# Michael is an idiot!-For Better Or For Worse 12/21 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2006, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046 "2006-12-21T10:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/1 "2006-12-21T10:51:00Z")
So it looks like there’s a fire in the apartment house where Michael, Deanna and the kids live. (My guess is the unfriendly neighbor downstairs, who smokes cigars, started it) So they get the kids up and out and Michael goes back in! And for what? His just completed book manuscript! > **[Strip Fix Home - FBorFW Strip Fix](https://fborfw.com/strip_fix/)** > > Daily "For Better or For Worse" comic strip by Lynn Johnson. Get your strip fix; see what the Patterson family and their friends are up to! Sheesh, I know it’s been hard work, but he’s got a wife and two kids that need him, and nothing material like that is so important as to put yourself back into danger like that. He did the book once, he can do it over. I want him to get hurt just enough to realize how stupid he is being. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Perro\_Fumando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e9c0ed/32.png) [@El\_Perro\_Fumando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Perro_Fumando)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/2 "2006-12-21T11:18:56Z")
Ditto. I for one am too distracted by the fact that the characters are blinking in the comic strip. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/3 "2006-12-21T12:12:11Z")
[QUOTE=El Perro Fumando] Ditto. I for one am too distracted by the fact that the characters are blinking in the comic strip. [/QUOTE] When the hell did _that_ start? That’s _horrible!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/4 "2006-12-21T16:34:45Z")
[QUOTE=singular1] When the hell did _that_ start? That’s _horrible!!!_ [/QUOTE] Happens on line. Sometimes shadow characters in the background move, too. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/5 "2006-12-21T16:37:09Z")
Back when I was at Infantry Officer’s Basic Course at Ft Benning, GA, I was putting the finishing touches on a science fiction novel I’d been writing for 3 years. This being before computers were cheap and ubiquitous, and me being a poor typist, I was HAND-WRITING this novel. When I checked out of the BOQ at Benning and headed home for Christmas pursuant to going off to my duty station in Hawaii, I somehow managed to leave the manuscript in the drawer of the nighstand at the BOQ. I realized it when I got home, but by then the housekeeping crew had thrown it out. Words cannot describe the punch in the gut I felt when I realized it was gone. I’d make sure my family was safely outside, then I’d go back in the attic. (Of course, I’d have the fucking thing backed up on a flash drive and would have stuck it in my pocket the minute I knew there was a fire, but that’s another argument.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/6 "2006-12-21T17:33:38Z")
Isn’t she planning to end the strip next year? Maybe she’s going to kill off the characters one by one! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/7 "2006-12-21T17:36:15Z")
She’s decided to end the daily strips, yes, but sounds like the Sunday strips will continue. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/8 "2006-12-21T17:55:01Z")
I agree with **Rikwriter**. It may be stupid, but I’d probably go back for it. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/9 "2006-12-21T18:15:30Z")
[QUOTE=RikWriter] (Of course, I’d have the fucking thing backed up on a flash drive and would have stuck it in my pocket the minute I knew there was a fire, but that’s another argument.) [/QUOTE] Ditto. That’s why I have copies of my current book (and JPEGs of the photos) on my home computer, my work computer, and _two_ zip drives. Not _too_ neurotic . . . ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/10 "2006-12-21T18:19:39Z")
My novel was backed up daily online. Sure, it’s not a GOOD novel, but at least it won’t be destroyed in a housefire. ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/11 "2006-12-21T20:35:24Z")
Plot line stolen from The Waltons, where John Boy has just finished his first novel and promptly sets his house on fire. Manuscript is burnt to a crisp and John Boy has to come to grips with starting all over again, when he just wants to quit. Of course, he rewrites it, it’s even better than the original, and all is happiness again. Oh, yeah. Mike’s an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Malienation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Malienation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malienation)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/12 "2006-12-21T20:42:49Z")
C’mon, there’s no visible flames, just a little smoke. He’s going alone, quickly. How long could it take to pop in and grab the damn thing? Even if by some stroke of bad luck he got trapped inside, he just lives on the second floor. He could easily escape through a window. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/13 "2006-12-21T20:49:44Z")
Mike may be either foolhardy or brash, but he’s not an idiot. He got his wife and kids out first. Now he’s taking a risk to get some very important papers. It’s a fire in a unit above his apartment. Flames and smoke go UP. Assuming the fire hasn’t eaten through the floor yet, he should be able to dash in, grab his stuff and get back out. “Take calculated risks. This is quite different from being rash.” George S. Patton. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/14 "2006-12-21T20:53:41Z")
He’s an idiot. Smoke can overwhelm you long before the flames get to you. And his wife and kids aren’t “out” yet; they still have to go down that rickety fire escape. And he’s an editor. Surely he knows how to save his files. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/15 "2006-12-21T21:06:32Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] And he’s an editor. Surely he knows how to save his files. [/QUOTE] Sure, but the laptop and the printed copy are still upstairs, as evidenced by him not carrying either when he came down and first discovered the smoke. It should take him at most a few seconds to grab the computer. Actually, he could have done so easily while talking on the (apparently cordless) phone. Comic-strip tragedy being what it is, though, I bet the family will survive but the manuscript will not. My own plan for a fire is to just grab my whole computer, rip out all the cables and go. I could even toss out the window if necessary, hoping that the tower’s frame will protect the hard drives. Michael could do that if need be; just wing the laptop through a window like a Frisbee and hope for the best. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/16 "2006-12-21T21:09:31Z")
Oh, wait. I misread the OP and didn’t click on the strip. The DOWNSTAIRS neighbor started the fire, Mike and his family live ABOVE the fire. Plus, he’s going in the attic? That’s a who-o-oole lot riskier. Okay, okay. Y’all are right, i’m wrong. He’s an idiot! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/17 "2006-12-21T22:17:19Z")
Actually, we don’t know how the fire has started. In the OP I have simply assumed it’s coming from downstairs, likely the nasty neighbor who smokes. Still, being resident on the second floor, with no evidence of fire in their place, it’s likely coming from downstairs, so he’s going above the fire. I hope the landlady gets out ok. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/18 "2006-12-21T22:33:42Z")
[QUOTE=Baker] I hope the landlady gets out ok. [/QUOTE] That’s what I was thinking. She so nice. A totally minor character, but one I like. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/19 "2006-12-21T23:19:27Z")
I’m betting on _someone_ dying, either one of the nasty neighbors or the nice landlady. Lynne Johnston doesn’t hold back. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046/20 "2006-12-21T23:45:05Z")
Nah. Michael will hear one of the neighbors choking on the smoke and have to make the decision to rescue either his manuscript, or someone he hates. He will do the right thing, and bitch about what he has lost, until his wife and kids remind him of what he has saved. Much more treacle-y that way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-is-an-idiot-for-better-or-for-worse-12-21/385046.md?page=2)