Frazz by Jef Mallett for May 10, 2021

Hmm, I was always told as a kid it was rude to flatly ask strangers who they are and instead as the person I know for the introduction…once I got older, I was told it was better as an adult to ask the person directly. Phases and stages.

@cdcoventry: it is NEVER better to talk about a disabled person as if he/she is unable to understand you.

Cute. And true-ish. Though lots of people are uncomfortable just coming up and introducing themselves, so if there’s a co-friend present, they often act like Caulfield did here.

I think Caulfield handled this appropriately for his age.

HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bazinga!

I’m sure Patty gets frustrated with being “talked over,” but Caulfield’s question was not inappropriate. She went overboard with her response. Caulfield is right in this case.

And I thought Caulfield was being polite; speak to the one you know so that they may make proper introductions.

Her wheelchair didn’t keep her from being rude.

She seems nice.

In general, people are anxious around people that are different. (We are ALL different.)

Introduction protocols aside, social awkwardness is a thing. People with disabilities meet people without disabilities all day long, but not the other way around. In this exchange, Caulfield is at a definite disadvantage. Patty played him like a fiddle. Good for her, you gotta have fun, especially if it’s at Caulfield’s expense.

…and where did Ms. Plainwell go during all this?

In all fairness to the character who addressed Ms Plainwell (I’m bad with names, sorry), most people would not go up to a total stranger and say “who are you and why are you in a wheelchair?” That’s just rude, even if you haven’t been taught politeness from an early age. And as one who spent 17 years teaching in Special Education, you nailed Patty’s attitude toward that opening question. Some remain obnoxious, others become your best friend. I’m hoping for the latter in this instance.

SJW alert!!! He was ASKING to be introduced. Among polite people, it is considered rude to walk up and talk to somebody you haven’t been introduced to. But manners aren’t something one should expect from young people these days.

I like her!

If Ms Plainwell had been in the wheel chair and he had asked who her friend was, the person pushing the chair would not have had a mental melt down.

Caulfield in being introduced to several new concepts today. Be interesting to see how this progresses, if it does.

my wife is prepping for new knees and hips and so I push her around wherever she needs to go, I have noticed people talk over her head, rather than TO her, even from medical professionals.

Hmmm, Given that the design of the Wheelchair is most like the kind used in hospitals designed for temporary use and to be pushed by someone else rather then one that would be used by an independent person with a mobility problem that’s to be propelled by the user( And the fact that Ms.Plainwell is pushing her) It seems that her reason for being in the wheelchair is most likely temporary or recent.

He could have said, “Hi Ms Plainwell.” and then addressed her friend and said, “Hi, I’m Caulfield.”

Actually, he’s being polite, except it would be better to say, “Please introduce me to your friend,” which has become the casual, “Who’s your friend?” But this gives the overly-sensitive-entitled-because-handicapped person the opportunity to be aggressive. Yes, I know our society is dismissive of the injured and disabled, but before you see an insult, consider the intent. Before you ask: I have several disabilities. I’m fortunate that they usually aren’t apparent, which makes people think they aren’t real. That’s a real insult, when you think about it.

All the comments so far have passed right over Patty’s little joke about how she’s going to look like a clunky remote-controlled robot when she tries to stand up. That’s self-deprecating humor at its finest. I’ve co-opted a similar line (which I may have picked up from this very strip): “People don’t realize how old I am until they hear me stand up.”

In the early 1970s I enjoyed the companionship of a group of folks of all ages who had CB radios. One was a young man with chest & leg braces in a wheel chair with the handle of “Ironsides”. I took him to the movie ‘Airplane’. Quite a job to lift him in & out his wheel chair.I parked in the isle next to my isle seat. When the audience roared in laughter at pilot’s crude comment, my friend somehow bumped the brake lever, & rolled down the middle isle at a great rate with me chasing him. When I caught him almost at the front of the screen, audience roared a cheer. My friend just loved the whole incident as people waved when I pushed him back up the isle.

I think Patty chose angled glasses so she can look angry or mean all the time.

I think Caulfield has found his attitude match and they will be good friends.

Patty Plainwell?

Am I correct in thinking Caulfield has a girlfriend here?

A lot of people speak more loudly to seniors, thinking they’re hard of hearing.

HOWSOWHOMEVER: in this situation, he was merely asking for an introduction, from Ms. Plainwell, who knows them both. THEN, maybe he would proceed to a conversation with Ms. Uptight.

Is Jef introducing a new permanent character here?

Jef Mallett’s Blog Posts

Frazz16 hrs · Looks like we have cameo in the cast for a few episodes, not to mention a revolutionary new wheelchair design that apparently elevates itself a few inches. (I really need to draw more carefully.) I could be accused of trying to educate, of trying to be inclusive, of inserting more of my own life, or of throwing in something new to get attention. The reality is that, once someone close to you has something like multiple sclerosis, you learn even rare conditions hit a surprisingly large number of people. And MS isn’t even that rare. And since I’m the kind of cartoonist who measures success by the number of readers who say, “hey, that’s me!”, I’d be a fool not to put something out there for that big a segment of the population.

I agree that he was absolutely correct to ask the person he knows for an introduction. Patty seems to have issues.

I think it might have been more appropriate for him to say, “introduce me to your friend?” or something to that effect. But I would never presume to introduce myself.

This Saturday I will be riding in the #BikeMS. I will be doing a #VirtualRide around the #SanFernandoValley. Please go to this link to donate to my ride to help #EndMS!https://t.co/EmCatKz2St https://t.co/YVWuPS4AZf