Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 24, 2015

Where on Earth have you been, Dez?!

John’s Children -Desdemona

And with that, the “introductory experiment” shall now begin…. – Seems she is what Crystal was made to be, when she first appeared. Only more “engaging” and “soft” in her interactions…and perhaps likely to draw peoples’ comparisons to Delta, though the only thing they seem to have in common is a seemingly cheerful, upbeat demeanor…. – Or similar to Miss Grotke from "Recess"… but seemingly more…"Summer Of Love" than Miss Grotke would probably ever be…

I think they might be aligned after Dez does some explaining…

ROOM CHANGE!

We’ll send Dez to the Middle East (nothing else has worked).

Thank goodness she’s not a rocker chick…I was expecting rocker chick

“Je Ne Sais What?”“Dis-Orientation Week”“Genesis-Sais-Quoi?”“Enter, Stage Left…Field”“Caribbean Blue For Monday’s Dues”“Hippie, Hip- Horray!”“A Second Chance At A First Impression”“…Like We Never Met”“Home, Home On The Strange…”“My Not So Shy Violet”“Space Invaders And Sentimental-pede”“Dez-Perate Roomates”or“You Don’t Bring Me Flower Power, Anymore” (♫)

Bern has every right to complain, should she feel it necessary. But it’s her choice. The hug/wrestling hold may have been inappropriate, but no physical harm done and Bernice likely will not need to undergo therapy or counseling. I bet she chalks it up to an interesting experience, maybe later tells Dez that she’s not comfortable with that behavior, and doesn’t turn it into a PC issue.

RB2, illegal incense? Most of the things you think Bernice should marc out Dez for are Her own fault for getting walked over like a cheap rug.

Now, hold up. Yesterday, she held out her arms. Today, just shows Bern in Delta’s arms. There is NO indication that Dez just “walked up” upon her forcibly….

Just stop talking. Seriously.

Dez-mented!!!

-Perhaps we should report Evans to the moderator.-LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

the Question is was Bern alarmed by the hug? first panel, “who is she?” second frame "that much time? " 3rd panel “you are Dez?”, at no time she indicated a “stop hugging me”

A refresher, on the previous “background” given on Dez…-

walking by the street? by a total stranger? probably unless she is a cute lady ;) but by someone I have not seen, but says “welcome home” and I have not met yet my roommate? I would probably assume it was Dez, and the hug would not have been an issue(but Dez inviting me to spend time on the bed would have been an issue)

Why are all the newer minority women in this strip so short?

And I said on yesterday’s site that this is done frequently to children by adults they don’t know, who are supposedly their relatives, and it is seen culturally acceptable.-Would I be ok with this myself? If not, I would yell ‘get offa me!’ loudly and slug the person. Bernice didn’t do that.-And I still say that I don’t equate a hug with a sexual assault.

So, the roommate is a self-involved “Sometime” student who thinks that the rest of the world needs to conform to HER notions of appropriate behavior, irrespective of the cultural norms of the country shes living in.

(Because EVERYONE knows that the United States has no Culture of it’s own.)

Welcome to the wonderful world of “Diversity” Bernice!

Well, at least Bern and Tiff had a “trial run”… –

Could happen…

He used that lame name too?That’s what teenage girls on fanfiction name their OCs when they type “whimsical names,” into google.

Sheesh! No wonder Greg doesn’t bother reading these comments! ;)

…28 seconds, huh? Why that number?

@ReallyBad2I understand that this must be a trigger for you, but here it would be a situational kind of thing, where Bernice didn’t feel threatened, just somewhat uncomfortable. There are many levels of this from just being mildly annoyed with minor discomfort to all out fright triggering a fight or flight response. You would react one way, someone else in a completely different manner. It’s all in your own personal context. What I see here in Bernice is a mild discomfort, where she is a bit dumbfounded, but not threatened at all. I can understand situations that could call for a much stronger response and can also understand why you may have them. If the triggering gets too bad for you, don’t expose yourself to it for awhile, really step away from it, even if this is your favorite strip, don’t let yourself be harmed. I just don’t think Greg has/had a bad intention here, remember it’s all in the context. Take care of yourself.

Oh YOU JUST NEED A HUG… Really Really Badly!

ITS A CARTOON FOR GODS SAKE…

So, she finally shows up.

“Perhaps we should report Evans to the Moderator.”_____________________________________

Ah, GOOD One, Brdy!

Thus, we have met Dez. OK, now the game is to see “if” they get along, and whether or not this may be a prelude to a roomie switch. Maybe… perhaps… when Lu gets tired of Zebo and wants to transfer to Moony, Bern will have a new roommate at the ready. That is… if it isn’t “Gunther…” ;-PPP

Then again, this could go the other way. Bern could end up liking Dez and learning from her. Although, with Bern’s personality as demonstrated, historically, I seriously doubt it.

(and so you don’t have to go back to hunt down @markobx’s statement which for some reason didn’t quote in my reply, he said “ITS A CARTOON FOR GODS SAKE…”

“it’s pretty clear that Bernice is being forcibly hugged, and she’s not allowed to talk, either.”____________________________________

Well You SEE, Really, Bernie IS a Cartoon Character With Ab-So-Lutely NO Control Over “Her” Actions, “Her” Life Or “Her” Destiny. Soooooooooo…..,

Some people need to realize this is a daily comic strip on the internet. I will leave it to each of you to determine whom that may be.

maybe it was just a hug ..a welcome, a openness. a opportunity…naw…it was the worst thing that has ever happened to a cartoon character ever…..get a grip people

Oh, good grief … Remind me to skip this comic when I see ‘desdemona’ in a panel … … sigh …

Geez, give it a rest. It’s a story arc.

Uhhhh…lighten up. It’s a comic

I didn’t see the generally agreed upon safe word: “No!”….

When I lived in the dorms, burning mild incense was allowed. But we rode dinosaurs then, so….

Looking at her outfit, it seems Bernice has joined the crew of the RU Sirius. This can’t end well.

Aren’t you reading a little too much into this, Reallybad? Some people are just affectionate. It’s just the way they are. A hug is just a greeting to them, though Dez seems to think the first hug has some kind of cosmic meaning. This only makes her a little flaky and naive, not something sinister. We have become so paranoid and politically correct that we consider a waitress that calls a customer “honey” to be too friendly, or a male co worker who calls a female co worker “dear” to be too close for comfort, when in fact, these two people do it all the time, and it means nothing. We have just gotten too sensitive, and it is getting tiresome. As for the mysterious packages, you have a point. That could mean BIG trouble, and I would have refused to accept them.

I thought it might be the ghost of Desi Arnaz.

I am going to fill in the blanks in how I hope this time lag for Bernice to meet Dez has happened: I am going to presume that Dez was involved in a Study Abroad class(es) during the Fall Semester. With the timing, she may have decided to not give up her dorm space for Fall. Her Study Abroad course(s) may have even started say in October, and she may have planned to be staying in her dorm room initially in September before leaving. However, with plans often changing, she may have never really showed up (other than do dump her stuff off initially), and then instead of staying there in September, she did something else and was not around all semester. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++With the above, Dez and Bernice just meeting now seems fine, and I look forward to her as a character.

It never fails to amaze me if you dare speak negatively about the strip, you’re jumped on and personally insulted. The hug is forced and Bernice is being forced to remain in it. That is not appropriate in any situation and those defending the action is disturbing. Since it’s apparently acceptable to “hug” whomever ever, if a stranger approached your child and hugged them and told them to both remain silent and not to fight it would you be ok with it?

She’s aligned because Dez is going to be a Chiropractor. She’ll be billed later.

Desdamona…. I wonder if she’s building a rocket ship?

How apt that Berneice is at a school teaching DRAMA (her roomie’s parents were Shakespeare fans)!

Hey, I’m waiting for Othello! (Just hope he’s learned to control his temper.)

You know during the 6 1/2 years I was in college (Bachelors and Masters degree), I never met flakes and weirdos like Col. Zebo, Dez and her friends. What’s up with this? Let me guess, this all just a bad dream that Puddles is having.

Seems to me to be reasonably normal behavior for relatively young college-girl roommates meeting for the first time, especially if one of them has cultural traditions that are a bit different from those of the majority. What I’m saying is, that after long drawn-out suspicions I am quickly coming to like Dez very much. She seems like a fun, Earth Mother-type who may be very good for Bernice’s development as a functional member of adult society….

New Age mama! This is going to be great!

Wow. You people do understand that this is just a comic strip, yes? Did you get this crazed when Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) crawled on his roof? Or when Billy (of Family Circus) wandered through his neighbor’s back yard? Or when Dagwood built his artery-clogging sandwich? Wow.

“By now most people would have given up and asked for a new roommate assignment.”

Are you kidding? She’s had single occupancy for the price of a double—and originally it was going to be a quad.

Todd Rundgren – In And Out The Chakras We Go

First question to Dez: Who does your hair?

We can give you a rest, though.

Yes.

Dez has huge boundary issues. Bernice is not hugging back or smiling or even allowed to speak. Bernice needs to stop being a doormat right now.

A hug that long from a stranger is creepy. Twenty eight seconds is a long time for someone to hold your arms down and refuse to let you speak. Bernice is probably scared of this beefy female.

“I was trapped on the inner circle of doubt”

There would be a lot less unease among the commentors if Evans had been creative enough to present Dez and her hugging ritual as an on-going thing at Bernice’s dorm room rather than a first-met situation.It’s not like Greg hasn’t skipped forward in a story before and filled in the details later.

Ha! I’m picturing PC-ness in classic slapstick comedy, especially the pie-in-the face: “Excuse me acquired target, but I need permission to violate your personal airspace with this flying disk of lather meant to represent banana cream pie.”

Yo, Dave.53: There’s a pretty good imitation of Clydefrog going on here, or maybe it’s really him. Nothing new.

Holy cow people….it’s just a hug…..it’s a GOOD thing!

I was right!

Okay, EVERYBODY Just Settle DOWN for a Bit.

That’s it.

Here have a Danish. And I’ve Made COFFEE for Everyone Else, Since I’ve Given It up for Lent.

Now the Way I See It and Despite What ReallyBad2 sez, the “Problem” with Dez Is NOT Her “Hugs”. The REAL Problem with Dez Is Her Seemingly Lack of Respect for Her Fellow Roomie’s “SPACE.”

MOST Folks Love HUGS as Opposed to being FORCED to Harbor Someone Else’s CONTRABAND and Rabid Ferrets.

So, Now that the “Introductory Hug” is OVER With, Bernie, ASK Ms. Dez where the Hell She gets Off ALLOWING Half the Campus to Use Your Dorm Room as THEY see Fit, WITHOUT Obtaining YOUR Expressed Permission.

We’ll WAIT…..,

So it’s this the first mulatto character in comics.

“Because each of us has 7 chakras. Since there are two of them hugging and receiving back the reflected energy, that makes 14 each, for a total of 28. Makes sense to me…”*BS. So true! Yet if you divide that 28 by 7 khan and then subtract half you mysteriuosly obtain the number of distinct personalities in the room.

Are you not able to follow the story line for what it is because you are so PC or is it because you are a natural AH?

Dez appears “aligned” with the universe

Only thing Bernice appears to be “aligned” with is a certain broomstick ….

RB2, you have the right to feel anyway you want, BUT at the end of things, people feel different about things, you can’t impose values on others, and this is a cartoon, all of us readers DO NOT HAVE a SAY on it, we can have an opinion, but no say EXCEPT Greg and his Daughter

Whoa. Bernice could have forcibly pushed Dez off and told her she didn’t appreciate her grabby ways. She didn’t so Dez didn’t get that message. So clearly, Bernice allowed it and waited for Dez to let her go. She did not appear threatened – just surprised. She knows her friends and knows she is quite a character.

Sounds like you were a victim of sexual harassment.

Dez is simply a girl who hasn’t learn the social boundaries. She probably came from a small town where everyone knows each other and is now entering college away from home. She will learn that not everyone appreciates her world view and physical touching. She will eventually develop boundaries and reserve her physical touching only for family and closest friends. We don’t know yet if Bernice will become a close friend or ask for a new roommate.

It is a cartoon. It is not real life. As humans we should all be aware of the difference.

Oh, come off it !!

Oh, come off it. .People are people. They interact, often in unpredictable ways.’They are different. Vive la différence..Let’s not create prisons in our minds.Respect a little weirdness.

RB2…. please know that I understand that your comments seem to aggravate the heck out of Dave 53, Sherriff, and perhaps a few others. But, that said, your comments do not aggravate me. I have actually found them very interesting (like I also find Dave 53’s comments, Sherriff’s comments, and many other’s also interesting).++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

However….. I TRULY think you are incorrect about the interaction you quote below when Fiammata stated and Dave53 reiterated….“Oh YOU JUST NEED A HUG… Really Really Badly!” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++You replied saying that “Saying you support someone’s insult is the same as insulting that person. There’s a bully here, and it’s not me!”++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++I do not think that the specific comment you cite above is bullying. It was actually VERY funny given today’s comic. I had a real LOL moment when I initially saw that comment. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Again, I like your comments, and Dave 53’s comments, and Sherriff’s comments…. I think if you guys were to try it out a bit, you COULD find a bit of common ground and get along better.

It is not PC to be too PC...Tolerance is, or at least IMO should be, the very essence of what is properly considered PC..Some fake “PC” attitudes are deeply mired in various intolerant attitudes toward our natural diversity.

RB=2 sometimes we personalize things not just to people but to characters, maybe some posters had no issue with your opinion as in “I would be mad if someone I don’t know starting hugging me” or even “I don’t want anyone hugging me, even my mom and my kids”………but they would not like someone going “Bernice was harassed , she is stupid if she does not take Dez to court for that”, it is her decision how she feels(or in this case how Greg decides she will take it)………. for example in the Ray Rice case, I hate domestic violence, but I hate even more assumptions………… according to both of them, (Rice and at that time fiancee, now wife), it was the first and only time, but people are assuming it has happened before and taking it that she went unconscious directly because of the hit(he pushed her and when she fell she hit the bar) , he was stupid for dragging her from the elevator instead of carrying her out and taking her to a doctor…… I hope it was the only time, but even if it not, we have (AFA we know) no evidence that he abused her in the past, but people are judging him like he definitively did

It’s kind of interesting to me that Gunther and Bernice react in a similar fashion to someone who ‘takes a first step’ in the physical side of a relationship. Maybe the two of them are really a much better match than I’d thought. But then, who would be able to take a first step toward the physical side of love?

Was it a coinkydink that in yesterday’s strip Dez looked liked Gunther’s mom?

Well, I think we all know that Greg is somewhat out of touch with current practices in colleges. Roommates are usually put in touch electronically before the year starts, and they get to know each other a bit before they actually move onto campus. If this didn’t happen for Bernice, she could easily have found her roommate’s contact info in the online student directory. I’ve always like Bernice, but I don’t have much patience will willfully befuddled people.

I respect people’s beliefs. I think chakras are legit. I wouldn’t want to have a 28 second chakra aligning hug foisted on me.I also wouldn’t hug someone who is not receiving a hug from me. I wouldn’t want to align my chakras with someone who wasn’t receptive.

I know this is a comic, and not real life. But, it is done in a real life narrative style, and not a fantasy type story. Even a Get Fuzzy has talking animals- ha ha, oop! So, Chubby Huggs, for example.. His extreme hugging is more readily accepted by the reader, and seen as funny, because the context is more obviously not reality based. Luann is. So, unrealistic things don’t play as well in Luann as they would in a less realistic strip.

most probably was a “Greg decision” many think that Sun and the other girl would have been the other “2 roommates of the quad”, but Greg decided not to do the “personalities of 4 girls” in the decorations of the room

“The Spanish people, for the most part, were very warm in greeting you (even for the first time) with an embrace.”

The Latino custom is very warn also with women greeting women and men with a peck on the cheek (or an air kiss). And as far as graciousness and hospitality to one’s neighbors, the Mexicans win every time over the often rude Americans, I’ve noticed.

Bernice said she planned to study psychology; remember when she was counseling students at Pitts for Ms Phelps. She said she wanted to get a PhD in experimental psychology (or something like that). So all these interactions with different people are good for her and maybe a test of her commitment to a field that involves people. I’m so glad that Dez is not some scary goth type. So far I like her as a new character and look forward to seeing how she fits in with the rest.

I am guessing since he was thinking plot wise(at first) as a quad but changed it to 2, that Dez is gonna be a big role in Bern’s life, bigger than Sun and the other girl even if it had been a quad

Greg’s art is nice to look at, but his stories always kind of fizzle out. There’s never a punch to them. Months building up what could have been a torrid coming of age experience for Gunther and Rosa, but we were left with no Rosa and Gunther sitting quietly with the inert Mr. Gray. I will say that TJ’s truck blowing up and the Senior Prom obstacle course actually had a “pulse” but most stories just die a disappointing death.

“A little commentary on hugs here. "-I enjoyed your observations of the different personal climates in the places you’ve lived. I have lived in Texas as a kid and Mass. now.

We lived in Connecticut for 3 yrs. Natives were downright unfriendly. I blame it on not having it’s own baseball team.

Texas and Maryland as a kid were friendly. All houses were open to us kids.

California, after Connecticut shocked me when cars actually stopped to let me make a left turn!

I find Mass. residents to be considerate and helpful, but very busy.

There is nothing quite like NYC, the energy, but I’m not up for that living style anymore.

“With a name like Desdemona, it probably explains the demon mask on the wall.”-————————————————————I don’t see how.Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare’s Othello.

At long last, Dez shows up. :)

Dez may be weird by some standards, but probably not the ones you’re thinking of…

looks like Fate brought Dez

(On hugs: ) I have found this to be the case, as well! – And many parts of Africa can be added to that list!

And what “Belinda Banana-rama -lama -ding -dong” was referring to, is an observation about “commonly used fictional/ trope names” and how it almost seems as though “every fan-fic character and their mother” gets named “Desdimona/Desdemona”…

I am a tea drinker and I can’t imagine getting within 50 feet of this treat.

That’s funny! I love fiction, I watch it and read it to escape reality. Steven King Dark Tower series, Star Wars, etc. What I find odd is that people pick apart the stories and characters they enjoy and then are frustrated with the result. Enjoy picking them apart!