Today Michael owns a good house, a loving & beautiful wife, two healthy children and a career which HE chose, and is faring quite well in life. What is Brian doing today?
I was told by a number of readers that I was stereotyping Brian (whose family background is Japanese) by making him a smart kid. The funny thing was that none of the complaints came from Japanese families! Is there such a thing as a complimentary insult? I imagine that the Japanese families are too polite to say anything.
I did not once think that Brian was being stereotyped. In fact, I had totally forgotten that he is Japanese. I am NOT Japanese and I LOVED school and looked forward to every year as a new chance to learn cool stuff, buy new clothes, make new friends and in my case, scoop out my class for a new boyfriend/crush. Always something exciting going on in school! -clubs, sports, concerts, etc. Summer was slow after the first month. Now maybe if my family had been rich and had a house in the Hamptons and a yacht, I might have felt differently about summer’s end! LOL
dumb as a post-———————————————-Two things:Michael isn’t stupid, he’s just an ordinary, average kid.“Dumb as a post” is an exaggeration for someone who doesn’t say much. ‘Dumb’ meant unable to speak, like ‘dumb animals,’ and calling deaf mutes ‘deaf and dumb’. Posts are made of wood.So if someone is dumb as a post… If you asked them a question, you couldn’t get an answer from them.Now ya got it.
Hating school is a stereotype, too, because not all kids did or do. For some kids, school is the only place they can count on for a meal to eat.
And if they have both parents working, or only have one parent who has several jobs, they can often find a teacher who will make time to listen to them when their parents simply can’t, or who will find them a sweater or a bookbag that their parents can’t afford.
For kids who are determined to get out of those conditions and are willing to work as hard as they can, school can be a lifeline…
Quote from the website:“Brian works with computers, doing architectural renderings, and now lives in Japan with his wife Junko. He and Michael keep in touch by email. Mike had the opportunity to visit Brian while working for Portrait magazine on an assignment in Japan.”
I know Lynn couldn’t keep writing forever, and had to stop. But following the Patterson family all those years was refreshing, most interesting and enjoyable. I miss reading about them more than any other ’toon. Thank you Lynn.
A couple of issues to clarify, and yes, some are story spoilers:1.) The Enjos’ native country is Canada, not Japan. That was pointed out in a story arc where Dawn tells Elizabeth none of her family speaks Japanese (except her grandmother) and that when her parents were children they were decked by teachers for speaking Japanese words in a public school system designed to beat the individual out of the child (to Liz’s understandable horror).2.) Only Brian married a Japanese woman. Dawn married a white man and still lives in Canada, albeit a different part of the country.3.) Michael’s “transformation” that 3 Fighting Fish was talking about came when Lynn Johnston somewhat stopped basing the Pattersons on her personal experience. When her son Aaron announced his plans to pursue a career as a photographer, she decided to make a new character off him, Joseph Weeder, who was an aspiring photographer. Michael then followed the career Lynn had wanted for Aaron, and conversely, he became a tamer individual. Aaron Johnston mentioned this in an interview that towards the end of the strip, the Pattersons started becoming less like the Johnstons and more like the family his mother wanted to have.
“YEAH! NEAT, MAN, PIECE OF CAKE, AWW RITE!!” What universe does Lynn live in if she thinks ANY kid, even one who loves school, would say that sentence — the whole thing, not just the part I’ve condensed? She has a remarkably bad ear for children’s dialogue!
Templo S.U.D. about 9 years ago
Way to be sympathetic, Brian.
moosemin about 9 years ago
Today Michael owns a good house, a loving & beautiful wife, two healthy children and a career which HE chose, and is faring quite well in life. What is Brian doing today?
moosemin about 9 years ago
And, Gordon’s doing great as well!
eelee about 9 years ago
Lynn’s Notes:
I was told by a number of readers that I was stereotyping Brian (whose family background is Japanese) by making him a smart kid. The funny thing was that none of the complaints came from Japanese families! Is there such a thing as a complimentary insult? I imagine that the Japanese families are too polite to say anything.
Kilrwat Premium Member about 9 years ago
@MangyMoose, Brian’s their boss.
eelee about 9 years ago
@goweeder That was part of Lynn’s Notes (in bold), the complementary insult.
Dixie Lee about 9 years ago
School starts late where the Pattersons live. Our schools have been in since the beginning of August.
dlkrueger33 about 9 years ago
I did not once think that Brian was being stereotyped. In fact, I had totally forgotten that he is Japanese. I am NOT Japanese and I LOVED school and looked forward to every year as a new chance to learn cool stuff, buy new clothes, make new friends and in my case, scoop out my class for a new boyfriend/crush. Always something exciting going on in school! -clubs, sports, concerts, etc. Summer was slow after the first month. Now maybe if my family had been rich and had a house in the Hamptons and a yacht, I might have felt differently about summer’s end! LOL
Can't Sleep about 9 years ago
First rule of show business, Michael – always know your audience.
Can't Sleep about 9 years ago
dumb as a post-———————————————-Two things:Michael isn’t stupid, he’s just an ordinary, average kid.“Dumb as a post” is an exaggeration for someone who doesn’t say much. ‘Dumb’ meant unable to speak, like ‘dumb animals,’ and calling deaf mutes ‘deaf and dumb’. Posts are made of wood.So if someone is dumb as a post… If you asked them a question, you couldn’t get an answer from them.Now ya got it.
Argy.Bargy2 about 9 years ago
Hating school is a stereotype, too, because not all kids did or do. For some kids, school is the only place they can count on for a meal to eat.
And if they have both parents working, or only have one parent who has several jobs, they can often find a teacher who will make time to listen to them when their parents simply can’t, or who will find them a sweater or a bookbag that their parents can’t afford.
For kids who are determined to get out of those conditions and are willing to work as hard as they can, school can be a lifeline…
Asharah about 9 years ago
Quote from the website:“Brian works with computers, doing architectural renderings, and now lives in Japan with his wife Junko. He and Michael keep in touch by email. Mike had the opportunity to visit Brian while working for Portrait magazine on an assignment in Japan.”
moosemin about 9 years ago
I know Lynn couldn’t keep writing forever, and had to stop. But following the Patterson family all those years was refreshing, most interesting and enjoyable. I miss reading about them more than any other ’toon. Thank you Lynn.
USN1977 about 9 years ago
A couple of issues to clarify, and yes, some are story spoilers:1.) The Enjos’ native country is Canada, not Japan. That was pointed out in a story arc where Dawn tells Elizabeth none of her family speaks Japanese (except her grandmother) and that when her parents were children they were decked by teachers for speaking Japanese words in a public school system designed to beat the individual out of the child (to Liz’s understandable horror).2.) Only Brian married a Japanese woman. Dawn married a white man and still lives in Canada, albeit a different part of the country.3.) Michael’s “transformation” that 3 Fighting Fish was talking about came when Lynn Johnston somewhat stopped basing the Pattersons on her personal experience. When her son Aaron announced his plans to pursue a career as a photographer, she decided to make a new character off him, Joseph Weeder, who was an aspiring photographer. Michael then followed the career Lynn had wanted for Aaron, and conversely, he became a tamer individual. Aaron Johnston mentioned this in an interview that towards the end of the strip, the Pattersons started becoming less like the Johnstons and more like the family his mother wanted to have.
rfeinberg about 9 years ago
“YEAH! NEAT, MAN, PIECE OF CAKE, AWW RITE!!” What universe does Lynn live in if she thinks ANY kid, even one who loves school, would say that sentence — the whole thing, not just the part I’ve condensed? She has a remarkably bad ear for children’s dialogue!