FBorFW - Elizabeth and Howard (may trigger)

[judecorp]

Today's For Better or For Worse strip was kind of intense for me.

I always like it when FBorFW brings up serious topics. I think one of the things that makes it a good comic strip is that it's light on the comedy. I almost feel like part of the Patterson family since Michael and I are the same age - it's like we grew up together. I've always been a big fan.

I've been kind of anticipating that something more serious was going to happen between Elizabeth and Howard, but I didn't really expect what happened. It hits a little too close to home for me.

The summer of 1995 was the second summer I tried to live with my brother in his apartment in Amherst, and the first summer I successfully found employment and was able to stay. (In 1994 I stayed for a month and then went to Georgia with lorac.) I ended up securing a job at the Subway sandwich shop at the Hampshire Mall, which was kind of fun and provided free food, which is way important when you make $5/hour. Because the managers trusted me, I usually was the closer which was a solo job after the first 2 hours or so. Which was nice.

One Saturday afternoon I actually had a day shift with this boy Raj, who I was actually mildly interested in when we first met, but he gave off pushy vibes. That Saturday afternoon, he ended up pushing me against a wall in the back of the Subway shop, lifting up my shirt, and totally violating me. He might have gotten further if I hadn't been a pretty strong kid who was able to push him away from me. It was one of the ickiest days of my life. I really don't like feeling like I have no control in a situation and the whole thing was so surreal, like I was watching it happen to someone else until I was able to get him off of me. That night I called the managers and said I didn't want to work with him again, but I never said why. I guess I was embarrassed or something.

I rarely think about that day and it doesn't bother me to talk about it. But I sure do empathize with Elizabeth Patterson right now.

Comments

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think Lynn Johnston has done some really important work in her strip and I totally love her for it. I think she reaches an audience that is really unreachable by most other media outlets. She is amazing.

I think it's great that we're both so worried about a comic strip character. You make me feel less weird. :)

[siercia]

Dude, totally worried here too - I started reading this and zoomed over to uComics to see what happened this morning. So if you're crazy, we're all crazy =)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh good, I like being crazy with company!!

[siercia]

And it's so funny, because I often feel like the biggest dork in the world for following the strip, never mind actually caring about it. Now I feel less dorky.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh, no. LOTS of people follow it. It has an enormous following, mostly people our age and mostly women (in my experience of people I know, anyway). :)

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

When I read it, one of the things I thought was "I'll bet Jude is worried too." You make me feel less weird :-)

Ralph thought it was creepy too...maybe we're all less weird than we thought!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Or maybe we're just ALL weird!!

I'm glad we have FBorFW to bond us. I still love that book you gave me. It's treasured!