# Lynn Johnston go to HELL! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 21, 2004, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354 "2004-02-21T09:28:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/21 "2004-02-22T01:29:36Z")
I’m amused at several posters who are deriding FBOFW as “morality crap” I may be, as I said before, disappointed in how _this_ story is shaping, but I also remember other times, twice at least, when Johnston’s strip was removed, either temporarily or permanently, from many newspapers, when she dared to have the character Lawrence “come out” and treated him sympathetically, as if, get this, he was just another normal human being. Remember how foolish Deanna’s mother was made to seem, before the wedding? At least my paper carried that storyline, although when, a couple of years before, Lawrence told Mike he was gay, my paper _didn’t_ carry it. And not all her stories are given closure. I like that, it’s more like “real” life. One example was the assault on the shopkeeper, Candace’s landlady. We didn’t find out who did it, they got away with it. And as for morality, what about when Elizabeth was “roommates” with whats his name? The jerk, who had her duped so badly. Asshats like that really do exist. I agree with matt\_mcl. “Since when do we only read comics whose main characters are paragons of assertiveness?” ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/22 "2004-02-22T01:50:53Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I’m amused at several posters who are deriding FBOFW as “morality crap” It’s not that FBOFW is ‘morality crap’, it’s that Johnston’s treatment of the moral issues she raises is shallow and uncomplex. Lawrence comes out, Mike is upset at first, but comes around. Characters in wheelchairs make jokes about their handicaps to show that they’re “real people”. Clever children in Liz’s class make wry observations about life on a reservation. It’s just all so 12-13 year old appropriate. Perhaps what’s so awful is the missed opportunity. Johnston does a good job raising real issues, and then dismisses them with bromides and pat solutions, right down to the occasional “that’s life” unsatisfactory ending. Notice the problems the characters have: Mike is shocked that a friend is gay; Elly is a pushover for someone taking advantage of her; Liz lets an asshole treat her badly in a relationship; April visits her bully in the hospital. All of these situations have easy moral solutions that the characters are brought to. There’s no ambiguity; there’s no tough choices. I do applaud her for being a more interesting cartoonist than, say, B.C. or Beetle Bailey. But next to Doonesbury or Boondocks, it’s just mayonaisse. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/23 "2004-02-22T04:35:05Z")
> [@hansel](#): > > You know, I hate FBOFW with a passion. Lynn Johnston comes up with the most heavy-handed, after-school special morality plays I’ve ever seen on the comics page. > [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > I guess you don’t read Judge Parker, then. 😃 You must not have Sally Forth, either. Compared with her lecture-of-the-week strips, FBOFW is a paragon of ethical complexity and moral ambiguity. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/24 "2004-02-22T04:45:34Z")
> [@Silver Serpentine](#): > > Who the hell spells it “Kortney”? That’s an ugly word, what with the “K.” And the lack of “u.” Okay, Courtney may not be my favorite name of all time, but “Kortney” looks like “Courtney” got mauled. Don’t say that around [Kortney Kayle’s fans](http://www.kortneykayle.com/). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/25 "2004-02-22T06:47:13Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Any guesses to how this storyline will end? MUUUUR-DER! ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/26 "2004-02-22T06:57:49Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > And as for morality, what about when Elizabeth was “roommates” with whats his name? The jerk, who had her duped so badly. Asshats like that really do exist. His name was Eric. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/27 "2004-02-22T11:21:21Z")
Whew! Sorry I didn’t reply earlier, y’all; Mr. Rilch was defragging the computer. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Jonathan Chance_ > I see a reflection of a great many ‘mom and pop’ operations in Elly’s behavior. Certainly the family-owned businesses I’ve been a part of have all had that sort of ‘I can’t fire this person…they’re my FRIENDS’ mystique going. And once you’ve crossed the line from ‘employee’ to ‘family friend’ the dynamic is all screwy. Really? I remember way back when I started working, my sister gave me all kinds of advice about getting and keeping a good job, and one thing she said was “Stay away from family businesses. If you’re not blood to them, or at least an in-law, you’re expendable. The minute one of their own needs a job, poof! You’re history.” > [@](#): > > _Jonathan Chance_ > Also, have you ever fired anyone? It’s not as fun as it looks. Well, no, I haven’t. So I’ll take your word on that. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by kung fu lola_ > Elly is acting like any woman who was raised by Canadian parents in the 50’s and 60’s would. “Be nice, don’t cause a ruckus, don’t make enemies,” (read: give people the benefit of the doubt even when they don’t deserve it). Good point. My mom, who is older than Elly, has a history of planning confrontations with people who, at least if you believe her side of it, really need a smack with the ol’ clue-by-four…and then, at the last minute, deciding not to “make a scene”. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by matt\_mcl_ > Since when do we only read comics whose main characters are paragons of assertiveness? Oh, **matt** , that’s not it! What’s frustrating me is the way this storyline has built to about three climaxes so far, but each time, crested and fallen back **with no payoff**. I’m just sick of having my chain yanked. And I’m doing what people are always suggesting in media-related Pit threads: since it bothers me so much, I’m not going to read it any more. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by EddyTeddyFreddy_ > Naw, that can’t happen. Why? Because Kortney has an ugly nose and big jaw. That’s a sure sign in the strip that the character is a Villain. Remembver the thugs who cameinto the store and stole that stuff when Elly was distracted? Kortney looks like the sister of one of them. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Ukulele Ike_ > Elly will reveal that Kortney is actually her love-child, borne of a teen-age fling with an older cad who had an ugly nose and big jaw. The love-child revelation and the connection with the thieves have both been discussed on r.a.c.s. Kortney is the wrong age to be Elly’s daughter without John knowing about it (younger than Elizabeth), but it’s entirely possible that she was indeed the inside person in the model-train heist. As far as her looks, that’s another thing that bothers me. When first introduced, Kortney was an average-looking teenager with a cute, round face and big eyes. Caricaturing her this way to underscore her evilness—she looks like Richard Nixon, fergossakes!—is something Greg Evans (Luann) would do. I would have expected better from Johnston. But it’s not necessarily true that homely = bad in the Lynnverse: besides Mrs. Dingle, Mike and Weed’s former landlady, there’s also Lovey, Mike and Deanna’s current landlady, and Ruby, Candace’s aunt (_not_ landlady), all good-hearted, honest people who may simply have aged beyond their looks. **blasphmer** and **kaylasdad** : Edgar is the son of the late Farley. **Baker** and **hansel** : I don’t want to get into all that right now. Suffice to say, again, that whether or not everyone was satisfied with the way those other storylines were resolved, or even not resolved, at least they only happened once. Lawrence’s stepdad didn’t banish him from the house a **second** time. Ruby wasn’t mugged **again**. Liz didn’t move **back** in with Eric after he was unmasked. This is different, because even if some people are frustrated with how easily the FBOFW characters usually “learn something”, in this case, Elly isn’t learning **anything**. I’m not sticking around to watch her grab the same bare wires over and over. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/28 "2004-02-22T17:34:12Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > there’s also Lovey, Mike and Deanna’s current landlady Forgive me for distracting this discussion with a minor nitpick, but isn’t Lovey also Deanna’s mother? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/29 "2004-02-22T17:50:09Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > Forgive me for distracting this discussion with a minor nitpick, but isn’t Lovey also Deanna’s mother? Nope. Deanna’s mother is Myra Sobinski (sp?), professional nudnik. Robin ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/30 "2004-02-22T19:52:40Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > What’s frustrating me is the way this storyline has built to about three climaxes so far, but each time, crested and fallen back **with no payoff**. You should feel very, very dirty for describing your FBOFW reading experience like its sex. Guh! I need to wash again. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/31 "2004-02-22T21:01:22Z")
**hansel** , dear, I was talking about waves. You’re the one who saw my post in a sexual context. ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/32 "2004-02-22T22:19:40Z")
Right. Waves. That’s why Mr. Rilchiam always insists on reading the comics page before you. Waves. ---
**Author:** ![blasphmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@blasphmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blasphmer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/33 "2004-02-22T23:13:02Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > **blasphmer** and **kaylasdad** : Edgar is the son of the late Farley. Yeah, i’m only an occasional (former) reader. Still it stinks of artistic lazyness that you kill off one dog and bring in another identical looking dog to replace it. at least make him brown instead of black or a different breed. ---
**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/34 "2004-02-22T23:26:09Z")
I recommend you read Boondocks instead. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/35 "2004-02-23T01:08:40Z")
Ya, I think the original poster needs some time off. For Better or Worse is one of the best comic strips (top 20!) being produced today. Alas, that’s not saying that much. Let’s see. Comic strips that are better: Bizarro Mr. Boffo (close call) Doonesbury Dilbert (though it’s highly over-rated) Sherman’s Lagoon (close call) Above-average strips that are worse: Funky Winkerbean Luanne Mother Goose and Grimm (close call) Peanuts (my sentimentality aside) Sally Forth Zits (another close call) … Lynn deserves credit for being rather innovative on the funny pages. And frankly, it appears that the behavior she describes is hardly implausible. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/36 "2004-02-23T01:19:11Z")
> [@blasphmer](#): > > Yeah, i’m only an occasional (former) reader. Still it stinks of artistic lazyness that you kill off one dog and bring in another identical looking dog to replace it. at least make him brown instead of black or a different breed. I think that this was reasonable. The younger dog was the son of the older dog, and most people who have dogs WILL get another dog to replace one that dies. If I’d had the option, I certainly would have adopted one of my dog’s pups when she died. As it is, all of our animals are spayed or neutered, so they don’t have offspring. But I think that it would be reasonable. Also note that when the old bunny dies, they adopt another rabbit fairly quickly. In my own family, we mourned our old cat for several months, and then we visited the Humane Society for another cat. The Bodoni family NEEDS two cats in it to feel complete. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/37 "2004-02-23T01:49:49Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > The younger dog was the son of the older dog And so it’s no surprise that it would look so much like its daddy. Plus, it seems to me that it’s not uncommon for people tend to stick to their preferences: if you’ve owned, say, a collie, you’re more likely to adopt another collie rather than a different breed.\* > [@](#): > > In my own family, we mourned our old cat for several months, and then we visited the Humane Society for another cat. The Bodoni family NEEDS two cats in it to feel complete. Just wondering: If you’d had only the one cat, when it died would you have waited as long to adopt a new cat? Or would the feline-need have compelled you to adopt earlier? Once you’ve lived with the critters, it’s really hard to be catless. When I lost two cats (York and Tribble) within a month of each other, I had to mourn for several months, too, before I could adopt again. But I had Sophie and Sylvia to ease the pain. As to the point raised earlier by **hansel** : > [@](#): > > I do applaud her for being a more interesting cartoonist than, say, B.C. or Beetle Bailey. But next to Doonesbury or Boondocks, it’s just mayonaisse. True, but IMO she never set out to do what they do. She’s telling a story of one family’s life, and political or moral points are made in that context. They’re not the essence of the strip, as they are in the two you cited. I read both of those, and appreciate them for what they are. I read FBOFW with other expectations of the author’s intent. Kind of like reading, say, Al Franken and Jane Austen – you can enjoy them both, but for different reasons. \*Did I put enough qualifiers in that? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/38 "2004-02-23T02:57:21Z")
Where’s the “LAME” tag on the title of this rant? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/39 "2004-02-23T04:06:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Just wondering: If you’d had only the one cat, when it died would you have waited as long to adopt a new cat? Or would the feline-need have compelled you to adopt earlier? Once you’ve lived with the critters, it’s really hard to be catless. That’s a good question, but I don’t know the answer to it. I just know that we all acknowledged that we needed another cat around the house. Even the other cat missed the grouchy old lady kitty, although she would never play with him and usually just slapped him upside the head when he tried to wash her ears. Now that he’s used to Sapphire, the two of them are bestest buddies. To get back to the OP, though, I do think that Lynn Johnston has milked this storyline a little too long. She needs to give us a clean ending to it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354/40 "2004-02-23T04:08:27Z")
Obviously, the King of Id needs to do a cameo and get medeival on someone’s ass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-johnston-go-to-hell/230354.md?page=3)