For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 30, 2022

Not a peaceful vibe

And now … the real “fun” begins!!!

o_O

It’s gonna be a l-o-n-g ride home.

On second thought, I think we’d rather walk.

You are in so much trouble Michael… I wouldn’t want to be you right now.

Oooo, I would not want to " get in"

At least he cares enough to show up.

Dad’s just jealous!

How are they gonna get home?? They can WALK the X number of miles they rode on the bus to get there!!

And afterwards, they’ll be grounded for months!!

I.. I would walk if I were you boys.

Hmm… Dad seems mad for some reason.

Don’t think you are saved Michael

As usual, they didn’t think this thing through…

Panel 4: They’ve seen that expression of suppressed rage before..

And now the toll must be paid.

Lynn’s Comments: Dad found my friends and me in the crowd and demanded we get into the car.

So this is based on a real life incident except that it was high school girls doing the protests? Makes you wonder why the female author had to put the blame on boys. Standing up for the sweet and innocent myth about girls can’t do no wrong?

Easy John, they are protesting the cost of the school bus that YOU pay for!

Presumably they raised Mike to stand up for what he thinks is right and try and change what he thinks is wrong. So now that he is doing so, what is John so bent about? Or are the Patterson’s the sort of parents who only think they want independent thinkers until one of the kids thinks independently?

No more dates… No more movies… No more video games… NO MORE FUN OF ANY KINDS UNTIL YOU ARE IN A RETIREMENT HOME YOUNG MAN!!

Buckle up, Sweetie, gonna a bumpy ride.

I would be SO proud of him!

Ruh roh…

From hippie to hypocrite. Sounds about right for an 80s parent.

Oops?

I really don’t understand why John is this angry. Mike was just involved in a peaceful protest designed to change government policy and John acts like he was caught robbing a liquor store with a gang. Seriously, is John on drugs?

“Get in.” = “You’re under arrest!”

What’s he mad about? If something like this passes him off…

Let him spend a couple of nights in the slammer and bunk with a big guy called “Tiny”

Taking the bus would have been a lot less cost in the broad sense.

dum dum duuummmb

Oh,oh…. party over.

It appears the boys have already been arrested.

Not sure why John’s so mad; Mike is asserting himself and a cause he believes in. Isn’t that to be encouraged?

“I repeat . . . " No you don’t, you’re saying it for the first time.

Is Jon telling Gordon to get in too? Because his car doesn’t have much of a back.

Somebody is going to get a good talking to…

Tomorrow,it’s midnight and one person is left on the street—that “DeBate” kid who organized the rally and he’s still stranded.

I always love it when parents forget the things they did once they become parents and their kids begin to do the same kind of things. They chastise their children, yet those same parents always long of the good old days.

Hypocrisy, it knows no boundary.

But WHY is Mike’s dad so mad?

Hmmmm. Maybe you should walk, Mikey?

Michael’s new way to get to school each morning: eat a breakfast burrito, get on a skateboard, light a match behind him and he’s off!

They certainly didn’t think things through – like how to get home – but I hope they don’t get in trouble over this. Ultimately, they did a good thing by protesting the fare increase.

At least they don’t have to worry about John refusing to give them a ride home.

Not the police, but worse.

Poor ol’ Mikey. I knew him well……

Boys will be Boys

What do Lhetta and Rolne say if they saw him in TV?

Well, John, let’s look at this rationally. They did no damage. They did not get arrested. They dispersed when told to by the cops. They had what they believed was a legit grievance, and made their opinions known in a way that was hard to ignore and may even cause the bus company execs to, at the very least, explain why the rate hike is necessary. The kids should have probably researched it a bit beforehand, to make sure they understood the issue, but at their age, impulse often takes over. I don’t know what the laws of Canada say about peaceful protest, but I think the citizens have the right to protest. So, other than not asking your permission first, what have they done wrong? You should be glad they care enough about civil issues to take a stand.

Just like they treated the Ontario truckers

The younger generation versus mature ones, alright.