![[0062] Side Effects](/comics/2009-05-25-[0062]-side-effects.png "[0062] Side Effects")
The current story arc started with this strip: Addicted.
- Principal: So you’re saying that your body is already dependent on this substance?
- Larisa: Well, yeah, I need it to, you know, not die.
- Principal: I’m truly shocked! I hope it’s clear that we cannot tolerate the use of such an addictive and dangerous drug in our school!
- Principal: … That even seems to trigger auto-aggressive behaviors as a side effect.
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HA HA HA. Love the strip. Absurdity reaches new heights (or lows as the case my be).
youre not serious xD
did this really happen in real life? xD
thats just so ironically dumb 😛
Moral: School officals are stupid
So, not only is last comic’s teacher trying to create an artificial scandal, she’s preying on the headmaster’s ignorance too. Good grief, she’s conniving and disgraceful!
I’m a teacher. This is just about the twenty billionth time this cliché’s been rolled out in a comic I’ve been enjoying – the ‘ignorant authoritarian school system designed against the individual’. To different degrees of course, but gods, we get it, we get it, teachers the world over are resolved to this; we’re dumb and useless, please oh please get back to the well written gags.
Shadowman is right. I’ve never once met a competant school official other than security. This comic, as funny as it may be, is a correct representation of actual school officials. At least, to me it is. In any case, funny strip. The art style is what draws me the most; it’s so nostalgic for me: Calvin and Hobbes anyone?
Rabid_Fox: It’s a cliché for a reason. To this say, the school systems of the world remain ignorant, authoritarian, and suppressive to the idiot and intellectual alike. While you may be a competent teacher, nothing more than wholesale reform will change this view of schools, or their use as an antagonistic narrative device.
Moreover, I believe this is based on a true story with added punchlines.
Personally I prefer stories where both protagonists and antagonists are intelligent and informed… this sort of “obvious tragic stupidity” doesn’t particularly appeal, but I’ll hang in there for the punchlines and the return to form after this arc.
“I’m a teacher. This is just about the twenty billionth time this cliché’s been rolled out in a comic I’ve been enjoying – the ‘ignorant authoritarian school system designed against the individual’.”
If cartoonists in all countries of the world make similar jokes year after year, then, maybe, it’s not just a cliché but there’s also some truth in it and something should be done to fix the problem? I myself had some very, very, very bad teachers during secondary school.
SO WHY DOESN’T SHE JUST SAY THAT SHE HAS DIABETES?????
I understand that there are school officials who are absolute idiots (if they were taught in public school themselves) but it’s a bit difficult to believe that NO ONE in THIS school has heard of diabetes.
Oh, heh, don’t get me wrong on this, I’m not challenging the idea that a lot of administration in Western schools is embarrassing (you should see how they deal with their staff, let alone their students!) What I’m saying is that the writing of ‘Sandra and Woo’ has so far tended away from cliché and that’s what’s made it stand out as a strip for me.
Yeah, it’s almost as bad as this one time…
A friend of mine fell off the monkey bars and hurt his arm pretty badly. He went to the nurse, who declared that he was just fine. In reality, he had broken his arm in three places. Some nurse.
Or the time that they called the police on an upset first grader who said in his anger that he wanted to blow up the school. That would have been more appropriate if it was a middle or high schooler, but a six year old?!? Come on!
that is hilarios. And it exentuates the stupidity(?) of teachers and principles to not know what insulin is.
I’m a teaching aid myself, and yes, administration CAN be this dumb. As someone else said, it’s a stereotype for a reason.
I will break tradition and say a few words in defense of the awareness challenged. When dealing with kids, the vast majority say and do the goofiest stuff imaginable. I had a young man inform me that he was allergic to peanuts. This information was missing from his medical information sheet, so i started to explain to his mother how important it is to know these things. She informed me that her son is not allergic, he just doesn’t like peanuts. So I had the talk with the boy about the difference between going hungry because you don’t like the food, vs swelling up and dying because you are allergic. . . . .
I can see how adults could get jaded and numb to listening to children prattle on about things, and tend to zone them out. However, even a broken clock is right twice a day. . .so it pays to listen and ask questions, instead of jumping to conclusions.
I smell a lawsuit.
Ah, yes, forgot my manners for a second there.
“Howdy,” I’ve been lurking about reading the comic for a while now. Great strip by the way.
I believe the headdesk is the only possible reaction, unless headstairs is available.
I cannot tell you how many incompitent teachers I’ve had. one ukranian sub at my old school who was teaching his class like nothing was wrong, while student were throwing things, shouting and texting on their phones in front of his face. this is why I do online school. of course, I can’t be too hard on teachers, as my girlfriend’s mom is one, and if she is anywhere near as protective of her students as she is of her daughter, than we have nothing to worry about in her class.
I wouldn’t say all teachers are idiots. The new batch of my generation coming out of college (and myself eventually) are better educated and more aware. But the older upper faculty who were raised in a more ignorant and less aware time, yes this is entirely likely. Diabetes just wasn’t well known, and I suppose it isn’t impossible that someone could insulate themselves from the world to the degree that they haven’t heard of it. Even with “DAIYABEETUS” man on those commercials.
Though also note the kid in the comic hasn’t actually said the word Diabetes yet either. Sometimes leaving out the obvious to create a humorous misunderstanding is used in humor, so really this is a classic gag that doesn’t require specific characters or setting to work, it’s as old as team comedy its self.
Oh, thank goodness for the ADA (American Diabetes Association), or we’d probably see this for real on a regular basis with Diabetics (and other medical conditions)! XD
As for the school jokes, it’s the public school system that shows most these stereotypes – but there’s a whole world of reasons behind it, foremost the fact that the public school system doesn’t so much put out bright and intelligent citizens as it does sheep (which is part of the purpose behind it – don’t believe me? Check how much things are getting “dumbed down” nowadays for said students.). School could easily be much more interesting and even exciting for the students, but given how material is delivered nine times out of ten, it’s no wonder kids are bored. Even the teachers grow bored with it sometimes, and just go thru the paces to get it over with – not saying this is ALL teachers, but admit it, if you had to deliver the same material every year with the same dry, unimaginative and poorly written textbook, you’d be bored out of your skull too.
That’s a stupid teacher, I hope the kid get his insulin soon.
Well, whatever this guy took in college, it [i]wasn’t[/i] anatomy and physiology.
Rabid_Fox:
I think you mean “resigned”. Anyway, while this may be cliched, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. Horror stories like this do happen. I googled around when this arc started, and while I didn’t find a story from the 90s, I did find a couple of cases where clueless teachers thought automatic insulin dispensers were beepers or cell phones and took them away from kids, ripping the catheter out of the kid’s arm in the process.
Exliam:
If you’re going to describe others as incompetent, you’d do well to spell it correctly.
So much for the hope that the principal would be the guiding light in this situation.
Then again, that kid’s being a real smart a$$ about the situation…which never really helps in giving the outcome a good conclusion.
Truth be told, in the 60’s, when I was in Junior High, (that is Middle School today) I had to take Dilantin in order to control Epileptic seizures. I twice had teachers take the meds away from me, and once the Principle poured them down the toilet. As I was a military dependent, getting replacements was hard. What did the school board have to say? “We prefer to error on the side of caution.”
My fathers lawyer had something else to say, and did in court. you see, while waiting a week to see a doctor, so I could get my meds replaced, I had five Grand Maul seizures. Three in class. Thank the Gods that South San Junior High School had a nurse who knew what a seizure was.
So please, do not claim ‘This is a Stereotype.’ It happens, and in todays zero tolerance, it will continue to happen. How many news reports about schools refusing children their inhalers and insulin have to happen before people understand that, being a teacher, or school administrator, does not make you Gregory House.
Yeah so put That! In your pipe and smoke it 😛
Anyway I looove this strip here, you’ve got this whole ignorant authoritarian school system designed against the individual kinda thing going on, which is just great! I love it, hasn’t been done enough in my opinion.
Bear in mind that the artist and writer of this strip is poking fun of a story from over a decade ago. There has been no indication I have seen that they believe that school staff is worthy of the low opinion this specific instance would indicate.
In short, this is moreorless similar in vein to “dumb criminal stories”, “Darwin awards”, and the pointy-haired boss in Dilbert, in that the intent is for us to laugh at the stupidity of a few, rather that to take this as representative of the norm.
As bad as this might have been at one time, chances are it is much better nowadays, as more people realize the situation some have to deal with, and the stigma declines. Plus school administration does have a lot of things they have to take into account as well, so some flubs are understandable.
Some amusing anecdotes though. I’m thankful I was in a good high school.
@Shippou-chan Google “teacher rips out insulin pump” and tada! Idiocy knows no boundary.
The school official as reactionary/stupid or some dangerous combination of both may be cliche (oh, the stories I have from high school), but I am still willing to go along for the ride. I rather like Larisa’s attitude.
I am a seventh generation teacher and have been working in the profession for twenty-three years. There are several points I’d like to make.
First, the vast majority of teachers are not stupid. Yes, there are some who can’t think their way out of a paper bag, but they represent a small minority.
Second, schools by nature tend to be authoritarian. How else can you maintain order in a classroom of some forty plus students. (A situation created by the way by politicians, lawyers and bureaucrats, not teachers}
Third, because of the authoritarian nature of the educational system, and the understandable, rebellious tendencies of young people trying to find their place and purpose in the world, teachers are easy targets. This is because in order to be a teacher you have to inure yourself to a lot of undeserved insults and disrespect coming from all sides, students, parents, and bureaucrats.
Finally, this is a comic that uses satire and hyperbole to create humor…Get over it, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Thus ends the lesson… and the didactic rant.
*Leaves room*
*Drags desk into room*
*Headdesks repeatedly*
Who was it that was hoping the principal would be smarter?
nice job, looks like this is your most controversial story arc yet. Keep it up, and you’ll be Sinfest in no time. (I’d suggest adding Satan having a shouty fight with God, portrayed as a puppeteer in the clouds, and then having Bhudda smoke pot with Woo XD)
“his head was like a hallow ballof puddy being atacked by two dust bunnies”
was a report once writen by dogbert on dllbert`s boss…
this seems to aplie for the pricable of this school as well
i.v been reading the comic for atleast half a year now a it`s very funny 🙂
Shy King —
Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing perspective to this conversation.
It’s a comic. Powree and Oliver use hyperbole to make the comic more funny.
Someone tell the principal he has insulin in his own body… permanently, even.
As for why she didn’t say she has diabetes: She probably said she has diabetes and regulary needs insulin. But even if a tween knows what medication they need, and how to take it, do you really think they could also explain the finer details of their condition?
Just for clarification: did Larisa get her insulin before the teacher dragged her away?
…
Ohwell.
Actually that was pretty much predictive xP
Oh, and to that teacher who commented somewhere in first posts – sorry, I’m too lazy to look for your nickname – oh come on, it’s just a cartoon – it does make some sort of a point, but noone (well, at least noone with IQ greater than avarage of, say, a brick) says, that EVERY teacher is a retard. It’s the sam as saying that every member of school sports team is a bully, every nerd is shy and phisically weak, every very good looking girl is a dumb b**ch, and so on… Just chill out and enjoy the laugh.
I would assume that a child Larissa’s age with diabetes would have a basic understanding of what diabetes is. Since the opening line is “So, you’re already dependent on this substance” leads me to suspect tha the principal thinks insulin is either the hot new drug on the block or a street name for heroin. Also, I wonder if Larissa is fainting from low blood sugar.
To the cartoonist: you’re being too kind. The administrator knows about diabetes, knows that without insulin she will die; but he has RULES(gothic letters). The RULES are more important. If the RULES are broken, chaos will result (just ask them). If they let students carry medicine, even to save their lives, or even aspirin, they will start carrying heroin or cocaine. All medicine must be administered by the school nurse, even if she’s on the other side of the campus or just plain gone.
Okay, not all teachers or administrators or school nurses are jerks, but the ones that aren’t seem willing to defend the ones that are, so they might as well be.
@Mornar: Just wanted to say that this one guy, Luke, is the opposite of the common nerd. He’s undeniably a nerd, but is one of the best on the track team and has the voice of Satan.
Deja Moo’s comment is absolutely correct. My sisters and I all have asthma, but are not allowed to carry our inhalers on our person, but must have them locked in the nurses office. I actually have had an incident where I was having an asthma attack, and the nurse DIDN’T KNOW WHERE THE KEY TO THE MEDICINE CABINET WAS!!! Thank God it was not a truly serious attack, or I would not be here today…
Shippou-Chan: Try FOUR years ago, not a decade. That’s still within the realm of reasonable commentary, given how long it takes a court case to be decided.
Rabid_Fox: Sorry you feel picked on. No, wait…I don’t feel sorry at all. I’ve suffered indignity after indignity from teachers and administrators in public schools since I was 5 years old, and in 40 years they have *not gotten better*. In fact, they’ve gotten progressively *worse*.
When I was 5, I could read. Seriously. I went into kindergarten able to read. I learned at home. I was annoyed that others were able to, and taught myself to do it because I felt left out. One day, my Mom was having a conference with my school Principal, and happened to mention that I could read. “Oh, no, Ma’am,” he huffed. “Your child Can Not Read.”
Excuse me, my Mom said. She certainly can.
“Oh, no. She cannot. She must be parroting books she has had read to her back to you. She can’t *possibly* be able to read, because that is not taught until First Grade, and we have not taught her to do that yet.”
She taught herself. Last year.
He laughed. “Oh, quite impossible, I assure you. Your child cannot read. We haven’t taught her yet.”
She dragged him, by his ear, to my classroom, with the full intent of pulling a random book from a shelf and demonstrating. But as luck would have it, the kindergarten teacher normally had story time at that hour. And the poor woman had a migraine. Thus, she was in a nice quiet corner with a cold cloth over her eyes. Someone else was in the center of a ring of students with a book over her lap, reading to the class.
After the Principal had picked his jaw off the floor, he apologized to my mother.
Of course, he didn’t learn. He nearly fired my second grade teacher for “giving out reading materials inappropriate to grade level”. She had given me The Hobbit.
SOME of the teachers I had were decent and intelligent. But they were hobbled to the point of ineffectiveness by the blithering, peabrained, unionized tenure trash they were forced to work for. And we’re not counting the just plain venal little weasels whose fragile little egos couldn’t stand being shown up by a child, and loved to stomp all over them, or who enjoyed preying on them. And now, with “zero tolerance” to back them up, it has become even easier for them to kick students around with even less thought than ever.
Holding up a chicken finger and saying “bang bang?” Expel them for “threatening with a dangerous weapon” — they mimicked a gun. A five year old kisses another five year old? Suspend for sexual harassment. Draw a picture of your big brother the soldier, off fighting the war in Iraq — including his rifle? Expelled! You drew an eeeevile scary thing that might threaten someone. 13 year old girl gets expelled for distributing drugs. She gave a Midol to a friend who was suffering from cramps.
And my favorite: The member of the school-sponsored marine drill team, recommended to Annapolis, gets expelled for having a plastic and duct tape FAKE DRILL RIFLE in her car for practicing at a school-sponsored practice for a school-sponsored club. Who turned her in? Two burnouts, who saw the prop while on their way to a “smoking area” designated *by the school* to smoke tobacco products *illegal for them to purchase or own* in their home state!
Teachers are at schools to teach children subjects. Not lessons. The purpose of a school is to be a place of learning, not where the child is subjected to the Doom of Damocles.
…the situation is funny, like a good SNL skit, but it’s creeping me out that the principal looks *EXACTLY* like my old boss from my last tech support job. O_O Uncanny!
I think its a legal requirement that every school have at least one teacher that is moronic beyond all hope.
I once got detention for “disturbing the class” because I was picking at a piece of tape that was stuck to the wall.
Back to the comic: From the looks of the principle’s body, he may too one day be blessed with diabetes.
Now THAT would be funny: The principle getting fired for drug use because he was taking insulin.
4 years ago? That’s scary stuff.. Of course, I’ve often said “The world is descending into madness..” and perhaps this is just another sign of it.
Yeah, that’s my whole thing against the concept of “Zero Tolerance”. Even where the rule makes sense (Drugs, Sharp pointy things, Guns, etc), there may be cases where the context of the offense makes a huge difference in judging the consequence.
In some of the above cited cases, perhaps no punishment is needed whatsoever, because the student is participating ion a school sponsored even (the drill team incident).
In others, perhaps the student simply needs to be warned of the rules, and the reason for them (first time giving another student Midol for cramps, knife accidentally left in student’s car). Or perhaps they get a small punishment such as a day of detention (Insulin shots or breather, but the school was not notified).
Only in those cases where the offending party has knowingly and flagrantly broken the rules without any justification does the full penalty need to be paid.
In my opinion, school justice is better served that way, but it does require staff to be able to make wise judgment calls depending on the particulars of the situation. I understand that this requires a subjective component, which means some misjudgments can and will be made, but in a fallen world, we try to do the best we can.
To assume that an inflexible, rigid system can outdo a thoughtful, flexible approach is madness.
(Kudos to the person who pointed out that many people consider the letter of the law to be more important than even the life of the student, that their objection isn’t that of ignorance but of legalistic priority.)
http://www.thisistrue.com/b-zero_tolerance.html
Illustrations of how narrow-minded some “educators” have become, because the system took away the opportunity for them to use nuanced judgement; truth is, many of them couldn’t explain what nuanced judgement is, which is why Zero Tolerance is the rule….
I think banging her head on the table once would be enough to get the point of stupidity across.
First of all, I would like to repeat what others have said. Not every teacher is an idiot, not even the majority of teachers are idiots.
I have had the pleasure of dealing with wonderful teachers and principles in my school years that inspired me to learn and do really well in school. Teachers that took the time to understand that not all kids learn the same way, and help parents fight for the tools to allow their kids to succeed. I have fond memories of the principle that ran my elementary school for the first 6 years I was there. Of my K, G1, G2 and G7 teachers, who really looked out for me as a troubled kid.
But I have firsthand experience with teachers and principles that are complete and utter morons. After being attacked by a couple of younger kids while in Grade 8, I had the Principle and my teacher lecture me about how I should have been more responsible as the older child, implying that I should have sat there and let the younger kids beat the crap out of me. My sister had a teacher that was mentally and physically abusive to his students.
In every profession, you will get someone who thinks they know more about the situation than they actually do. These people have an over-inflated idea of their own importance, and a level of Hubris that prevents them from thinking that they might not know everything about a situation and they should perhaps obtain more information (like in this case, perhaps call the girls PARENTS!)
Thankfully, there is more oversight in the school system these days to help prevent some of the things I had to grow up dealing with, like levels of bullying that are now considered criminal harrassment.
To the authors of the comic. great job of bringing a serious topic up in a humorous way. Topics like this need to be aired to keep people aware of them.
@ MrGBH:
That would be Digo Dragon’s comment from the last strip. “I’m hoping this school has as smart of a principalas mine did.”
@ RockstarRaccoon:
Hummm…Satan and God in conference. They actually made a television show about that very concept. Called ‘God, The Devil and Bob.’ if memory serves. It raised Cain amongst religious circles. When challenged, confessions of never seeing an episode came up. Just the name was enough for them to go to Holy War with the network over it. So, religious viewpoint is best left untouched…or touched only by The Simpsons. (Whom are usually so mild with it, no one cares. Though, there was one extremely preachy episode…)
@ Shippou-chan:
Interesting thought, here. Sharp pointy things could be argued into also covering pencils and pens. Get so nitty-gritty that “learning methods” are suddenly dangerous. Yay…”School’s out for summer! School’s out for ever…”
Doesn’t matter. It’s only a matter of time before school books, pens/pencils and writing paper will all be outdated by cheap computer interfaces, anyhow. Which will probably further open up “Home schooling” via networking conferences that will outdate actual school grounds and so forth.
@ Ursinos:
I’ve also had many great teachers throughout my schooling days and a couple bad ones. That’s just life in all it’s variety. And, I have to give kudos to one particular principal (and staff) whom actually altered the amount of time for a weekly break period so that I could run a music video program across the campus’ CCTV system inside all rooms in order to sell yearbooks, while others handled the sales of ice cream and such.
What can I say? It was very proud to say that such a movement permitted Music Row to trump KNRD, royally. But, I’m ranting on about past events that nobody here would (likely) have any knowledge about. Though, the internet makes the world a smaller place…
I do hope that those who run our schools do try to focus on the central purpose of their position, to raise up young minds with the basic knowledge, and even more importantly, the ability to learn and reason for themselves whenever they leave their dependency on adults and become adults themselves.
I had heard some horror stories before, but the link led to stories that went far beyond what I had heard before. These become huge obstacles for young people who haven’t yet mastered many of the things adults have, who are still feeling their way around how to interact with others.
In addition, whenever so much hubbub is made of them, it may distract from the process of teaching children to learn.
I will say though, that there are a lot of intelligent, rational teachers. Teachers who have a heart for helping students achieve for themselves, and who are focused on that goal. I want to believe there are still many schools which continue to do a very capable job of accomplishing their purpose, even despite the many new distractions and issues we have nowadays which were not big issues when I was in school a decade or two ago.
As for pencil and paper, I don’t think it’ll go completely away anytime soon. True, computers are becoming more prominent, and may continue to do so, but there is something to be said for having hard copies available. No network problems or computer viruses can touch a paper copy in a file, and I think the act of physically writing has a component merely typing on a keyboard lacks.
Our office was supposed to go paperless, but while we do a lot on the computer, we still fill out paper forms for most everything.
Well, they haven’t outlawed pencils and paper…yet. But they’ve placed strict controls on what kids can draw and write with them, and that’s scary. In the US, we’re supposed to have freedom of speech (and NO, I don’t consider drawing a picture of a cowboy shooting his six-shooter at the rustler to be the equivalent of “shouting fire in a theater”, so that dog don’t hunt). Teaching children from tender ages that there are things you can’t say and can’t draw and can’t write because you’ll get in trouble inculcates an attitude of subservience to illegal and improper controls on their creativity and speech that they should not put up with in later life. It stifles not only their creativity, but the very habits they will need to speak up for their rights later as adults.
They may not have banned pencils. But they did ban the circle compass with the sharp point. Someone had to invent a new kind, one that wasn’t divider-style with a sharp center pin, to replace it with, out of fear that children would use it as a weapon.