In my original draft of the Shirt Theft arc, Selkie didn't go home early and she and Heather had (most) of this conversation while waiting at the pick-up area for their respective parents.
I’m pretty bad about remembering to link back to old strips for reference, but I think for this one it helps to remind everyone how that scene went down.
They are not step-sisters. They are either sisters (because they have the same father) or half-sisters (because they have the same father but different mothers) or nothing (because when Andi gave up Amanda Todd also lost all rights to her). But they’re not step-sisters. Step-sisters would be if Selkie’s father married Amanda’s mother.
Something really remarkable about the way Dave’s been constructing this little world is that I don’t think these kids are aware of racism.
I mean, I’m sure they’ve heard of racism. I’ve no doubt that some of them are aware of it intellectually. Remember when Selkie was crying in the nurse’s office, there was a “TOLERANCE IS AWESOME” poster — you don’t have stuff like that unless it’s been necessary at some point. But the schoolyard scenes, and the names on the seating chart, show a really really heterogeneous ethnic mix. The orphanage kids may get picked on because they’re orphanage kids, but they’re a really heterogeneous mix too.
Selkie is some of these kids’ first experience with “someone physically different enough that we’d pick on her just for being physically different”. So I don’t think the notion of ‘would you make fun of me if I was black’ would occur to her. Not at this point, anyway.
When I was their age, I lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I wasn’t really aware of racism as “a thing” partly because my neighborhood was pretty diverse, and partly because my Mom kept warning us to avoid the KKK and Neo-Nazis and other “racist groups” like they were roaming armies of fascist cultists.
To be clear, I and my siblings were all blue-eyed, blond-haired white kids. Mom was perpetually afraid of racist groups getting their claws in us because we looked “aryan”. I had too many black, hispanic, chinese, and other “ethnically diverse” friends for that to happen, but apparently it wasn’t completely unheard of.
On the other hand, the first time I saw a swastika was in The Sound of Music. Nice job exposing kids to fascist symbols, Mom!
Racism is a taught thing. Most kids don’t understand the concept at all. People tease others for being different, this is true, but they don’t really understand why.
Amanda never actually said she wanted the shirt. Yes, she was (is) hateful… but she never actually came out and said she wanted to keep the shirt. So Heather’s lying to pull some of Selkie’s anger away from her? Selkie, Heather & Keisha may end up friends because this incident has at least (I think) shown Heather & Keisha that Amanda is just a nasty person. Heather doesn’t have to lie about it, everyone involved knows Amanda is a jerk.
You don’t have to enunciate a desire for it to be apparent, especially to those who have been around you for a while. Amanda’s response to Heather revealing that she had Selkie’s shirt was to grab it and crow over Selkie’s humiliation. It’s not much of a stretch for Heather to extrapolate “wanted to keep it” from that.
It’s interesting — Amanda might have wanted to keep the shirt… but she didn’t actually say or do anything to support that contention from Heather. She took the shirt from Heather, gloated over Selkie’s plight for like 15-20 seconds, then Keisha grabbed the shirt from Amanda.
The question is, is Heather simply filling in the blanks mentally, based on her knowledge of Amanda’s personality? Or is she just saying what she thinks Selkie wants to hear?
And in either case, does she realize what she’s doing?
A combination of the two, perhaps. I did the same as a kid, at about their age. And yeah, at some level I think she’s aware of it.
Thing is, Amanda’s behavior certainly lends itself to Heather’s slant on events. Amanda is in fact painting herself into a corner with regards to her little circle, though she’s too young to realize it. If she keeps this up, eventually she’s going to have cut herself off from everyone else, rather than cut them off from her.
And Selkie’s questioning of Heather is heartrending. I asked that of bullies when I was growing up too, and never got a straight answer. At least Selkie did.
Looking back, it strikes me how … I don’t know, frustrating Keisha’s words are “Fish Face is gross, but taking her shirt is just mean!” I guess I understand kids being wary of someone as different looking as Selkie (someone above pointed out that despite the various ethnicities in the orphanage, Selkie is the one that really stands out as different from everyone else), but for some of these kids seem to be flat out targeting Selkie. I guess looking back there were those bullies that really went after me, but when I was in grade school I received much more apathy and only a couple people really showed me disdain.
I had warts on my face as a kid. Between 1st and 3rd grade. Tried everything until Dad finally took me to a doc on base and they used liquid nitro. But until that point, to all the other kids I was “disgusting” “gross” “ugly” and tormented in various ways. I do mean tormented. Something similar to Selkie tormented. (Note, I changed schools during the break when I had the warts removed for various unrelated reasons.)
Twenty years later I get onto public transportation and a young woman is staring at me, until I finally ask if something is wrong.
“No, you just look familiar-Oh I know! You were that nerdy kid with warts on your face! We used to chase you around the playground and hit you with jump ropes! Man that sh*t was fun! We kinda thought you had gone and killed yourself or something since you didn’t come back after spring break.”
Her tone made it quite clear that she was not pleased I hadn’t.
This is why I can completely and totally accept this arc as realistic. Kids are cruel, vicious little creatures. Particularly little girls.
In your shoes, I wouldn’t have self-identified or given away any hints that I was that person years ago out of fear. I’ve seen what happens when I have…but I would have responded, “I think you’ve got the wrong person, and you’re sick in the head, you know that?”
Why she thought a child deserved to be beat and deserved to kill themselves, as a grown woman…what a terrible person!
I guess it doesn’t matter that much. Officially, ‘Why’d’ isn’t a real conjunction anyways. It’s one of those nonstandard words we use regardless, like Y’all. But still, if you’re gonna use a non-existant word, y’might as well do it right!
It strikes me that while Heather could be lying or trying to pin it all on Amanda, it’s much more likely that by now she really has come to realize what the deal is. Amanda’s behavior was pretty unmistakable, and moreover, unforgiving in the extreme: she thought it was funny, UNTIL Keisha got into trouble for it. Then she not only was fully ready to throw Heather under the bus, she specifically traded on Heather’s biggest fear, of trying to get her adoptive parents to bring her back to the orphanage.
Under the circumstances, I think this is more Heather realizing that whatever Selkie’s feelings towards her might be, admitting to wrongdoing and apologizing and telling the truth, complicated as it is, is better than continuing to stay in the corner with a ‘friend’ who won’t forgive. Keisha’s forgiven her; Selkie shows signs of at least wanting to understand, whether or not she’s ready to forgive. Amanda’s the one fomenting most of this drama, and while it’s because she’s a troubled little girl at heart, the fact is that all of these little girls come from the same orphanage, so it excuses less than it might.
I’m glad you waited to have this conversation happen. It makes a lot more sense that she would think more like this after dealing with a lot of punishment from her parents. Barb and Ken are really helping her realize how wrong her actions were. It would have felt weird for them to have this conversation before the parents intervened as they did. Also, I have to agree on the grammar part Chaos brought up. It should be “why’ds” with an apostrophe. Other than that great strip!
I’m glad you waited. the cool off time makes it more realistic.
Selkie’s dislike of Amanda grows…her dislike of Heather shrinks?
“Whats if I was blacks? Would yous make funs ofs me thens??”
nah, keisha’s black as well.
sucks that they’re step-sisters and don’t realize it.
They are not step-sisters. They are either sisters (because they have the same father) or half-sisters (because they have the same father but different mothers) or nothing (because when Andi gave up Amanda Todd also lost all rights to her). But they’re not step-sisters. Step-sisters would be if Selkie’s father married Amanda’s mother.
Something really remarkable about the way Dave’s been constructing this little world is that I don’t think these kids are aware of racism.
I mean, I’m sure they’ve heard of racism. I’ve no doubt that some of them are aware of it intellectually. Remember when Selkie was crying in the nurse’s office, there was a “TOLERANCE IS AWESOME” poster — you don’t have stuff like that unless it’s been necessary at some point. But the schoolyard scenes, and the names on the seating chart, show a really really heterogeneous ethnic mix. The orphanage kids may get picked on because they’re orphanage kids, but they’re a really heterogeneous mix too.
Selkie is some of these kids’ first experience with “someone physically different enough that we’d pick on her just for being physically different”. So I don’t think the notion of ‘would you make fun of me if I was black’ would occur to her. Not at this point, anyway.
When I was their age, I lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I wasn’t really aware of racism as “a thing” partly because my neighborhood was pretty diverse, and partly because my Mom kept warning us to avoid the KKK and Neo-Nazis and other “racist groups” like they were roaming armies of fascist cultists.
To be clear, I and my siblings were all blue-eyed, blond-haired white kids. Mom was perpetually afraid of racist groups getting their claws in us because we looked “aryan”. I had too many black, hispanic, chinese, and other “ethnically diverse” friends for that to happen, but apparently it wasn’t completely unheard of.
On the other hand, the first time I saw a swastika was in The Sound of Music. Nice job exposing kids to fascist symbols, Mom!
Context, context, context!
The movie had Nazis in it, but they were the evil bad guys who wanted to take their daddy away. Sounds legit to me. XD *Nod*
Racism is a taught thing. Most kids don’t understand the concept at all. People tease others for being different, this is true, but they don’t really understand why.
Amanda never actually said she wanted the shirt. Yes, she was (is) hateful… but she never actually came out and said she wanted to keep the shirt. So Heather’s lying to pull some of Selkie’s anger away from her? Selkie, Heather & Keisha may end up friends because this incident has at least (I think) shown Heather & Keisha that Amanda is just a nasty person. Heather doesn’t have to lie about it, everyone involved knows Amanda is a jerk.
You don’t have to enunciate a desire for it to be apparent, especially to those who have been around you for a while. Amanda’s response to Heather revealing that she had Selkie’s shirt was to grab it and crow over Selkie’s humiliation. It’s not much of a stretch for Heather to extrapolate “wanted to keep it” from that.
No one knows what was said between Amanda and Heather off screen. She could have easily said something that Dave just never had shown.
Kaaaaahn!
Amanda is a serious problem.
It’s interesting — Amanda might have wanted to keep the shirt… but she didn’t actually say or do anything to support that contention from Heather. She took the shirt from Heather, gloated over Selkie’s plight for like 15-20 seconds, then Keisha grabbed the shirt from Amanda.
The question is, is Heather simply filling in the blanks mentally, based on her knowledge of Amanda’s personality? Or is she just saying what she thinks Selkie wants to hear?
And in either case, does she realize what she’s doing?
A combination of the two, perhaps. I did the same as a kid, at about their age. And yeah, at some level I think she’s aware of it.
Thing is, Amanda’s behavior certainly lends itself to Heather’s slant on events. Amanda is in fact painting herself into a corner with regards to her little circle, though she’s too young to realize it. If she keeps this up, eventually she’s going to have cut herself off from everyone else, rather than cut them off from her.
And Selkie’s questioning of Heather is heartrending. I asked that of bullies when I was growing up too, and never got a straight answer. At least Selkie did.
Ooh, this is all going to make it so much worse when Selkie finds out Amanda is Todd’s daughter…
Looking back, it strikes me how … I don’t know, frustrating Keisha’s words are “Fish Face is gross, but taking her shirt is just mean!” I guess I understand kids being wary of someone as different looking as Selkie (someone above pointed out that despite the various ethnicities in the orphanage, Selkie is the one that really stands out as different from everyone else), but for some of these kids seem to be flat out targeting Selkie. I guess looking back there were those bullies that really went after me, but when I was in grade school I received much more apathy and only a couple people really showed me disdain.
You were lucky.
I had warts on my face as a kid. Between 1st and 3rd grade. Tried everything until Dad finally took me to a doc on base and they used liquid nitro. But until that point, to all the other kids I was “disgusting” “gross” “ugly” and tormented in various ways. I do mean tormented. Something similar to Selkie tormented. (Note, I changed schools during the break when I had the warts removed for various unrelated reasons.)
Twenty years later I get onto public transportation and a young woman is staring at me, until I finally ask if something is wrong.
“No, you just look familiar-Oh I know! You were that nerdy kid with warts on your face! We used to chase you around the playground and hit you with jump ropes! Man that sh*t was fun! We kinda thought you had gone and killed yourself or something since you didn’t come back after spring break.”
Her tone made it quite clear that she was not pleased I hadn’t.
This is why I can completely and totally accept this arc as realistic. Kids are cruel, vicious little creatures. Particularly little girls.
In your shoes, I wouldn’t have self-identified or given away any hints that I was that person years ago out of fear. I’ve seen what happens when I have…but I would have responded, “I think you’ve got the wrong person, and you’re sick in the head, you know that?”
Why she thought a child deserved to be beat and deserved to kill themselves, as a grown woman…what a terrible person!
I agree, for a grown adult to be saying that after at least one decade (probably more) of hindsight is appalling.
I hate to complain about such a good strip, but… second panel, second word, shouldn´t there be an apostrophe in the “whyds”, i.e. “why´ds”?
I guess it doesn’t matter that much. Officially, ‘Why’d’ isn’t a real conjunction anyways. It’s one of those nonstandard words we use regardless, like Y’all. But still, if you’re gonna use a non-existant word, y’might as well do it right!
Oh, dramatic irony. How I enjoy you so.
It strikes me that while Heather could be lying or trying to pin it all on Amanda, it’s much more likely that by now she really has come to realize what the deal is. Amanda’s behavior was pretty unmistakable, and moreover, unforgiving in the extreme: she thought it was funny, UNTIL Keisha got into trouble for it. Then she not only was fully ready to throw Heather under the bus, she specifically traded on Heather’s biggest fear, of trying to get her adoptive parents to bring her back to the orphanage.
Under the circumstances, I think this is more Heather realizing that whatever Selkie’s feelings towards her might be, admitting to wrongdoing and apologizing and telling the truth, complicated as it is, is better than continuing to stay in the corner with a ‘friend’ who won’t forgive. Keisha’s forgiven her; Selkie shows signs of at least wanting to understand, whether or not she’s ready to forgive. Amanda’s the one fomenting most of this drama, and while it’s because she’s a troubled little girl at heart, the fact is that all of these little girls come from the same orphanage, so it excuses less than it might.
I’m glad you waited to have this conversation happen. It makes a lot more sense that she would think more like this after dealing with a lot of punishment from her parents. Barb and Ken are really helping her realize how wrong her actions were. It would have felt weird for them to have this conversation before the parents intervened as they did. Also, I have to agree on the grammar part Chaos brought up. It should be “why’ds” with an apostrophe. Other than that great strip!
Well Amanda is chaotic evil.