I think Dez has hit the nail. Only because tiff has been such a beatch to Borenice and Luann, it is going to be a little work for her to earn the friendship he needs.
“Haw haw, Tiffany’s such a slut!” Our protagonist, ladies and gentlemen!
Anyway, I see it’s the week where Luann and Bernice swap places, with one taking over the role of mean-spirited jerk while the other gets to be more kindhearted. Tiffany and Luann really do bring out the absolute worst in each other, probably because they’re more alike than either one of them would care to admit.
Interesting that Luann is suddenly the snarky one, now that Bernice has switched to analytical mode.
BTW – Neither Luann, Bernice, or Tiffany are “bullies”. True bullies threaten or attack people, embarrass them publicly, or viciously deride them to their face.
The snark is just three immature young women engaged in a long-standing rivalry (and nominal friendship), and is quite tolerable for the human condition. No need for everyone to be angels. How utterly boring — and all the more-so for an entertaining comic strip!
Par for the course is that, having aired their snark about Tiff to each other, they’ll get concerned and see if there’s some way they can assist her.
Luann is not able to get past her old history with Tiffany in high school. Luann has not moved on to the next level of her life post high school – she is still stuck back there. Wait til she sees Tiffany again at their jobs at the kidcare. Wait til she ribs Tiffany about he weight gain and notices that she doesn’t respond in her typical way. Will Luann take notice or just continue inattentively?
I agree with Dez – she needs a friend. And what’s with that Hogwartz textbook Bern is reading? I’ll say it now, Bern doesn’t have the EQ to be a mental health professional – she’s too robotic.
So far this is working out the way I thought, and some of us are predicting. Dez is the peacemaker, reminding the two other girls of their compassion and concern for someone who is hurting. They are reacting so typically, Bernice trying to be scientific, with Luann being purely emotional (tch, tch) but they are human and Dez is pointing out that they need to act that way. Interestingly “needs a friend or three”? Means that Dez includes herself, and she needs to be the caring, and non-historical person here. You think we might be going toward a breakthrough, or will Greg and company through another misdirection play? I hate seeing Tiffany hurt, Luann being mean, and Bernice being unaware.
The “breakthrough” might happen. Or we may jump to another arc. Not sure how much Luann, Bern and Dez know about Tiffany & Gunther. They might be better to talk to Gunther. Next time Gunther approaches Tiffany – he needs to give up the Dr. Phil act, and tell Tiff he is lonely without her.
Luann and Tiffany work together. How is it that Luann hasn’t, and neither have we, that Tiffany gained a massive amount of weight? My guess is that she is lonely with depression as a result. No real family or friends, No love interest. All she has is school and she has no clue what to do there. Still, Luann would have seen the weight gain. You can’t put that much on in a few days.
I think I’ve got it now. This isn’t supposed to be Funny- it’s just an ongoing depiction of very flawed, mostly obnoxious and annoying people usually at their worst. Not even a kid is likable…
I don’t condone Luann’s unsympathetic remarks and cruel attitude, but after dealing with Tiffany’s ‘mean girl’ bullying tactics for most of her life, I understand it.
Wizardgoat and Luann1212 have summarized it very well. I think Luann is venting years of frustration, in private, over how Tiffany has treated her. Luann wouldn’t be mean directly to Tiffany, or she would have done so already. She’s had plenty of opportunities. And she isn’t calling Tiffany a slut, just calling her out for needing to have a lot of male attention.
Dramatic and as petty and mean as it sounds, I believe the three will visit Tiffany and try to offer their help in some wa. Friendship above all. I don’t know why everyone wants Gunther to step in now, except he has been a sort of friend at times and tutor, he doesn’t seem attuned to Tiffany’s emotional needs.
Lu and Tiff have a history. That ain’t gonna go away. I don’t think from Tiff’s reaction to Bern that she will welcome Bern’s and/or Lu’s ‘help’. It sounds more like Bern and Lu want to get the dirt on Tiff. Perhaps the first thing the girls should do is bury the hatchet and start acting like friends. You know take her out for coffee and talk nicely to her. Ask her about her classes, her goals for this semester, if she likes modern art, what does she think about the Rams this year? Would she like to go on a hike? After several weeks of being a kind friend then ask ( gently) what is up,if she hasn’t already volunteered the information
Maybe Lu , Tiff and Bern should take improv and contra dancing classes together. The would meet folks outside of their usual sphere and learn lots about each other.
A lot of psychobabble going on here. Did it ever occur to anyone (except me) that maybe Tiff’s weight gain was deliberate? Maybe she took Gunther’s suggestion that she change her appearance to the ultimate. Instead of just changing her hairstyle or leaving off the makeup, she decided to see how people would react to her if she looked REALLY different.
And despite Bern’s implication that Tiff can now compete with the Goodyear blimp, she’s NOT that big. She was so thin, even a 20-25 pound weight gain would be really noticeable.
I think Lu’s response is just reaction from the years of “torment” she has gotten from Tiffany. Maybe Dez’ suggestion will make them all see the situation more clearly.
I am highly disappointed in Luann’s continued reactions today. It is definetly not what would have hoped for as a response from her character. While hopefully she may eventually turn around her snippy, snarky behavior and show at least a modicum of concern and empathy…. today makes her seem very much a nasty person. Disappointing.
I am happy that even though Bernice is likely going about it in the wrong way, at least she has changed her tune to at least be trying to help…. and not just being a mean, snarky person.
Dez, as has become her normal behavior, is the voice of reason. I am liking her more and more as we get to know her.
* * * *
Again, I do remember that L, B, and T were “arch” enemies for quite a lot of their high school experience. But, I also do remember that L, B, and T had made some pretty obvious inroads into being friends since they have started college. I see Luann’s current statements as a significant step backward in her growth.
* * * *
One odd thought I had and would be curious about other’s ideas & impressions: It is interesting that Tiffany’s weight gain, which is presumed by most of us here as being some indication of her “letting herself go” regardless of whether it is due to saddness or clinical depression….. this “letting herself go” is NOT being displayed by a “don’t care” attitude about her hair or her lipstick….. in the last image of her, she still had her very styled “helmet hair” and red, lipsticked lips.
Is that significant? Or is it just an artifact? Should Greg have perhaps shown her with more natural (unstyled) hair and a lack of lipstick like he did previously? Or, did Greg purposefully show here still having the styled hair and primed lips for another reason?
See, people? All those posts earlier in the week about how Tiffany couldn’t possibly have gained so much weight “in a few days” were off the mark. No matter how often many people herein pointed out that the characters had been on summer vacation and no one had seen Tiff during that time, a hard-core cadre of posters dogmatically echoed the rule that “Strip time is different from real time!”, and so only a short time must have elapsed since Gunther left Tiffany sobbing. We now see that this is in fact happening in the strip several months after that incident, just as had happened in “real time”. Sometime things are actually just as simple as they seem!
Luann is definitely in “I want revenge for high school” mode. Ultimately, while such sentiments can be understandable, they are nonetheless an exercise in futility. Take the high road and be a friend.
People are being too hard on Luann’s character because they lack perspective on the character’s position. Luann has a right grouse about Tiffany a bit. She has been treated pretty badly by her for years. We readers see Tiffany in a different light because we know about her friendship with Gunther and goodness she is capable of. Luann was not present for those parts of the narrative. She is not third person omniscient like we readers are. Like a real life person, her character’s opinion can not (and should not) be changed by events she is unaware of.And also people should be judged by what they ultimately do in situation. It is not uncommon for someone to take on an unpleasant task (but good) with low enthusiasm at first… but still do it anyways because it is the right thing to do. Luann’s character has been written in a way where she can be immature but ultimately does the right thing. If they write this story line consistent with her character development over the years, she will help Tiffany.
Dang Luann, chill. I get Tiff was a jerk to you but two wrongs don’t make a right. She needs help and if you are half the caring person you aspire to be you’ll put high school behind you where it belongs and help her.
It was that last talk with Gunther. Remember he was saying stuff to her? Like ‘Be yourself’ and don’t try so hard to go out of her way for people? Then she throws Les’ ph. number away? Then she just slipped out of sight. I wish Luann was part of the FOX channel line up on Sunday’s, I would definitely watch her! :)
Okay, Luann is being snarky and unsympathetic, but I think this is also somewhat in reaction to what she sees as Bernice overreacting. Earlier Bernice was going berserk about Luann associating with Tara because she’s a CRIMINAL. Luann hasn’t actually seen Tiffany or the state she’s in,so she thinks, “Well, here’s Bernice overreacting AGAIN because Tiffany gained a few pounds.”
Re: Luann’s responses to Tiffany’s issues – I’ve long felt that Tiffany was originally intended to be an archetypical 8th grade mean girl who was the bane of the lead character. While I can see that they would have gone through high school together, it always felt like a plot device to me that she has continued to be in Luann’s life to such an extent. After all, Luann goes to a different school, and Tiffany has no real interest in working with children. I think that Luann’s annoyance with her now could easily come from the fact that she’s been unable to shake this person from her life since childhood, and they’ve never been friends. I’m not saying that there isn’t a potentially interesting story to be told about Tiffany confronting the challenges and changes of her post high school world, just that I can see that, from a writing standpoint, Tiffany had been somewhat forced into continuing to be a part of Luann’s young adult years. There’s bound to be some awkwardness in some of the later scenarios between them that could reflect on that writing choice.
Tiffany has had few if any real girlfriends because her interactions with other girls have always been that of trying to out do the person i.e. competing for some guy, thus creating an adversarial relationship. Now (in college) she needs friends more than ever and they are not there. Gunther has been her only actual friend, but (as a guy) he can’t relate to all of her needs, and his recent comments have put her over the edge. Now food is her only friend. Dez is right-on when it come to people and their emotional needs. She has that intuitive sense that doesn’t come from book learning.
Bernice the Boss will put Tiffany on report. Overeating must violate some rule in that enormous book of infractions that she totes around. The dorm at Moony seems to have some sort of rule prohibiting almost everything that students normally do.
Considering the way Tiffany has treated Luann over the years, I wouldn’t be sympathetic either. Tiffany is always going on about how beautiful and amazing she thinks she is. My guess is that Mrs. Berger is fattening her up and now Tiffany is getting her “just desserts”. The loud music Bernice heard was probably Tiffany doing cardio trying to burn the weight off.
Some people overeat when they have depression. The theory is that it elevates serotonin, and some studies bear that out. In the long term, like all addictions, depression becomes even more likely. Here is one source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1550-8528.1995.tb00215.x/full
Again, it takes some time for long-time rivals to reach at least some point of objectivity. Luann will come around, and ‘The Three Caballeros’ here will do something to help.
Speaking of ‘trios’, perhaps other famous trios might apply here:
Kirk/Spock/McCoy for example – Luann could be the ‘Kirk’ – although I would NOT have her as captain of a starship – but she will come around and do the right thing here. Bernice would be the ‘Spock’, already researching for a possible answer. Which would make Dez the ‘McCoy’: “Damn it, Jim – I mean, Luann – We have to HELP!”
What an amateur Bossy Bernie is! Making a serious diagnosis out of a college textbook?! Really? She will never become any kind of counselor that way.
Luann is just regurgitating Old Hatred, not really thinking much. Or does she really hate Tiffany that strongly? Definitely not her most attractive self showing here….
Dez? Dez is the only hope for real-time help for Tiffany at this point!
Luanaphile lead me to learning something yesterday which MIGHT prove helpful in the discussions. It turns out that what USED to be called situational depression, i.e. Incredibly horrid sadness triggered by an event or situation, but not triggered or followed by a major biochemical alteration is now INSTEAD usually called ADJUSTMENT DISORDER. In the refs i found yesterday it looks like that might be because of things which have been learned about depression biochemistry which simply do not fit for what used to be called situational depression by itself.
So, when people here have been pointing out that things some of us (including me) have described from horrors we survived and PERHAPS WHAT TIFFANY IS EXPERIENCING may NOT meet the current criteria for depression, they are right. (Hey, i try to learn something every day.) Calling the problem ADJUSTMENT DISORDER (including IF that turns out to be the situation for Tiffany) does not lessen or alter it, of course. It simply more accurately helps find what approaches can work best.
On another note I noticed I typed ‘would’ as ‘woould’ and ‘hairstyle’ as ‘haristyle’, but Donny didn’t notice. Donny 10 points if you find out where! LOL!
Luann’s lack of sensitivity toward Tiffany’s plight is somewhat understandable since she has been a target of bullying and even sabotage by Tiffany in the past, e.g. (1) the time they were both interviewing for a job at Kidz 1st and Tiffany told the supervisor that there were no candidates other than her to be interviewed knowing that Luann was waiting for her turn. (2) Removing a letter (addressed to Luann) from flowers delivered to Luann at work… even trying to keep the flowers initially. All his qualifies as sabotage. But Luann has tried to compete and has allowed herself to be influenced by Tiffany. Similar to Gunther’s lack of any understanding (initially) toward Les having been a target of Les’s in high school. That said, laughing and being snarky toward someone who is down at the moment is the not the most mature response. After all they are older now.
I remain puzzled about what so many people here think that Dez, Bernice and Luann could do that would actually help Tiffany, if she truly has situational disorder, PTSD or is clinically depressed. Bernice may have read a few textbooks about psychology, but that doesn’t qualify her to actually help. And I don’t think a drum circle led by Dez will make much of a difference, either. The most that these kids could do for a genuinely ill Tiffany would be to drive her to a therapist’s office…
@SUKIECRANDALL: If you want to read a true story about why traumatic events in life don’t necessarily result in clinical depression, read ‘A Glass Castle’, the memoir of Jeannette Walls. This woman, two sisters and a brother had parents who were in rebellion against the world. The Dad claimed to be a genius but never succeeded at holding a job and was a full blown alcoholic. The mother really just wanted to be an artist, not a mother and secretly ate candy bars while her kids starved. This rebellion thing might have been okay if the two adults were in this alone, but they had little children who ended up eating from dumpsters, sleeping in unheated abandoned buildings, using buckets for commodes and going to school unwashed. The Dad even took Jeannette to a bar to ‘make some money’ when she was a young kid. Yet three out of four of the kids seem to have turned out okay…
I had no idea Luann disliked Tiffany so much. I had thought they’d left their High School drama behind them. Tiffany certainly seems to have moved on. And yet Luann, our main protagonist, is acting like a snarky, petulant brat.
This is where it ends for me, people. I can no longer read “Luann” for any reason, not to comment (without periods sometimes—hey, that’s what “Greg” does) or to mock it. There is something just plain ugly about the writing of this strip. Is that joke about the football team acceptable? No. Does Team Evans mean to suggest that sleeping with the football team means drowsy cuddling, or do they really think it is normal and not ugly for Luann—their protagonist with “inner beauty”—to make such a remark? They really have no excuse that makes sense in the modern world. No one will notice that I’m gone, but I’m gone just the same. Bye Luann, you pig-nosed bratty child! I sincerely hope no real children are like you.
Perhaps Tiffany found out about Piro liking Bernice more than her. All the times Tiffany has been letting Piro crash at her room, and he falls for Bernice.
If Tiffany’s issue turns out to be relatively minor, then it will be difficult for the Evanses to show Luann getting past this immature rant. She has to be shocked into an unpleasant discovery about herself.
Luann’s envy of Tiffany drips from every word she speaks. She can merely say, “It’s none of my business. I don’t care” and leave it at that. Yet she makes snide, snarky comments behind her back. As Tiffany herself once said, “High school is so over.”
It takes some people longer to develop empathy for someone you don’t like. I had a Tiffany in my growing up years. It wasn’t until we both realized that we were more alike than we wanted to admit until we both cut the crap and actually talked to one another. We became good friends.
The discussions on depression versus adjustment disorder, which used to be called situational depression, have been an interesting learning experience. There have been a scant few who have seemed to not realize that it is not a competition, though. I am certain that every person here has experienced some types of truly profound pain, just as i am certain that for each person here there are others here who in their own ways have experienced far worse, and that everyone here has gained strength from surviving what they have survived. Learning through sharing – something i think pretty much everyone here has wished the character, Bernice, would learn how to do – is a great way to learn. So, thanks for that opportunity.
The diversity of opinions on the behaviors of Luann and friends truly covers all possibilities. Some of the critiques come from people who seem quite knowledgeable of human develop and many, unfortunately, were written by people who appear quite ignorant of the problems. I want to address two of these characters who seem to be misunderstood even by some commenters who are quite experienced in human behavior.
1. Gunther. I went back to the conversation he had with Tiffany after the infamous dinner party. Sept 14 – 17. I did not perceive anything Gunther said as cause for triggering a depression. Quite the contrary; he told her what a lovely person she is and that she should let other people see the person she shows herself to be with him and then cautions her about Leslie. He tried to tell her what college men (boys) like. I thought he was being supportive and kind and encouraging. Bottom line: IMO Gunther is not the cause of Tiffany’s depression and weight gain.
2. Luann. Seems to me she is a very typical 19 year old. As several people have pointed out, forgiving people who have bullied you or been unkind is one of the most difficult things a person can do. Luann is reacting in a very normal way as most young adults would. The hurts run deep and the scars linger throughout a life time. If Tiffany were to apologize, then Luann might be able to overcome the hard feelings. I would like to see this happen. Tiffany has an abundance of tangibles that Luann has to work for. Luann, on the other hand, has some intangibles that Tiffany needs for personal growth like a somewhat normal family life, boyfriends, etc. Given a little more time and growing space, Luann will most likely mellow in the relationship. I think it is unfair and perhaps unkind, however, to expect her to be sympathetic to someone who has treated her for so long.
Lighten up, people. It’s a comic. Plus these are simple archetypes: Bernice the nerdy, socially incompetent-but-well-meaning best friend; Luann the immature-but-bascially nice person, and Tiffany the shallow narcissist who may have underlying problems. Add Dez the supposedly-deep-and-spritual type.
Luann is basically somewhere between mildly jealous (Tiff is more beautiful and gets any guy’s attention she want) and not really believing that Tiffany could really have such a problem (to be honest, I, too, find it hard to believe that Tiffany gained so much weight from binge eating over what… one weekend?)
Bernice is not qualified, no, but look—-she is actually CARING and saying Tiffany seems to have a problem and needs help—let’s fix it (the nerdy way.) She’s rallying the troops and looking up answers in a book. Not the best, maybe, but there is no hint of ANY of them laughing at Tiffany, saying she deserves it, etc.
Dez is saying, yeah, but maybe what she needs a friend.
howtheduck over 6 years ago
And it turns out Dez is the new Delta. Maybe that’s why their names are so similar.
tammyspeakslife Premium Member over 6 years ago
She needs understanding and compassion just like any other human being.
Templo S.U.D. over 6 years ago
A fiend in need will be a friend indeed.
Namrepus over 6 years ago
Luann’s attitude is precisely why clinical depression is an underreported, undershared condition.
Mordock999 Premium Member over 6 years ago
That’s it Dez!
Tiffany needs a “Friend.” And until Gunther shows up, the THREE of You will do.
Vilyehm over 6 years ago
And so nothing will happen until Saturday.
Pointspread over 6 years ago
AnyFace over 6 years ago
Bern’s not exactly qualified to administer treatment.
31768 over 6 years ago
BJShipley1 over 6 years ago
“Haw haw, Tiffany’s such a slut!” Our protagonist, ladies and gentlemen!
Anyway, I see it’s the week where Luann and Bernice swap places, with one taking over the role of mean-spirited jerk while the other gets to be more kindhearted. Tiffany and Luann really do bring out the absolute worst in each other, probably because they’re more alike than either one of them would care to admit.Wizardgoat over 6 years ago
Interesting that Luann is suddenly the snarky one, now that Bernice has switched to analytical mode.
BTW – Neither Luann, Bernice, or Tiffany are “bullies”. True bullies threaten or attack people, embarrass them publicly, or viciously deride them to their face.
The snark is just three immature young women engaged in a long-standing rivalry (and nominal friendship), and is quite tolerable for the human condition. No need for everyone to be angels. How utterly boring — and all the more-so for an entertaining comic strip!
Par for the course is that, having aired their snark about Tiff to each other, they’ll get concerned and see if there’s some way they can assist her.
ILikeMeSomeComics over 6 years ago
Geez Luann. Lighten up. You’re not a perfect human yourself, no need to look down on Tiffany.
capricorn9th over 6 years ago
Luann is not able to get past her old history with Tiffany in high school. Luann has not moved on to the next level of her life post high school – she is still stuck back there. Wait til she sees Tiffany again at their jobs at the kidcare. Wait til she ribs Tiffany about he weight gain and notices that she doesn’t respond in her typical way. Will Luann take notice or just continue inattentively?
Kim Metzger Premium Member over 6 years ago
Just a thought — could Tiffany possibly be pregnant?
Goldie over 6 years ago
Ew, Luann. Real nice. I, for one, would love to see Tiffany rock her curves (without the help of wannabe PHD Bernice).
GovernmentCheese over 6 years ago
I agree with Dez – she needs a friend. And what’s with that Hogwartz textbook Bern is reading? I’ll say it now, Bern doesn’t have the EQ to be a mental health professional – she’s too robotic.
Brdshtt Premium Member over 6 years ago
Three different people, three different ideas. Dez looks like she is showing genuine concern for Tiffany in the first panel.
thestig747 over 6 years ago
Perhaps Tiffany got a new acting gig, and the role requires a few extra pounds…?
Ruth Brown over 6 years ago
Thank you, Dez.
Peppermeow over 6 years ago
Dez actually gets it. Bernice it too clinical and Luann is just clueless and unsympathetic.
luann1212 over 6 years ago
So far this is working out the way I thought, and some of us are predicting. Dez is the peacemaker, reminding the two other girls of their compassion and concern for someone who is hurting. They are reacting so typically, Bernice trying to be scientific, with Luann being purely emotional (tch, tch) but they are human and Dez is pointing out that they need to act that way. Interestingly “needs a friend or three”? Means that Dez includes herself, and she needs to be the caring, and non-historical person here. You think we might be going toward a breakthrough, or will Greg and company through another misdirection play? I hate seeing Tiffany hurt, Luann being mean, and Bernice being unaware.
kenhense over 6 years ago
The “breakthrough” might happen. Or we may jump to another arc. Not sure how much Luann, Bern and Dez know about Tiffany & Gunther. They might be better to talk to Gunther. Next time Gunther approaches Tiffany – he needs to give up the Dr. Phil act, and tell Tiff he is lonely without her.
TexanAtHeart over 6 years ago
Luann and Tiffany work together. How is it that Luann hasn’t, and neither have we, that Tiffany gained a massive amount of weight? My guess is that she is lonely with depression as a result. No real family or friends, No love interest. All she has is school and she has no clue what to do there. Still, Luann would have seen the weight gain. You can’t put that much on in a few days.
auramac over 6 years ago
I think I’ve got it now. This isn’t supposed to be Funny- it’s just an ongoing depiction of very flawed, mostly obnoxious and annoying people usually at their worst. Not even a kid is likable…
JayBluE over 6 years ago
Rub a dub dub, three girls confront a rub…
And what do you think they do?
The Brain Butcher, the Pain Staker, And The Elephant-Dung-Candlestick Maker….
And they all go in three directions to find the same clue…
JayBluE over 6 years ago
“Three Women And A Maybe”
“I’m Down For The Cause!….And Effects…”
“Solve For X…And Also Why”
“A Panther That Is Pretty In Pink”
“Stop….Will You Just Listen!?” (♪)
“Bait-girl, Stupor-girl, and Asunder Woman”
“Elvis, John Wayne And Beavis Search The Mall, Searching For The Orange Julius”
“Who’s Line Is It, Anyway?”
“Ladies, And Divergents”
“Trailing Off From This Hitch”
“Flag This Snag, With My Own Swag”
“Duck Soup For The Soul”
“Aye! There’s The Rub-Her-Face-In-It!”
“Old Habits Die Hard….With A Vengeance”
or
“Approaches Check In…But They Don’t All Check Out….”
sueb1863 over 6 years ago
Luann: Oh, sorry, I have to go tutor my student Fay, whose mother hired me because I’m so mature and empathetic.
sueb1863 over 6 years ago
I think this is the first time Luann has pretty much come out and said that she thinks Tiffany is a slut.
Jose_Muerte over 6 years ago
Meanwhile back at the……..
Axeɫ handeɫ over 6 years ago
“Depression may lead to emotional eating” and suicidal thoughts.
Don Draper over 6 years ago
I don’t condone Luann’s unsympathetic remarks and cruel attitude, but after dealing with Tiffany’s ‘mean girl’ bullying tactics for most of her life, I understand it.
Chuck374 over 6 years ago
Bern want’s everybody to have emotional and psychological problems for her to treat. Can we all say Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.
Willywise52 Premium Member over 6 years ago
Pfft,Tiffany deserves every bad word she gets.Time to float.
Tyge Premium Member over 6 years ago
The three characters are acting true to form.
Outsideplaying over 6 years ago
Wizardgoat and Luann1212 have summarized it very well. I think Luann is venting years of frustration, in private, over how Tiffany has treated her. Luann wouldn’t be mean directly to Tiffany, or she would have done so already. She’s had plenty of opportunities. And she isn’t calling Tiffany a slut, just calling her out for needing to have a lot of male attention.
Dramatic and as petty and mean as it sounds, I believe the three will visit Tiffany and try to offer their help in some wa. Friendship above all. I don’t know why everyone wants Gunther to step in now, except he has been a sort of friend at times and tutor, he doesn’t seem attuned to Tiffany’s emotional needs.
Katecst over 6 years ago
Lu and Tiff have a history. That ain’t gonna go away. I don’t think from Tiff’s reaction to Bern that she will welcome Bern’s and/or Lu’s ‘help’. It sounds more like Bern and Lu want to get the dirt on Tiff. Perhaps the first thing the girls should do is bury the hatchet and start acting like friends. You know take her out for coffee and talk nicely to her. Ask her about her classes, her goals for this semester, if she likes modern art, what does she think about the Rams this year? Would she like to go on a hike? After several weeks of being a kind friend then ask ( gently) what is up,if she hasn’t already volunteered the information
Katecst over 6 years ago
Maybe Lu , Tiff and Bern should take improv and contra dancing classes together. The would meet folks outside of their usual sphere and learn lots about each other.
Schrodinger's Dog over 6 years ago
ummm. ……. Is Luann suggesting that Tiffany needs to “get laid” ? !!!!! :-O
patvinshawl over 6 years ago
How many story arcs are now dangling in this strip?
wantcomicsnow over 6 years ago
A lot of psychobabble going on here. Did it ever occur to anyone (except me) that maybe Tiff’s weight gain was deliberate? Maybe she took Gunther’s suggestion that she change her appearance to the ultimate. Instead of just changing her hairstyle or leaving off the makeup, she decided to see how people would react to her if she looked REALLY different.
And despite Bern’s implication that Tiff can now compete with the Goodyear blimp, she’s NOT that big. She was so thin, even a 20-25 pound weight gain would be really noticeable.
Terminal Frost Premium Member over 6 years ago
Ok NOW LuAnn is just being petty. She needs to stop.
Colonelkay over 6 years ago
I guess Crystal doesn’t pal around with Tiff anymore?
Colonelkay over 6 years ago
I think Lu’s response is just reaction from the years of “torment” she has gotten from Tiffany. Maybe Dez’ suggestion will make them all see the situation more clearly.
Pipe Tobacco Premium Member over 6 years ago
5
Pipe and coffee break commentary from me today:
I am highly disappointed in Luann’s continued reactions today. It is definetly not what would have hoped for as a response from her character. While hopefully she may eventually turn around her snippy, snarky behavior and show at least a modicum of concern and empathy…. today makes her seem very much a nasty person. Disappointing.
I am happy that even though Bernice is likely going about it in the wrong way, at least she has changed her tune to at least be trying to help…. and not just being a mean, snarky person.
Dez, as has become her normal behavior, is the voice of reason. I am liking her more and more as we get to know her.
* * * *Again, I do remember that L, B, and T were “arch” enemies for quite a lot of their high school experience. But, I also do remember that L, B, and T had made some pretty obvious inroads into being friends since they have started college. I see Luann’s current statements as a significant step backward in her growth.
* * * *One odd thought I had and would be curious about other’s ideas & impressions: It is interesting that Tiffany’s weight gain, which is presumed by most of us here as being some indication of her “letting herself go” regardless of whether it is due to saddness or clinical depression….. this “letting herself go” is NOT being displayed by a “don’t care” attitude about her hair or her lipstick….. in the last image of her, she still had her very styled “helmet hair” and red, lipsticked lips.
Is that significant? Or is it just an artifact? Should Greg have perhaps shown her with more natural (unstyled) hair and a lack of lipstick like he did previously? Or, did Greg purposefully show here still having the styled hair and primed lips for another reason?
seismic-2 Premium Member over 6 years ago
See, people? All those posts earlier in the week about how Tiffany couldn’t possibly have gained so much weight “in a few days” were off the mark. No matter how often many people herein pointed out that the characters had been on summer vacation and no one had seen Tiff during that time, a hard-core cadre of posters dogmatically echoed the rule that “Strip time is different from real time!”, and so only a short time must have elapsed since Gunther left Tiffany sobbing. We now see that this is in fact happening in the strip several months after that incident, just as had happened in “real time”. Sometime things are actually just as simple as they seem!
BlitzMcD over 6 years ago
Luann is definitely in “I want revenge for high school” mode. Ultimately, while such sentiments can be understandable, they are nonetheless an exercise in futility. Take the high road and be a friend.
Tyge Premium Member over 6 years ago
I take it Luann & Tiff are on hiatus from the preschool volunteer work – since Luann hasn’t seen Tiff’s appearance yet.
StackableContainers over 6 years ago
People are being too hard on Luann’s character because they lack perspective on the character’s position. Luann has a right grouse about Tiffany a bit. She has been treated pretty badly by her for years. We readers see Tiffany in a different light because we know about her friendship with Gunther and goodness she is capable of. Luann was not present for those parts of the narrative. She is not third person omniscient like we readers are. Like a real life person, her character’s opinion can not (and should not) be changed by events she is unaware of.And also people should be judged by what they ultimately do in situation. It is not uncommon for someone to take on an unpleasant task (but good) with low enthusiasm at first… but still do it anyways because it is the right thing to do. Luann’s character has been written in a way where she can be immature but ultimately does the right thing. If they write this story line consistent with her character development over the years, she will help Tiffany.
Leslie B. over 6 years ago
So Tiff slept with the ENTIRE football team, and they wonder why she is fat and depressed? Sounds like a no-brainer.
Kamui1815 over 6 years ago
Dang Luann, chill. I get Tiff was a jerk to you but two wrongs don’t make a right. She needs help and if you are half the caring person you aspire to be you’ll put high school behind you where it belongs and help her.
Sweetlorrain over 6 years ago
It was that last talk with Gunther. Remember he was saying stuff to her? Like ‘Be yourself’ and don’t try so hard to go out of her way for people? Then she throws Les’ ph. number away? Then she just slipped out of sight. I wish Luann was part of the FOX channel line up on Sunday’s, I would definitely watch her! :)
Asharah over 6 years ago
Okay, Luann is being snarky and unsympathetic, but I think this is also somewhat in reaction to what she sees as Bernice overreacting. Earlier Bernice was going berserk about Luann associating with Tara because she’s a CRIMINAL. Luann hasn’t actually seen Tiffany or the state she’s in,so she thinks, “Well, here’s Bernice overreacting AGAIN because Tiffany gained a few pounds.”
kauri44 over 6 years ago
RSH over 6 years ago
Tiffany has had few if any real girlfriends because her interactions with other girls have always been that of trying to out do the person i.e. competing for some guy, thus creating an adversarial relationship. Now (in college) she needs friends more than ever and they are not there. Gunther has been her only actual friend, but (as a guy) he can’t relate to all of her needs, and his recent comments have put her over the edge. Now food is her only friend. Dez is right-on when it come to people and their emotional needs. She has that intuitive sense that doesn’t come from book learning.
seismic-2 Premium Member over 6 years ago
Bernice the Boss will put Tiffany on report. Overeating must violate some rule in that enormous book of infractions that she totes around. The dorm at Moony seems to have some sort of rule prohibiting almost everything that students normally do.
David Huie Green LosersBlameOthers&It'sYOURfault over 6 years ago
We all need friends. The best way to get them is to be a friend.
psminson over 6 years ago
My bet is the Evans are setting up for Luann to have another one of those Life Lessons moments, when she grows as a person.
BluNova over 6 years ago
Considering the way Tiffany has treated Luann over the years, I wouldn’t be sympathetic either. Tiffany is always going on about how beautiful and amazing she thinks she is. My guess is that Mrs. Berger is fattening her up and now Tiffany is getting her “just desserts”. The loud music Bernice heard was probably Tiffany doing cardio trying to burn the weight off.
Luanaphile over 6 years ago
Some people overeat when they have depression. The theory is that it elevates serotonin, and some studies bear that out. In the long term, like all addictions, depression becomes even more likely. Here is one source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1550-8528.1995.tb00215.x/full
Germanshepherds4ever over 6 years ago
Tiffany has been a total BEE-ATCH to everyone her whole comic career. KARMA, baby!!!!!
Code the Enforcer over 6 years ago
Again, it takes some time for long-time rivals to reach at least some point of objectivity. Luann will come around, and ‘The Three Caballeros’ here will do something to help.
Code the Enforcer over 6 years ago
Speaking of ‘trios’, perhaps other famous trios might apply here:
Kirk/Spock/McCoy for example – Luann could be the ‘Kirk’ – although I would NOT have her as captain of a starship – but she will come around and do the right thing here. Bernice would be the ‘Spock’, already researching for a possible answer. Which would make Dez the ‘McCoy’: “Damn it, Jim – I mean, Luann – We have to HELP!”
Sisyphos over 6 years ago
What an amateur Bossy Bernie is! Making a serious diagnosis out of a college textbook?! Really? She will never become any kind of counselor that way.
Luann is just regurgitating Old Hatred, not really thinking much. Or does she really hate Tiffany that strongly? Definitely not her most attractive self showing here….
Dez? Dez is the only hope for real-time help for Tiffany at this point!
SukieCrandall Premium Member over 6 years ago
Luanaphile lead me to learning something yesterday which MIGHT prove helpful in the discussions. It turns out that what USED to be called situational depression, i.e. Incredibly horrid sadness triggered by an event or situation, but not triggered or followed by a major biochemical alteration is now INSTEAD usually called ADJUSTMENT DISORDER. In the refs i found yesterday it looks like that might be because of things which have been learned about depression biochemistry which simply do not fit for what used to be called situational depression by itself.
So, when people here have been pointing out that things some of us (including me) have described from horrors we survived and PERHAPS WHAT TIFFANY IS EXPERIENCING may NOT meet the current criteria for depression, they are right. (Hey, i try to learn something every day.) Calling the problem ADJUSTMENT DISORDER (including IF that turns out to be the situation for Tiffany) does not lessen or alter it, of course. It simply more accurately helps find what approaches can work best.
Terminal Frost Premium Member over 6 years ago
On another note I noticed I typed ‘would’ as ‘woould’ and ‘hairstyle’ as ‘haristyle’, but Donny didn’t notice. Donny 10 points if you find out where! LOL!
Schrodinger's Dog over 6 years ago
After all this gabbing, will they even see Tiffany?
RSH over 6 years ago
Luann’s lack of sensitivity toward Tiffany’s plight is somewhat understandable since she has been a target of bullying and even sabotage by Tiffany in the past, e.g. (1) the time they were both interviewing for a job at Kidz 1st and Tiffany told the supervisor that there were no candidates other than her to be interviewed knowing that Luann was waiting for her turn. (2) Removing a letter (addressed to Luann) from flowers delivered to Luann at work… even trying to keep the flowers initially. All his qualifies as sabotage. But Luann has tried to compete and has allowed herself to be influenced by Tiffany. Similar to Gunther’s lack of any understanding (initially) toward Les having been a target of Les’s in high school. That said, laughing and being snarky toward someone who is down at the moment is the not the most mature response. After all they are older now.
notbornyesterday over 6 years ago
News flash for Dez, Out of the three, there may be one friend of Tiffany’s , but more than one? probably not
Argy.Bargy2 over 6 years ago
I remain puzzled about what so many people here think that Dez, Bernice and Luann could do that would actually help Tiffany, if she truly has situational disorder, PTSD or is clinically depressed. Bernice may have read a few textbooks about psychology, but that doesn’t qualify her to actually help. And I don’t think a drum circle led by Dez will make much of a difference, either. The most that these kids could do for a genuinely ill Tiffany would be to drive her to a therapist’s office…
Argy.Bargy2 over 6 years ago
@SUKIECRANDALL: If you want to read a true story about why traumatic events in life don’t necessarily result in clinical depression, read ‘A Glass Castle’, the memoir of Jeannette Walls. This woman, two sisters and a brother had parents who were in rebellion against the world. The Dad claimed to be a genius but never succeeded at holding a job and was a full blown alcoholic. The mother really just wanted to be an artist, not a mother and secretly ate candy bars while her kids starved. This rebellion thing might have been okay if the two adults were in this alone, but they had little children who ended up eating from dumpsters, sleeping in unheated abandoned buildings, using buckets for commodes and going to school unwashed. The Dad even took Jeannette to a bar to ‘make some money’ when she was a young kid. Yet three out of four of the kids seem to have turned out okay…
nathenleeturner over 6 years ago
I had no idea Luann disliked Tiffany so much. I had thought they’d left their High School drama behind them. Tiffany certainly seems to have moved on. And yet Luann, our main protagonist, is acting like a snarky, petulant brat.
Train 1911 over 6 years ago
Seem like they all need help
Caldonia over 6 years ago
This is where it ends for me, people. I can no longer read “Luann” for any reason, not to comment (without periods sometimes—hey, that’s what “Greg” does) or to mock it. There is something just plain ugly about the writing of this strip. Is that joke about the football team acceptable? No. Does Team Evans mean to suggest that sleeping with the football team means drowsy cuddling, or do they really think it is normal and not ugly for Luann—their protagonist with “inner beauty”—to make such a remark? They really have no excuse that makes sense in the modern world. No one will notice that I’m gone, but I’m gone just the same. Bye Luann, you pig-nosed bratty child! I sincerely hope no real children are like you.
Dragoncat over 6 years ago
Perhaps Tiffany found out about Piro liking Bernice more than her. All the times Tiffany has been letting Piro crash at her room, and he falls for Bernice.
That is probably it.
Luanaphile over 6 years ago
If Tiffany’s issue turns out to be relatively minor, then it will be difficult for the Evanses to show Luann getting past this immature rant. She has to be shocked into an unpleasant discovery about herself.
rimshot22 over 6 years ago
Luann’s envy of Tiffany drips from every word she speaks. She can merely say, “It’s none of my business. I don’t care” and leave it at that. Yet she makes snide, snarky comments behind her back. As Tiffany herself once said, “High school is so over.”
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 6 years ago
And Dez is the voice of humanity here and empathy if not sympathy too.
Nenamatahari over 6 years ago
It takes some people longer to develop empathy for someone you don’t like. I had a Tiffany in my growing up years. It wasn’t until we both realized that we were more alike than we wanted to admit until we both cut the crap and actually talked to one another. We became good friends.
Schrodinger's Dog over 6 years ago
so with all this talking are they or aren’t they going to try to talk to Tiff?
SukieCrandall Premium Member over 6 years ago
The discussions on depression versus adjustment disorder, which used to be called situational depression, have been an interesting learning experience. There have been a scant few who have seemed to not realize that it is not a competition, though. I am certain that every person here has experienced some types of truly profound pain, just as i am certain that for each person here there are others here who in their own ways have experienced far worse, and that everyone here has gained strength from surviving what they have survived. Learning through sharing – something i think pretty much everyone here has wished the character, Bernice, would learn how to do – is a great way to learn. So, thanks for that opportunity.
Mayflower over 6 years ago
The diversity of opinions on the behaviors of Luann and friends truly covers all possibilities. Some of the critiques come from people who seem quite knowledgeable of human develop and many, unfortunately, were written by people who appear quite ignorant of the problems. I want to address two of these characters who seem to be misunderstood even by some commenters who are quite experienced in human behavior.
1. Gunther. I went back to the conversation he had with Tiffany after the infamous dinner party. Sept 14 – 17. I did not perceive anything Gunther said as cause for triggering a depression. Quite the contrary; he told her what a lovely person she is and that she should let other people see the person she shows herself to be with him and then cautions her about Leslie. He tried to tell her what college men (boys) like. I thought he was being supportive and kind and encouraging. Bottom line: IMO Gunther is not the cause of Tiffany’s depression and weight gain.
2. Luann. Seems to me she is a very typical 19 year old. As several people have pointed out, forgiving people who have bullied you or been unkind is one of the most difficult things a person can do. Luann is reacting in a very normal way as most young adults would. The hurts run deep and the scars linger throughout a life time. If Tiffany were to apologize, then Luann might be able to overcome the hard feelings. I would like to see this happen. Tiffany has an abundance of tangibles that Luann has to work for. Luann, on the other hand, has some intangibles that Tiffany needs for personal growth like a somewhat normal family life, boyfriends, etc. Given a little more time and growing space, Luann will most likely mellow in the relationship. I think it is unfair and perhaps unkind, however, to expect her to be sympathetic to someone who has treated her for so long.
billdaviswords over 6 years ago
Lighten up, people. It’s a comic. Plus these are simple archetypes: Bernice the nerdy, socially incompetent-but-well-meaning best friend; Luann the immature-but-bascially nice person, and Tiffany the shallow narcissist who may have underlying problems. Add Dez the supposedly-deep-and-spritual type.
Luann is basically somewhere between mildly jealous (Tiff is more beautiful and gets any guy’s attention she want) and not really believing that Tiffany could really have such a problem (to be honest, I, too, find it hard to believe that Tiffany gained so much weight from binge eating over what… one weekend?)
Bernice is not qualified, no, but look—-she is actually CARING and saying Tiffany seems to have a problem and needs help—let’s fix it (the nerdy way.) She’s rallying the troops and looking up answers in a book. Not the best, maybe, but there is no hint of ANY of them laughing at Tiffany, saying she deserves it, etc.
Dez is saying, yeah, but maybe what she needs a friend.