kind of reverse Uncanny Valley.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          January 21, 2024 at 7:39 pm | # | Reply

          The southern drawl he used as Bob Wheeler on the original Night Court helps break that.

    • anon
      anon
      January 21, 2024 at 7:57 pm | # | Reply

      i wonder if liz would even be into walky but i still think he should say he’s dating asher even as a troll lol.

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        January 21, 2024 at 8:22 pm | # | Reply

        Everybody Loves Asher

        –Dave, the new sitcom on The CW

        ps: my fingers made a new word, ‘sitvom’; a primetime show with wacky plots that really bad but you can’t stop watching it

  4. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    January 21, 2024 at 12:05 am | # | Reply

    Bravest thing Walky’s ever done. Stupidest, but bravest.

    • Coatl
      Coatl
      January 21, 2024 at 12:17 am | # | Reply

      It’s a risky start, and maybe he can show off those battle scars in the future.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      January 21, 2024 at 8:42 am | # | Reply

      I’m sure he’ll do whatever he can to keep the car between him and Linda throughout this confrontation.

      At least he’s finally having the confrontation, so credit for that.

    • JA
      JA
      January 21, 2024 at 9:12 pm | # | Reply

      Being brave sometimes requires doing something stupid.

  5. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    January 21, 2024 at 12:06 am | # | Reply

    racist grande*

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      January 21, 2024 at 12:28 am | # | Reply

      I prefer frappuccinos to racists. Frappuccinos taste way better.
      Although who orders a grande? Yeesh. Get the Venti and save half for the next day.

      • Psychie
        Psychie
        January 21, 2024 at 12:57 am | # | Reply

        Can I just get a hot chocolate? I don’t like the taste of coffee or racism, no matter how sugared down.

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          January 21, 2024 at 1:07 am | # | Reply

          Yes, but also note that pumps of additional flavors are free, so mix up your hot chocolate by adding some different flavors now and then!
          (My favorite used to be adding raspberry, but they don’t have that anymore.)

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          January 21, 2024 at 1:30 am | # | Reply

          Here we only have one rule — NEVER EVER LET IT COOL! XD

          Hot hot, HOT CHOCOLATE!

          • Plain Marie
            Plain Marie
            January 21, 2024 at 2:14 am | # | Reply

            Ha! We love that song! And the movie. Deeply weird, but we love it.

          • CianM1301
            CianM1301
            January 21, 2024 at 4:25 am | # | Reply

            YEAH, WE GOT IT

      • khn0
        khn0
        January 21, 2024 at 6:20 am | # | Reply

        Can someone explain why “venti”? I had to check if it means something else that what I knew (winds and twenty) bc my italian is a bit rusty, but I still don’t get it.
        Also why put grande after racist? In italian it’s before as far as I know…

        • Hof1991
          Hof1991
          January 21, 2024 at 7:31 am | # | Reply

          Starbucks made up names.

          • Leorale
            Leorale
            January 21, 2024 at 9:51 am | # | Reply

            All names are made up.

            Venti is Italian for twenty: it’s a 20 ounce cup.

            In the summer they also have the huge Trenta, just for iced coffee and iced tea. Trenta is 30 oz.

            • Yumi
              Yumi
              January 21, 2024 at 12:04 pm | # | Reply

              They have the trenta for iced drinks year-round, at least around here.

            • jflb96
              jflb96
              January 21, 2024 at 8:23 pm | # | Reply

              If only there were a pre-existing name for 20 fluid ounces that they could’ve used instead

              • Yumi
                Yumi
                January 21, 2024 at 9:31 pm | # | Reply

                Pre-existing isn’t always better. They could have gone with pint instead of grande for the 16 ounce option, but that would also be weird.

                • Proxiehunter
                  Proxiehunter
                  January 21, 2024 at 10:46 pm | #

                  Not if they served it in a pint glass like it was a beer.

                • HueSatLight
                  HueSatLight
                  January 21, 2024 at 11:58 pm | #

                  That’s what it’s called at Quick Trip, the superior sugared coffee store.

            • khn0
              khn0
              January 28, 2024 at 2:44 am | # | Reply

              Thank you (and all the following posters) for the answer. We have Starbucks in my country but I never entered one, we haven’t the same coffee culture (as wrote Henry Rollins about in harsh terms in Black Coffee Songs).

        • flumfula
          flumfula
          January 21, 2024 at 7:44 am | # | Reply

          Aparently Starbucks uses not-quite random Italian words for beverage sizes.
          Demi (3 oz.)
          Short (8 oz.)
          Tall (12 oz.)
          Grande (16 oz.)
          Venti (20 oz. for hot drinks, 24 oz. for cold drinks)
          Trenta (31 oz.)
          Note the liquid ounce volume measurement for Venti and Trenta.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          January 21, 2024 at 8:49 am | # | Reply

          Romance language product names differentiated Starbucks as the “fancy” fast food coffee, in contrast to “dOnUt ShOp” Dunkin’ and fast food McCafe. People are willing to pay more if they think they’re getting something fancy.

          • lyzyrdwyzyrd
            lyzyrdwyzyrd
            January 21, 2024 at 9:42 am | # | Reply

            Based on a Google it’s because it was modelled originally on Italian coffee shops.
            Why they’re not ALL Italian? No idea.

        • Casi
          Casi
          January 21, 2024 at 9:41 am | # | Reply

          Venti is 20 in italian, and the venti hot coffee is 20 oz.

        • lyzyrdwyzyrd
          lyzyrdwyzyrd
          January 21, 2024 at 9:44 am | # | Reply

          Venti=20.

          Grande is the same as Medium at Starbucks.
          So technically they mean the same thing.
          I think Wally is calling his Mom basic.

        • Pergola
          Pergola
          January 21, 2024 at 12:03 pm | # | Reply

          I never order venti but they always put it in my drink anyway.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          January 21, 2024 at 3:04 pm | # | Reply

          Doesn’t it mean “great racist” if it’s “grande racist”? I don’t know Italian, so if I’m wrong I flubbed a joke.

          • khn0
            khn0
            January 28, 2024 at 2:42 am | # | Reply

            Yes,I think it should evolve in “gran” to be clear that’s it’s “big racist” rather than great – and you can’t take my word about it, even if I have italian family, I never took more than one semester of italian which isn’t enough to get this kind of hints. More precisely my question was about the use of grande as a noun?

      • VicMortimer
        VicMortimer
        January 21, 2024 at 3:39 pm | # | Reply

        I wouldn’t know. I don’t go down on racists.

        • David DeLaney
          David DeLaney
          January 21, 2024 at 8:24 pm | # | Reply

          going down with unexpected teeth: suitable

      • Delavan
        Delavan
        January 21, 2024 at 4:36 pm | # | Reply

        How do you save half a frappuccino without dirtying a blender and needing more ice?

    • anon
      anon
      January 21, 2024 at 7:56 pm | # | Reply

      lol some times ‘medium’ racist is more annoying than full blown ones

  6. Vanessa
    Vanessa
    January 21, 2024 at 12:06 am | # | Reply

    Ok good, his dad is looking askance at her grumpiness. Perhaps he could grow a spine? And finally stand up for one of his kids?

    • newlland(Henryvolt)
      newlland(Henryvolt)
      January 21, 2024 at 12:13 am | # | Reply

      I wonder what was more scary for him, the sudden jumpscare or him finally having the conversation he was hoping would never come when he wasn’t ready.

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      January 21, 2024 at 12:21 am | # | Reply

      But then the noble Hagfish would once again be left the only animal with a skull, but no vertebral column.
      How can you disappoint that cute face?
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8FVpj0p-iU&t=19s

    • Warcodered
      Warcodered
      January 21, 2024 at 12:38 am | # | Reply

      I mean it might kind of be like pulling the cloth off of something you’ve been hiding, like oh that’s been there. It gets hard to avoid or ignore obvious things when they just get put out there, I don’t think Linda is going to hide it well when the thought is right there in his head.

    • Archieve
      Archieve
      January 21, 2024 at 10:44 am | # | Reply

      As much as I hope that Charles raised eyebrow is directed at his wife given that the panel is from Walkys perspective that look might actually be directed at his son.

    • anon
      anon
      January 21, 2024 at 7:59 pm | # | Reply

      well him agreeing with walky would mean he’d have to admit it to himself as well, unless he’s constantly turned a blind eye in other instances, not counting sal

  7. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    January 21, 2024 at 12:07 am | # | Reply

    Jesus, Walky, you can’t say that. Your mom doesn’t want to be associated with Spanish – Mexicans speak that.

    • Icarus
      Icarus
      January 21, 2024 at 2:32 am | # | Reply

      “Grande” is Italian.

      • NubeTrasnochada
        NubeTrasnochada
        January 21, 2024 at 2:54 am | # | Reply

        Spanish and Italian share a lot of words and grande happens to be one of them.

      • adam Black
        adam Black
        January 21, 2024 at 2:57 am | # | Reply

        I thought that was the joke.

  8. Coatl
    Coatl
    January 21, 2024 at 12:08 am | # | Reply

    I doubt it, but maybe he’ll finally get the courage to face Linda, even if just a little bit.

    • clif
      clif
      January 21, 2024 at 10:39 am | # | Reply

      What do you call, this?

      • elebenty
        elebenty
        January 21, 2024 at 12:35 pm | # | Reply

        Keeping a large vehicle between her hand and his face.

  9. Uly
    Uly
    January 21, 2024 at 12:09 am | # | Reply

    It’s that wacky combination of self-awareness combined with utter lack of self-awareness that gets me. Yes, honey, this is in a small part because you didn’t do flipping cartwheels over Walky’s girlfriend who, let us be clear, is a bit of a catch, especially for your son, who really isn’t. (Sorry.)

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      January 21, 2024 at 12:11 am | # | Reply

      It’s very realistic, too, that someone will be like, “Oh, so now you think I’m racist just because I .”

      Followed up with something like, “I am the least racist person I know!” (They don’t like it when you then ask who exactly they’re hanging out with.)

      • tim gueguen
        tim gueguen
        January 21, 2024 at 12:21 am | # | Reply

        Yep, for lots of people their attitude is what I call “No racism without Klansman.” They can only see the most blatant of racism, like a bigot screaming racist words at the top of their lungs while attacking a church full of black people.

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          January 21, 2024 at 1:46 am | # | Reply

          And even then, you’ll still see people saying it might not have been racially motivated. They’ll never give any coherent reason why it isn’t a racist thing to do, but they’ll die on the hill that it might not have been.

          • NGPZ
            NGPZ
            January 21, 2024 at 7:19 pm | # | Reply

            And often times they’ll sneakily try to shift the burden of proof to you or pull out the thought stopping cliche against you for “making things political”, even though politics and power is literally what racism is all about.

            What bigots and their conservative collaborators want is never “political”, because the status quo and power structures and institutions thereof they unconditionally defend is that which everyone is *used to*. Trying to get them to acknowledge systemic racism is like trying to point at darkness with a flashlight — being inclined to conserve and thereby defend the status quo, it is their very nature to cover it up and contribute to the problem in the process.

            The Systems that do racism in America include that which teach the majority of white people and their kids about it, so go fucking figure when they teach about it they strip away any notion that it has to do with politics and power.

        • Mturtle7
          Mturtle7
          January 21, 2024 at 12:18 pm | # | Reply

          Ironically, one could argue it’s just a variation on the “no true Irishman” fallacy!
          Yes, I know people stopped caring about anti-Irish racism ages ago. It’s still ironic, damn it.

          • Freemage
            Freemage
            January 21, 2024 at 3:19 pm | # | Reply

            *Cough* It’s actually the “True Scotsman” Fallacy–based on the hypothetical exchange:

            “No True Scotsman wears anything under his kilt!”
            “Well, what about Robert McScotscot, over in Killargharrrrgh? He wears boxers under his kilt.”
            “Ah, but he isn’t a TRUE Scotsman!”

            • Mturtle7
              Mturtle7
              January 21, 2024 at 10:11 pm | # | Reply

              Ah, thank you. I misremembered!

      • Bryy
        Bryy
        January 21, 2024 at 12:55 am | # | Reply

        I have to admit that I was NOT expecting Linda’s first reaction to be “of course I didn’t like your black girlfriend!”.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        January 21, 2024 at 1:03 am | # | Reply

        Whoops, forgot about tags. My comment was supposed to go, “Oh, so now you think I’m racist just because I -something racist they said or did-.”

        And yeah, they understand that people might think that thing is racist, but see, those people are *wrong,* or at least they’re wrong in this case, because the person is Not Racist, and therefore the thing they said or did is also Not Racist.

    • Vukodlak
      Vukodlak
      January 21, 2024 at 12:13 am | # | Reply

      She did do cartwheels over Dorthy.

      • Bittersweet
        Bittersweet
        January 21, 2024 at 12:16 am | # | Reply

        To be fair, even if she weren’t racist, Dorothy is easily the best love interest from the utilitarian parent’s perspective. Literally the poster child for “perfect significant other” that’s kind of part of Dorothy’s problem lol. She’s the poster child for a lot of things that don’t actually exist.

        • tim gueguen
          tim gueguen
          January 21, 2024 at 12:23 am | # | Reply

          “She’s an intelligent girl from a Good Family and she’s Going Places!”

        • C.T. Phipps
          C.T. Phipps
          January 21, 2024 at 12:25 am | # | Reply

          I dunno, I’d be suspicious of future war criminal, Dorothy.

        • Warcodered
          Warcodered
          January 21, 2024 at 12:40 am | # | Reply

          But then there’s Amber, and it gets awkward again.

        • Bryy
          Bryy
          January 21, 2024 at 12:56 am | # | Reply

          To be fairer, Linda’s first reaction upon seeing Walky’s group of friends was to assume THE ONLY WHITE ONE was his girlfriend.

          • HueSatLight
            HueSatLight
            January 21, 2024 at 1:58 am | # | Reply

            enthusiastically assume.

            • Opus the Poet
              Opus the Poet
              January 21, 2024 at 9:12 pm | # | Reply

              Good lord this weekend has been going on since Spring of 2023? And it’s only Sunday still? That’s over 8 months to cover just 3 days and we’re only mid-afternoon on Sunday. Granted there are like 3 or 4 storylines going at the same time, but daaang that’s slow. That’s Grrl Power slow https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/
              Dave B. took literally from 2010-09-20 to 2015-02-16 to cover one afternoon and evening from lunch through literally crashing after lights out. OK maybe not that bad, but still unfast.

          • Archieve
            Archieve
            January 21, 2024 at 2:36 am | # | Reply

            Exactly, her attempt to bear huge a creeped out Joyce and then give a friendly Lucy a begrudged handshake is the perfect example. Two girls who look and dress alike who Linda only has her first impression to act on.

            • Schpoonman
              Schpoonman
              January 21, 2024 at 8:21 am | # | Reply

              “I bet it’s definitely you.” Emphasis Willis’s/Linda’s.

              Imagine a series of increasingly violent retching sounds, only there’s no catharsis or relief because Linda’s still present.

              • Needfuldoer
                Needfuldoer
                January 21, 2024 at 9:00 am | # | Reply

                Like a cat horking up a hairball but it can’t find a carpet to leave it on.

                • Schpoonman
                  Schpoonman
                  January 21, 2024 at 4:26 pm | #

                  “There’s nothing but fucking tile and hardwood in this prison!”

            • Bryy
              Bryy
              January 21, 2024 at 8:43 am | # | Reply

              Man, I forgot how condescendingly performative that was.

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      January 21, 2024 at 12:13 am | # | Reply

      Hopefully it is clear to Charles that she was actually quite rude to Lucy. No, Walky didn’t expect her love Lucy, he was just hoping she wouldn’t be so mean that she would destroy Lucy for days.
      — She might be thrilled to find out Lucy dumped him.

      • Coatl
        Coatl
        January 21, 2024 at 12:19 am | # | Reply

        However, Walky seems to think otherwise…I hope not.

        • Psychie
          Psychie
          January 21, 2024 at 1:03 am | # | Reply

          I mean, it WAS left rather ambiguous given the last bit of their exchange if they were *actually* done or if they just needed to leave the conversation so they’d both have some time to reflect and figure things out. Like they are definitely CLOSE to breaking up, but it is unclear which side of the line they are on, Walky seems to think they haven’t broken up yet and that the situation is potentially salveageable if he can get his crap together on the subject, and if Lucy decides she’s actually comfortable with how not on the same page they were on their relationship, and frankly that was my interpretation too when I read the exchange, it wasn’t until I saw commenters talking like she’d already dumped him that I realized there was another way to interpret her words.

          • Coatl
            Coatl
            January 21, 2024 at 1:09 am | # | Reply

            I admit that the way Lucy said things, it was a sign of a breakup in my opinion. But if not, I have the feeling that she will present herself as a “new Lucy” who this time will not let herself be trampled on and will give Walky “a second chance.” (Note that the quotes are a sign that if that not-so-loved ship is still afloat, this time it will be destroyed by Lucy herself)

            • adam Black
              adam Black
              January 21, 2024 at 3:09 am | # | Reply

              O my gods. That is Sooooo Lucy.

              She’s going to smugly claim to be new and improved but FORGIVE Walky for not Having love at first sight.

              Its 50% cute and 50% obnoxious and 60% kill it with fire.

              Lucy is kind of like Billie. If more naive, sweeter and not an alcoholic yet.

              I think Walkyverse Lucy would apologize. But Dumbiverse Lucy is too sweet to do anything wrong. And when pressed , that’s her self image.

              • Jeremiah
                Jeremiah
                January 21, 2024 at 2:36 pm | # | Reply

                @adam Black God, you are so delusional it would be funny if it weren’t so annoying.

                • bemisawa
                  bemisawa
                  January 21, 2024 at 7:51 pm | #

                  Dude. What the hell? Why the venom? I was under the impression we were here to read and discuss the comic, not… whatever this is.

                • David DeLaney
                  David DeLaney
                  January 21, 2024 at 8:29 pm | #

                  @bemisawa: I’m betting Jeremiah is still reacting to a long series of venomitous comments adam Black left under a previous strip, hence it’s part of discussing that discussion

                  –Dave, alas, new comic != new commenters or new subjects, much of the time; e.g. heeere’s the Walky-Lucy breakup thread right back at the level it was

            • Firseal
              Firseal
              January 21, 2024 at 6:55 am | # | Reply

              I am pretty sure that the Lucy/Walky relationship was destroyed by Lucy last time (as well as motivated by her). Walky always seemed more like he was more an improv actor than half a couple when he was with Lucy. That said, both did damage to each other throughout.

              However, and to my incredible surprise, Walky is attempting Character Development based off Lucy’s barbs -I mean, observations- and using Call Out Parent. I do not expect it to be super effective.

              • David DeLaney
                David DeLaney
                January 21, 2024 at 8:30 pm | # | Reply

                new Slipshine: Walky Attempts A Character Development (Yellow)

      • Archieve
        Archieve
        January 21, 2024 at 2:55 am | # | Reply

        Until Charles actually calls his wife out instead of just trying to but out the fires I’d be cautiously optimistic at best about him a knowleding Linda’s treatment towards Lucy.

    • Xujhan
      Xujhan
      January 21, 2024 at 12:20 am | # | Reply

      I’d take Walky over nearly any other DoA main character, for either a friend or a romantic partner.

      • Psychie
        Psychie
        January 21, 2024 at 1:18 am | # | Reply

        Yeah, Walky’s fun and his issues are more imminently “fixable” (insofar as a persons psychological issues can be “fixed”). It would take WAY less work to make him a decent partner than most of the others (although Joe is doing a lot of that work on himself already, which is a point in his favor), and some of the ones that I expect would actually make decent partners as-is are either intolerable to be around, like Booster, or just not an interesting person to spend time with like Dorothy (she’s interesting to read, but she has absolutely no idea how to have fun, and I’d spend no more than one interaction trying to teach her, since she has also been shown as unwilling to learn, hopefully her current arc will get her to mellow out and relax a bit, but not until she interacts with healthier influences than she’s encountered so far on her trip through rock bottom).

        Walky can be kind of dense, but once you get him to realize what the problem is, he at least *tries* to fix it (assuming it’s a problem he actually wants to fix), his attempts are often misguided, but that’s fairly easy to deal with by simply communicating clearly and, importantly, in a manner he understands. Point him in a direction of wacky hijinks that’s potentially productive or at least that you enjoy and you’re mostly good as he slowly figures it out for real.

        Then again, I’m big on grand gestures and filtering reality through the lens of fiction, myself, so I speak his language, I can see how that would be trickier for some people.

        • Coatl
          Coatl
          January 21, 2024 at 1:38 am | # | Reply

          Walky is taking very small steps, but I think that once he observes them maybe it will finally be the key to finally being truly transparent.

          On the other hand, the other thing you mention is interesting, precisely why I liked Walky x Dorothy, they are so opposite that, however, they have details that one has and the other lacks, plus I loved the interaction of both, as you mention , the blonde thinks she is fine and seems not to want to receive help, but little by little she will calm down and also come across people who will help her in this, in my opinion I think Amber (spending a morning of video games supports this probability) and certain heroin help (I think you noticed a certain character in Willis’ tweets)

          • adam Black
            adam Black
            January 21, 2024 at 3:12 am | # | Reply

            Oh no, heroin ?

            Rock bottom hit hard for ex Presidents

            • Coatl
              Coatl
              January 21, 2024 at 3:23 am | # | Reply

              I meant superheroine (amazi-girl), muy mistake, sorry.

              • Coatl
                Coatl
                January 21, 2024 at 3:24 am | # | Reply

                *Mistake

            • Firseal
              Firseal
              January 21, 2024 at 6:57 am | # | Reply

              Wait, she said no to weed but went for heroin?!

              Dorothy needs to sort out her priorities.

              • David DeLaney
                David DeLaney
                January 21, 2024 at 8:31 pm | # | Reply

                Dorothy has npt yet went for the heroine
                but this strip has a HUGE buffer already

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          January 21, 2024 at 1:43 am | # | Reply

          “fun”

  10. BBCC
    BBCC
    January 21, 2024 at 12:10 am | # | Reply

    Oh shit, no take backs now. He said it in legible words to her face!

    Let’s see if it pays off better for him than it did for mini-Sal!

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      January 21, 2024 at 12:16 am | # | Reply

      not a great follow-through so far, he went for a joke instead of “you said slumming it”.

      • Bash
        Bash
        January 21, 2024 at 2:54 am | # | Reply

        That’s how Walky processes things.

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          January 21, 2024 at 5:41 pm | # | Reply

          He’s a stand-up comedian, and Linda’s got a front row seat :p

      • Daibhid C
        Daibhid C
        January 21, 2024 at 5:46 am | # | Reply

        Like someone said below, letting Linda turn it into “this is about Lucy” rather than “this is about literally everything” would also have been a mistake.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      January 21, 2024 at 8:32 pm | # | Reply

      This does not mean she’ll have any correctly decipherable memory of it to-morrow

      –Dave, a deep, wide river ending at the Mediterranean

  11. UrsulaDavina
    UrsulaDavina
    January 21, 2024 at 12:12 am | # | Reply

    Linda is a big racist. Grande means big. Starbucks is lying to you about great many things.

    • adam Black
      adam Black
      January 21, 2024 at 3:15 am | # | Reply

      No medium. … racist. We got little bits. We got Grande.
      And Two Brothers.

    • Daibhid C
      Daibhid C
      January 21, 2024 at 5:44 am | # | Reply

      I think I read somewhere that “Grande” was originally Starbucks’ largest coffee size, but nobody ever ordered the smaller ones, so they adjusted everything round it.

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        January 21, 2024 at 9:25 am | # | Reply

        Yes, the original Starbucks had Small and Tall. But Americans hardly ever ordered the Small, and so Starbucks kept adding larger sizes, one at a time… and so the opaque naming conventions began.

        You can still order a Small if you want: it’s mostly used for children’s drinks and pupcups.

  12. JessWitt
    JessWitt
    January 21, 2024 at 12:12 am | # | Reply

    I mean, there’s also her preference for Walky over Sal, even before the robbery. And her change in demeanor when Danny’s with her versus on her own (though that would be for Charles to point out instead of their son).

  13. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    January 21, 2024 at 12:21 am | # | Reply

    Has Linda really found a way to surpass an Ascended Racist? Is that possible?

    • StClair
      StClair
      January 21, 2024 at 2:32 am | # | Reply

      What would that make her, Double Ascended?

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        January 21, 2024 at 8:33 pm | # | Reply

        she went to Secret Double Racist School?

    • Schpoonman
      Schpoonman
      January 21, 2024 at 8:03 am | # | Reply

      Super-de-duper Racist.

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        January 21, 2024 at 8:33 pm | # | Reply

        well, golly gee whillikers!

        –Dave, and gosharoonie

  14. AGV
    AGV
    January 21, 2024 at 12:21 am | # | Reply

    That’s a pretty bold strategy, let’s see how it goes for him.

    • anon
      anon
      January 21, 2024 at 8:10 pm | # | Reply

      not as bold as outright slapping her but prolly wouldn’t be effective as much as ppl wanna see it

  15. Taffy
    Taffy
    January 21, 2024 at 12:28 am | # | Reply

    Oh boy, we really are sticking with the most annoying character.

    • Schpoonman
      Schpoonman
      January 21, 2024 at 8:10 am | # | Reply

      Man, Charles doesn’t deserve this kind of shade.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        January 21, 2024 at 5:49 pm | # | Reply

        No, he provides the shade. That’s why he’s always to the east of Linda in the morning and west of her at night.

        • David DeLaney
          David DeLaney
          January 21, 2024 at 8:34 pm | # | Reply

          like Mike’s hair, but for the sun and conversation

          –Dave, … … too soon?

  16. Armadillo
    Armadillo
    January 21, 2024 at 12:29 am | # | Reply

    He’s visibly scared shitless and making sure to keep a car in between him and his mother but that doesn’t detract from the fact that he’s standing up to her! This is a big moment for Walky, I’m very impressed with him for making the effort to do this.

    • Coatl
      Coatl
      January 21, 2024 at 12:32 am | # | Reply

      He is obviously terrified, but he has already taken a step and even if he loses the battle, he will have the experience for a future revenge.

    • Warcodered
      Warcodered
      January 21, 2024 at 12:34 am | # | Reply

      I mean he’s literally coasted his whole life on his parents approval while watching his sister have to deal with the exact opposite. He’s basically flipping the board of his life upside down.

    • Lan
      Lan
      January 21, 2024 at 7:46 am | # | Reply

      I agree. We’ve seen the kind of verbal abuse he’s subjected to when he steps out of line, so this is a really big moment

  17. LeafletErin
    LeafletErin
    January 21, 2024 at 12:31 am | # | Reply

    Holy cheese! Walky doubled down! AND THEN HE TRIPLED DOWN!! My Siblings in Christ this man is going to try and go the distance on this! Let’s see if he chokes in the homestretch or makes it across that finish line!

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      January 21, 2024 at 8:33 am | # | Reply

      As much as I can hope so, changing the mind of a racist can be really tricky (and sometimes even dangerous), all things considered the outcome of this gambit will probably be neutral at best. 0_0

      • clif
        clif
        January 21, 2024 at 10:51 am | # | Reply

        Yeah, no longer being supported in college and having to take a dead end job to avoid sleeping on the street is pretty neutral.

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          January 21, 2024 at 5:34 pm | # | Reply

          Linda is possessive, there is no way she is gonna give up her favorite ornament ?

          • clif
            clif
            January 22, 2024 at 1:45 am | # | Reply

            Fair point.

    • Mturtle7
      Mturtle7
      January 21, 2024 at 12:22 pm | # | Reply

      I’m sure he could make it across the finish line, if it weren’t for a certain SOMEONE (it’s Linda) weren’t so damn good at moving the goalposts.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      January 21, 2024 at 8:35 pm | # | Reply

      tripled down WITH SPRINKLES

  18. Warcodered
    Warcodered
    January 21, 2024 at 12:31 am | # | Reply

    The fact that you immediately knew what it could be from Linda does the exact opposite of helping you.

    • Archieve
      Archieve
      January 21, 2024 at 2:50 am | # | Reply

      Linda’s the kind of racist whose aware enough to know the way she feels isn’t appropriate but when but in a situation where she has to confronted those feeling even indirectly (refusing to have lunch with her daugther alone) puts all her energy into convincing herself she’s the victim.

      • DashWallkick
        DashWallkick
        January 21, 2024 at 3:20 am | # | Reply

        There’s, shall we say, a *theme* of self righteous moms who have deluded themselves into thinking they’re the victims.

      • Lan
        Lan
        January 21, 2024 at 7:52 am | # | Reply

        Idk, from what we’ve seen of her behavior thus far, I’m not sure Linda DOES have the capacity to recognize when her feelings are inappropriate

    • Amelie Wikström
      Amelie Wikström
      January 21, 2024 at 8:21 am | # | Reply

      She’s a narcissistic abuser who thinks doing racist and sexist things to improve the quality of her children (so they reflect better on her, in the metrics of the racist, sexist, capitalist society she values) is right and good. Of course she understands ethics well enough to know she’s not supposed to get caught doing these things, and now she’s going to Narcissist Prayer her way out of it.

      • Amelie Wikström
        Amelie Wikström
        January 21, 2024 at 8:34 am | # | Reply

        “So of course she keeps careful track of at least her most recent wrongs” should have been a part of the last sentence there. How did I manage to delete the exact part that’s in answer to the post I responded to. . .

      • Bryy
        Bryy
        January 21, 2024 at 8:46 am | # | Reply

        Yup.

        Not to sound like a broken record, but getting drunk rather than actually talk to her son.

  19. Animedingo
    Animedingo
    January 21, 2024 at 12:42 am | # | Reply

    Father Walky if there was ever a time for you to chime in its now

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      January 21, 2024 at 12:59 am | # | Reply

      inb4 “Of course you’d be on his side btw i’m not racist”.

    • adam Black
      adam Black
      January 21, 2024 at 3:23 am | # | Reply

      Father Walky sounds like the sequel where Walky founds the Church of the monkeymaster

  20. Steve
    Steve
    January 21, 2024 at 12:52 am | # | Reply

    She’s trenta racist.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      January 21, 2024 at 1:49 am | # | Reply

      Pentamelded with the Racism Materia X/IX, BiS gear

      • Queen Anthai
        Queen Anthai
        January 21, 2024 at 2:12 am | # | Reply

        …how do you do fellow critically acclaimed MMORPG enjoyer

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          January 21, 2024 at 8:06 pm | # | Reply

          Ironically not as well as Linda. My iLvl is only about 651, and you can forget pentamelding. Then again, BiS gear right now doesn’t allow advanced melding in the first place. Got my 665 SMN relic though, so that’s at least one step I don’t need to worry about.

          • Queen Anthai
            Queen Anthai
            January 22, 2024 at 1:39 am | # | Reply

            “only”

            I haven’t even unlocked Thaelia; I’m slacking

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      January 21, 2024 at 7:13 am | # | Reply

      Mega-racist, MAGA-racist (we’ve all seen her in the hat). Basically paJAMas, paJAHmas.

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        January 21, 2024 at 8:37 pm | # | Reply

        waiting to find moogoo-racist and muggle-racist in her

        –Dave, gotta watch’em all!

        • ValdVin
          ValdVin
          January 23, 2024 at 5:15 pm | # | Reply

          Actually I’m confusing Linda with Carol here! My mistake about the MAGA hat. But Linda’s no prize, of course.

  21. DashWallkick
    DashWallkick
    January 21, 2024 at 1:01 am | # | Reply

    I really wish Walky had the insight to point out that no one mentioned Lucy except you, Linda.

    • Bash
      Bash
      January 21, 2024 at 2:53 am | # | Reply

      What else could it be about, after a visit where Walky introduced a black woman and a white woman as his girlfriend?

      • DashWallkick
        DashWallkick
        January 21, 2024 at 3:19 am | # | Reply

        The fact that it’s clearly about that doesn’t change that she didn’t even bother asking him any questions before taking the words out of his mouth.

      • adam Black
        adam Black
        January 21, 2024 at 3:20 am | # | Reply

        His mother rejecting his sister when Danny couldn’t show. His mother rejecting his sister but hugging Joyce.

        His mother treating Sal like a human when she has a white boy
        A lot of things.

        • Bash
          Bash
          January 21, 2024 at 1:18 pm | # | Reply

          It’s possible that Walky could get mad on Sal’s behalf, but it’s not a huge stretch to assume Walky is upset about something that affects him directly. He wasn’t even present for some of what went on with Sal.

    • Archieve
      Archieve
      January 21, 2024 at 3:19 am | # | Reply

      As tempting as pointing that out nobody mentioned Lucy to Linda right away is that would also be a trap I think. Part of Linda’s defensive mind games are to hyper focus on specific scenarios just so she can play words and pick it apart. She flat out tried to goad Sal into doing this when she showed up alone and tried to have a peaceful conversation. Sal almost did this before recognizing the pattern and just walking away which infuriated Linda because it robbed her of the ability to keep her moral highground. Walky ignoring her attempt to pick apart one scenario and just matter of factually addressing the elephant in the room might be the best approach. ( Linda: what specific detail makes you think of an elephant? Walky: it’s an elephant)

      • DashWallkick
        DashWallkick
        January 21, 2024 at 5:23 am | # | Reply

        It’s very well observed mom behavior to have fully automated the pedantic argumentative tactics you’ve spent 18 years honing so utterly that something like “you’re racist” is met with “my behavior was actually justified and sensible and you’re over reacting”

  22. NinjaNick
    NinjaNick
    January 21, 2024 at 2:06 am | # | Reply

    Uber racist.

  23. Daniel M Ball
    Daniel M Ball
    January 21, 2024 at 2:25 am | # | Reply

    [sarcasm]are we sure Walky is actually the male twin? there is a plentiful lack of balls there.[/sarcasm]

    “Actually Dan, it takes a hell of a lot of balls to outright tell the woman who gave birth to you that she’s being a bigot and a bitch, especially where someone might actually hear you.”

    Oh, right. I forgot. carry on…

    • june gloom
      june gloom
      January 21, 2024 at 5:28 am | # | Reply

      Are we really using testicles as a sign of integrity and inner strength?

      • Da Boy
        Da Boy
        January 21, 2024 at 9:03 am | # | Reply

        Well if you get kicked in them and keep standing that’s some impressive inner strength.

    • Lan
      Lan
      January 21, 2024 at 7:57 am | # | Reply

      What

    • milu
      milu
      January 21, 2024 at 10:46 am | # | Reply

      Yes please shut up dan

    • Cassie
      Cassie
      January 21, 2024 at 1:37 pm | # | Reply

      As a woman who has balls, please. Explain what precisely you meant here. I’d rather like to be clear on how angry I need to be.

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        January 21, 2024 at 8:39 pm | # | Reply

        excuse me for a moment while I get the popcorn

        –Dave, and my asbestos onesie to huddle in

      • Proxiehunter
        Proxiehunter
        January 21, 2024 at 10:58 pm | # | Reply

        I’m disappointed in the comments section that enough people flagged THIS comment that Willis had to check it but not the comment it’s a reply to.

        • Cassie
          Cassie
          January 22, 2024 at 12:55 am | # | Reply

          First, apologies for fat fingering the flag on yours. Second, I think my stuff just gets moderated automatically due to me changing usernames at one point. Overall I find the commenters here to be decent and accepting people.

  24. Kim
    Kim
    January 21, 2024 at 3:34 am | # | Reply

    All racists are to-go

  25. Christron5000
    Christron5000
    January 21, 2024 at 3:57 am | # | Reply

    Why do any of you think this is gonna end well, at least in any part by Linda’s response? Have any of you ever told your parents they’re flawed?

  26. Doopyboop
    Doopyboop
    January 21, 2024 at 4:40 am | # | Reply

    It’ll be interesting to see how Linda reacts if Walky tells her “Lucy broke up with me because of how hurtful you were to her”. Though knowing Linda, her reaction will either be “that’s a good thing David, she’s not the right girl for you” or “oh, OH, so it’s MY fault she broke up with you.”

    • Daibhid C
      Daibhid C
      January 21, 2024 at 5:23 am | # | Reply

      Why not both?

    • anon
      anon
      January 21, 2024 at 8:06 pm | # | Reply

      well it didn’t worked out but not because of race , but at least he won’t have to deal with the parents being in laws to a future partner because i imagine they’d prolly not introduce any more partners assumng they still see ach other in tue future

  27. GUIGUI
    GUIGUI
    January 21, 2024 at 5:37 am | # | Reply

    I have to constantly remind myself that “Grande” doesn’t mean “big”, in Starbucks speak.

    • DarkoNeko
      DarkoNeko
      January 21, 2024 at 7:01 am | # | Reply

      …what does it mean, then ? <_<

      • clif
        clif
        January 21, 2024 at 10:58 am | # | Reply

        Not the cheapest.

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        January 21, 2024 at 8:41 pm | # | Reply

        ‘medium’, basically. as I understand things

        –Dave, tried their coffee once, and it was SO BURNT. if I still drank coffee – it took a while to reveal that it was suppressing one of my nerve pain drugs somewhat – i’d drink gas station coffee over it any day, or the free work coffee

  28. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    January 21, 2024 at 7:00 am | # | Reply

    Go Walky ! You can do it ! probably

    • anon
      anon
      January 21, 2024 at 8:07 pm | # | Reply

      be good if he had talked to jen or dorothy to back him up earlier if not give him notes or so , so he isn’t stumbling over stuff in the moment lol

  29. Yeet
    Yeet
    January 21, 2024 at 7:53 am | # | Reply

    I say it nearly everytime she’s on screen but fuck you, Linda

    • Schpoonman
      Schpoonman
      January 21, 2024 at 8:14 am | # | Reply

      I stopped my “Obligatory ‘Fuck you’,” bit because Tall Rachel kept showing up and people kept defending her when I rightfully put her on blast, but maybe I can start back up with Linda.

      • clif
        clif
        January 21, 2024 at 10:59 am | # | Reply

        Sure, go for it.

      • Yeet
        Yeet
        January 21, 2024 at 2:45 pm | # | Reply

        linda doesn’t have any lack of life experience or forced exposure to someone who was a real problem to make her more relatable or excusable

  30. Zamperla
    Zamperla
    January 21, 2024 at 8:38 am | # | Reply

    Regrettably this conversation would probably go better if Walky had a white person audibly on his side near him at the moment. That may sound sarcastic but it’s. Just. Really, sadly, how these things work.

    Anyways count down till Linda uses casually racist language indicating that the worlds Nicest Lil Nerd Girl (if with some unrealistic ideas about dating) is somehow Dangerous And or Trashy.

    • anon
      anon
      January 21, 2024 at 8:08 pm | # | Reply

      maybe some ppl would pass by and side with him but that would be convenient, might depend tho since they’re on a parking lot and not in the middle of the dorm

  31. milu
    milu
    January 21, 2024 at 10:51 am | # | Reply

    My cue to remind all yall americans (and other citizens of colonizer nations, i include me) that racism is a pervasive feature of our world and not limited to the actions of certain individuals and groups.

    Denounce your genocidal government, stand with Palestine.

    • milu
      milu
      January 21, 2024 at 11:05 am | # | Reply

      quick couple educational resources:

      About Netanyahu’s political influences, part 2 addresses his personal history of sabotaging the peace process
      Israeli Historian Ilan Pappe on the history of palestinian resistance
      on the philosophy of anti-whiteness, including a tangent on zionism

    • clif
      clif
      January 21, 2024 at 11:27 am | # | Reply

      Out of curiosity, could you list some of america’s colonies? (I’m kind of assuming by america we’re referring to the U.S.) ((I have hopes for Lunar and Martian colonies eventually, but I doubt that’s what we’re talking about.))

      I’m also kind of fond of my genocidal government, even if I prefer it without a narcissistic idiot at the helm, which is where we seem headed.

      • milu
        milu
        January 21, 2024 at 11:50 am | # | Reply

        Hawai’i and Puerto Rico come to mind.

        But more foundationally, America IS a colony, founded on genocide, and that history still persists in so many ways.

        but im kinda fond of my time for my part, and not especially interested in going into any detail to satisfy your curiosity, especially when it is immediately tempered by individualist celebration of american lifestyle. We only have one life, and i will only spend so much of mine arguing with people who refuse to consider their political responsabilities.

        • clif
          clif
          January 21, 2024 at 12:22 pm | # | Reply

          Ah, that would be the Puerto Rico which has voted to become a state but is blocked by the Republicans?

          Hawaii sounds like a fair example.

          • David DeLaney
            David DeLaney
            January 21, 2024 at 8:43 pm | # | Reply

            there’s also Guam and the Virgin Islands

            –Dave, not to mention Hollywood’s media empire, which has colonized the entire planet piecemeal

        • sdrainbow
          sdrainbow
          January 21, 2024 at 12:31 pm | # | Reply

          Weird flex for someone who started it.

          • milu
            milu
            January 21, 2024 at 12:39 pm | # | Reply

            Not a flex. I never promised a conversation much less a debate

            • Adept
              Adept
              January 21, 2024 at 1:22 pm | # | Reply

              I’m all for supporting the Palestinians. Bernie Sanders was right on the money when he spoke of the current situation.

              That said, you’re not behaving well here. You dropped your slogan, peppered it with some rather high-horse-riding comments, and then decided you won’t stay to have a civil debatel.

              This kind of declarations do more harm than good. Be better.

              • milu
                milu
                January 21, 2024 at 3:27 pm | # | Reply

                Oh i’ll debate all night but you need a minimum of common ground for that to be interesting at all.

                Sorry for grandstanding though. I get it. It annoys me when ppl do that. Then again maybe it’s true that nobody listens when you sound angry but nobody listens when you’re gentle either.

              • HueSatLight
                HueSatLight
                January 21, 2024 at 3:47 pm | # | Reply

                “be better, do your protesting in the locker room.”

          • Yumi
            Yumi
            January 21, 2024 at 12:46 pm | # | Reply

            I’d also say clif’s comment was clearly not entering into any discussion in good faith.

            • Adept
              Adept
              January 21, 2024 at 1:23 pm | # | Reply

              milu isn’t covering themselves in glory here either. That approach will not work.

              • Yumi
                Yumi
                January 21, 2024 at 1:41 pm | # | Reply

                I think it is reasonable that when someone opens a response with something that reeks of sealioning, it is fair to assume that a “civil debate” (which itself is not always the best thing for a situation) is not on the table.

                On that, I get that we don’t enter every conversation in best form. Sometimes people come in with snark and whataboutisms and time wasting strategies to be trolls, and sometimes we’re just tired. But whatever the reason, I think “This is not worth my time” is a fair enough response, and sometimes it’s one you make because it IS tempting to get into it even when you recognize it’s not the best for you.

                Basically, just echoing that it’s not a “flex,” and there are purposes of statements besides being ready to get into a debate. (In the comment section of something that’s not about that.)

                • milu
                  milu
                  January 21, 2024 at 3:28 pm | #

                  +1
                  <3

        • David DeLaney
          David DeLaney
          January 21, 2024 at 8:45 pm | # | Reply

          founded on genocide _and_ treason _and_ religious fundamentalism _and_ strong reactions to a lopt of things they didn’t like about what was normalized in UK / European governments of the time

          –Dave, a good bit of the Constitution is basically “let’s NOT do it _that_ way”

      • clif
        clif
        January 21, 2024 at 12:17 pm | # | Reply

        Not a particular fan of Netanyahu and I’m reasonably sure he’ll wind up in prison someday.

        Standing with people who elected a government dedicated to wiping out their neighbor is a pretty big ask, because I’m pretty sure that’s a predictable recipe for trouble. Europe has a centuries old tradition of screwing the jews at every opportunity and most of the criticism of Israel’s attempt to defend their people sounds like a continuation of racism by any means convenient, from where I sit. But mostly not my problem.

        I take some comfort from the fact that my genocidal government discourages people flying planes into important buildings, much less firing missiles into the country on a daily basis. I would feel somewhat hypocritical for criticizing other governments for attempting to do the same.

        • Mturtle7
          Mturtle7
          January 21, 2024 at 12:31 pm | # | Reply

          I mean…I guess I’m not too current on the news these days, but isn’t firing missiles into the country (“the country” being Gaza) on a daily basis PRECISELY what everyone’s mad at Israel for right now? I think that seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to criticize that particular government for!

          • Mturtle7
            Mturtle7
            January 21, 2024 at 12:32 pm | # | Reply

            Wait, why the hell am I getting into this argument on a webcomic forum. What the hell was I thinking. …Man, I wish I could delete comments here.

            • milu
              milu
              January 21, 2024 at 12:55 pm | # | Reply

              (Thanks anyway, and to deflect any further discussion away from you if you wish to stay out of it: i fully endorse your comment.)

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            January 21, 2024 at 1:24 pm | # | Reply

            And that’s the basic problem with this conflict. Neither of the groups in power want it to end. Both have incompatible aims even in the short term. My sympathies lie more with the Palestinian people, since they’re suffering the most, but that doesn’t translate into supporting Hamas or other militant groups attacking Israeli civilians.
            My take on Biden’s approach is that he’s been focused, especially at first, on keeping the conflict from widening, on securing humanitarian aid and on restraining Israel as much as possible, which isn’t nearly as much as many seem to think. That and preparing for a post-Netanyahu, post-conflict situation, which is ambitious, but likely to blow up anyway, since no one’s been able to resolve this disaster over the last 75 odd years.

            • HueSatLight
              HueSatLight
              January 21, 2024 at 2:29 pm | # | Reply

              Blue-anon is thinking Biden is somehow restraining Israel by unconditionally arming it to the teeth.

              • thejeff
                thejeff
                January 21, 2024 at 7:03 pm | # | Reply

                The flip side is that idea that Israel would just back down, abandon the hostages (not that Bibi cares about hostages other than for rhetoric) and accept Hamas continuing to fire rockers, if Biden only threatened them a little bit.

                • HueSatLight
                  HueSatLight
                  January 21, 2024 at 7:28 pm | #

                  no

            • milu
              milu
              January 21, 2024 at 3:40 pm | # | Reply

              To me, that sounds like sitting outside a raging fire, thinking you can have a really satisfying opinion on this fire if you just observe closely and read enough about fires. Trying something, anything, to put it out will be dangerous and dirty. There is a colonizer here, and there is a colonized people doing whatever it can to resist. This is not a new story, although of course every situation is different.

              Hamas is dangerous, but it was by no means the Gazans first choice. It’s all they have left.

              • milu
                milu
                January 21, 2024 at 3:44 pm | # | Reply

                Also, the best way to fight Hamas or whatever next monster will rise from the ashes of Gaza is actually not incompatible with what a lot of israelis want: an end to colonization ans a secular, binational state.

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  January 21, 2024 at 7:02 pm | #

                  Sounds good to me, but outside of a miracle, I don’t see anyway to get from where we are to there. I’m not at all sure that “lot of Israelis” is anywhere near a majority. There are a lot who are invested in Israel as a Jewish state, even among those who oppose Netanyahu and the right wing settler faction. And of course there would remain militant faction of Palestinians, at least for a time.

                  Even a two-state solution faces a ton of opposition from both sides.

                  What’s absolutely clear is that a solution like that can’t be imposed on Israel right now to end this conflict. Certainly not by the US.

                  And “trying something, anything” in an already horrific crisis is often the way to escalate the situation to something even worse.

                • milu
                  milu
                  January 21, 2024 at 7:34 pm | #

                  look, i’m obviously not saying there’s a flip-a-switch solution, like. obviously this is all super super complicated and tense.

                  and i’m being a bit dramatic with my “trying anything” phrasing, but let me put it this way: the only thing preventing the IDF from just fully finishing the job is the international pressure and scrutiny. Well, not the only thing, there is a faction of anti-war israelis thank god. and seeing how determined western governments are to be looking the other way, as inhabitants of such states, it’s our responsibility to hold them accountable. idk, i think 50,000 deaths is worse than 30,000 yknow???

        • milu
          milu
          January 21, 2024 at 12:50 pm | # | Reply

          But when israeli officials talk about erasing their neighbour (a people they have been colonizing, discriminating, arbitrarily imprisonning, repressing their civil liberties etc for decades) that’s okay.

          Re: vague accusations of antisemitism: fuck off.

          Re: not yr problem: thats obviously your decision. But yiu do have agency as a US citizen, and thus reaponsability. The US is the nb 1 ally of Israel militarily and diplomatically. How about demanding our governments abide by international law, how is that a tall order.

          • Regina phalange
            Regina phalange
            January 22, 2024 at 12:05 am | # | Reply

            I appreciate your point about US citizens. A lot of people (well, I guess mostly Zionists) keep telling people in the US sympathetic to Palestine to STFU, but…what percentage of my tax dollars, personally, are going straight to Israel’s pocket? I’m allowed, even obligated, to have an opinion, even if people don’t like it. And that Israeli official who whined about Israel not being a US “colony” or whatever? Cool, stop taking our money and guns and we’ll stop telling you what to do with them.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          January 21, 2024 at 1:37 pm | # | Reply

          Judaism doesn’t require an ethnostate. how fucked up is it that you’re saying Jewish people are inherently genocidal and to oppose that is antisemitic.
          Bombing hospitals and assassinating journalists isn’t “defending its people”. It’s collective punishment of a captive population, who are denied human rights at every turn.
          When Jewish Americans protest the US government’s unconditional support of Israel to massacre Palestinians, Christian Evangelicals cry “antisemitism”.

          Don’t think your anti-arab racism was unnoticed. The Palestinian militias are not Al Qaeda. Palestinians’ grievance is they want human rights, to not be used as test subjects for weapons systems, to be able to farm their own orchards, live in their own land, drink their own water.
          And your justification for massacring civilians based on who was elected is really messed up. And cruelly ironic, seeing as Israel prevents the Palestinians from holding elections, but keeps electing ethnonationalists.

          • Amelie Wikström
            Amelie Wikström
            January 21, 2024 at 3:12 pm | # | Reply

            Thanks for saying all that. I’d add that even if you could call Hamas a democratically elected government and even if they hold any kind of executive power over Palestine that overrules the executive power over Palestine held by Israel’s government, both of which is debatable facts, there’s a lot of difference between one group threatening to wipe out a nation with nuclear weapons and one group threatening to wipe out a nation with bombs assembled from parts of missiles dropped on them by that nation’s military.

          • milu
            milu
            January 21, 2024 at 4:08 pm | # | Reply

            Re: anti-arab prejudice: for real. There is something so unnerving about people being like, “i cannot possibly support Palestinians b/c they are happy about civilians getting massacred” and i want to say… doesnt that say something about how incredibly hard their lives have been for generations that so many of them would cheer on October 7?? It’s like, why does this seem like a moral stain on Palestinians, rather than a symptom of just how normalized Palestinian deaths were? And how for years and years the international community and so-called civilized nations stood by, if not openly abetted their oppressor?

            Oh no, because if they want to be seen as The Victim they have to be absolutely blameless. They can only resist peacefully. Otherwise, their deserve no sympathy. such a strange, dare i say racist, mindspace.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          January 21, 2024 at 1:43 pm | # | Reply

          And if you take comfort that you live in a country that does not fire missiles into other countries on a routine basis, then you take comfort in a lie. If you’re an American, and you want our country not to do that, and not to support that, then you have to raise your voice to demand a ceasefire and to stop escalating and arming massacres (not just this one).

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          January 21, 2024 at 5:55 pm | # | Reply

          I’m ethnically Mizrahi and got relatives who actually live in the region you’re talking about, just wanna let you know that the way “elections” work in Israel is by no means one to one to the democratic values we have over here.

          Albeit Israel is technically the “most democratic” in the middle east, just about no country in that region has seen anything even CLOSE to what Westerners would consider a real democracy, and even when they DID, the US Government bombed them back to their old dictatorships because of socialism phobia ?

    • Raen
      Raen
      January 21, 2024 at 10:39 pm | # | Reply

      Your “Western allies” are firebombing synagogues that I have personally been inside of. You can say all you want “these Jews stand with me against you evangelicals,” well, I’ve never been either, but my gentile eyes can see a synagogue on fire.

  32. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    January 21, 2024 at 10:56 am | # | Reply

    I only once ever told my mom something she said was racist. It didn’t go well.

    • Vulcanodon
      Vulcanodon
      January 21, 2024 at 11:01 am | # | Reply

      I recently nuked my browser and all kinds of stuff isn’t working, sorry

  33. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    January 21, 2024 at 10:58 am | # | Reply

    Looking at his expression, seems like Charles is considering that possibility for the first time in his life.

    • anon
      anon
      January 21, 2024 at 8:13 pm | # | Reply

      wouldnt’ be surprised if he’s had some internalized racism too. Considering walky called himself ‘generically beige’ i assume charles is also either mixed or just ‘light skinned’ for a black person and there is a colorism aspect too

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        January 21, 2024 at 8:18 pm | # | Reply

        Charles is mixed race, as per the discussion here: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/whitelady/

  34. Steamweed
    Steamweed
    January 21, 2024 at 11:25 am | # | Reply

    She prefers blonde roast over dark roast.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      January 21, 2024 at 8:48 pm | # | Reply

      technically she prefers caramel over dark roast

      –Dave, but yeah, probably blonde roast over either, weith lots of cream

  35. Mr. Random
    Mr. Random
    January 21, 2024 at 12:13 pm | # | Reply

    … she’s heard this criticism before.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      January 22, 2024 at 6:34 pm | # | Reply

      criti-ra-cism

  36. Adept
    Adept
    January 21, 2024 at 12:23 pm | # | Reply

    It’s sad that Walky is at the mercy of his racist mum and subordinate-to-said-mum dad. They fund his college studies, so he can’t afford to burn those bridges.

    • a/snow/mous/e
      a/snow/mous/e
      January 21, 2024 at 12:52 pm | # | Reply

      yeah… I’m a little scared of the potential repercussions here…

      • NGPZ
        NGPZ
        January 21, 2024 at 7:35 pm | # | Reply

        I mean maybe not? There ain’t no way someone as possessive as Linda gonna easily give up her favorite ornament just to prove a point ?

        • a/snow/mous/e
          a/snow/mous/e
          January 21, 2024 at 8:12 pm | # | Reply

          That’s what I’m hoping…

          • NGPZ
            NGPZ
            January 21, 2024 at 9:30 pm | # | Reply

            I mean even IF she threatens that out loud, she’s given us literally every reason to NOT take her at her word

      • Archieve
        Archieve
        January 21, 2024 at 11:04 pm | # | Reply

        I’m cautiously optimistic that at the very least Lindas pride won’t allow her to cancel his tuition because that would mean having to tell people her genius son is a drop out. She might use her influence with the Dean to be more of a helicopter mom though.

    • Bash
      Bash
      January 21, 2024 at 1:15 pm | # | Reply

      Does Walky even want to be in college? I understand that removing him from his social circle would have negative consequences, but beyond that? Isn’t he mostly attending because his mom expects it of him? Wouldn’t she be sabotaging her own efforts by pulling his funding? It’s not like he is desperate to pursue some career goal and his mom is grudgingly funding it.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        January 21, 2024 at 2:08 pm | # | Reply

        That would be kind of funny…
        “If you continue with this, Walky, we will no longer be paying for your college.”
        “Okay, I’ll just drop out.”
        “NO, WAIT–“

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        January 21, 2024 at 7:11 pm | # | Reply

        Drop out and then what? I doubt Walky’s got the job experience to pick up a job that’d pay rent right away. In that situation, I doubt moving back home would be a better option.

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          January 21, 2024 at 7:56 pm | # | Reply

          He’d probably struggle, but I think there’s a decent chance he has a bank account with some money in it– not a bank account that he set up or really contributed to, but one that’s in his name as part of “teaching him financial responsibility”– that could help cover a room for a bit, and he could probably get a job to help keep covering it decently easily.

          (Note that I am not talking in terms of living comfortably or even with most basic things; I’m just talking about ability to rent a room in a shared apartment or house. His diet would be instant ramen and, if he ends up at a food place, what he could get from there, maybe some other sources if his friends help him out. He wouldn’t have a car or insurance for that, and I imagine that even if they cut off his college payments, his parents would still pay his health insurance.)

          It’d be a struggle; it just also wouldn’t be what his mom wanted, so as a control move, it’d backfire for her.

          • David DeLaney
            David DeLaney
            January 21, 2024 at 8:50 pm | # | Reply

            also, we’ve already HAD one whole best friend being smuggled into the dorms for quite a while – possibly one or more of the guys, or Booster, would mke the offer?

        • shoopdawhoop
          shoopdawhoop
          January 21, 2024 at 10:21 pm | # | Reply

          He can draw comic strips of people getting kicked in the nuts. From what I’ve seen in the media it can not be that hard to make a living off pandering to the lowest common denominator.

  37. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    January 21, 2024 at 12:36 pm | # | Reply

    Bleach, anyone?

    • Da Boy
      Da Boy
      January 21, 2024 at 7:41 pm | # | Reply

      Vasto Mom

  38. The Jighole Man
    The Jighole Man
    January 21, 2024 at 10:36 pm | # | Reply

    this is probably going to be very hard for walky.
    she’s either going to give him some bs “im not racist, i just think (insert racist ideas that would get me banned from chat), that’s all”
    or
    she’s going to blow up on him, driving him away
    or (in the least likely case)
    she’s going to give a somewhat reasonable answer

    • Archieve
      Archieve
      January 21, 2024 at 10:53 pm | # | Reply

      Almost definitely a angry blow up based on her past behavior, if Walkys lucky she simply gives him the cold shoulder afterwards, worst case she begins micromanaging her son after this until he acts like the onediabr son she’s always known.

      • Archieve
        Archieve
        January 21, 2024 at 10:54 pm | # | Reply

        * obedient

      • The Jighole Man
        The Jighole Man
        January 21, 2024 at 11:50 pm | # | Reply

        that does seem like the most likely case.
        either way, i don’t see walky liking/loving his mother quite so much after this.
        it’s a terrible feeling that i know too well, but sometimes you have to cut those cruel and harmful people out of your life. it will never feel “good”, but it can at least prevent things from getting worse.

  39. shoopdawhoop
    shoopdawhoop
    January 21, 2024 at 10:37 pm | # | Reply

    Sounds like textbook defensiveness from a racist to me. “I’m not going above and beyond the most basic level of decency actually expected of me (which I can’t even manage) therefore I’m being made the bad guy”

    • Regina phalange
      Regina phalange
      January 21, 2024 at 11:57 pm | # | Reply

      Yup. While being totally blind to the fact that she did, in fact, go above and beyond the basic level of [enthusiasm] she should have when she thought for a minute JOYCE was Walky’s new girlfriend. That is genuinely the most damning evidence against her, but I doubt it’ll be Walky’s first new point (although he surprised me by sticking with the thread here), and if it is, she’ll come up with some BS.

  40. Proxiehunter
    Proxiehunter
    January 21, 2024 at 10:47 pm | # | Reply

    Linda can’t be racist, some of her best husbands are black.

Reply to Opus the Poet ¬
Cancel reply

NOTE - You can use these HTML tags and attributes:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pages

  • About
  • Archive
  • by calendar
  • Cast
    • David “Walky” Walkerton
    • Joyce Brown
    • Sarah Clinton
    • Dorothy Keener
    • Jennifer “Billie” Billingsworth
  • character Twitter feeds
  • Dumbing of Age porn
  • Polls Archive
  • Q*bert tramp stamp

Categories

  • Blog (473)
  • News (10)
  • Uncategorized (2)

©2010-2026 Dumbing of Age | Powered by WordPress with ComicPress | Subscribe: RSS | Privacy Policy | Back to Top ↑