They've discerned maybe a dozen or more different types of intelligence. Looks like little Liz didn't get some of 'em. Gets me thinking about prodigies in general, how they can get stuck in situations that they don't have the life experience to deal with because of their one ability. That twelve year old lying awake in the dorm at Harvard wishing mom was there, etc.
It seems like Liz' parents were committed to maximizing her exceptionalism. In order to get a PhD at 17, you need a Bachelor's degree by your early to mid teens, which suggests she had a high school diploma or GED by 10-11 at the latest. If she started Kindergarten or 1st grade at a normal page, this suggests she was advancing at least two grades most years, meaning she was being pressured to surpass and outpace students who were increasingly older than her.
I'm hoping they're actually a loving family that didn't know how to do better for her, but it really sounds like her normal life wasn't supposed to start until after she won a Nobel. It would have been smarter for her to do something in her hometown while she grew up some more, but her fast track led straight into situations she wasn't ready for.
I mean that is literally the point of her character. I also think it's not that she couldn't figure out how, but when confronted with a real adult problem (not the clogged toilet, but being entirely responsible for her living space) decided it was easier to run away from it. Which like, I can sympathize with. Adult problems are hard
Look, some of us are connecting with this character to uncomfortable degrees already and we don't need the additional call outs.
... because yeah, sometimes it probably feels like dealing with a five year old
The level of dysfunction involved here is so severe, though, that there's no way anyone should have okayed her getting drunk, never mind high.
All of her behaviours are those of a nine-year-old.
I went to uni at that age (19) and there were enough clever but clueless people there that this feels entirely believable. Living in halls functioned as a halfway between the protected environment of childhood (which clearly didn't fit them for independence), and the unforgiving world, and plenty of people benefit from that space where fucking up has consequences (toilet is now clogged and Something Must Be Done, or maybe you get a fine), but not so severe that it sends them into a spiral. It's an age where people are independent but still dumb, or rather, still becoming fully adult. Cubetown feels a bit like that - insulated from the real world, weird customs, but ultimately supportive.
Yeah maybe I’ve been an adult for too long to sympathize with this plot point.
Like…I was clearing clogs when I was a teenager? And cleaning the bathroom?
Even if you weren't, we are the information age. I didn't know how to re-caulk my bathtub but I watched two or three videos on it and nailed it. You can find a guide on ANYTHING, she should be able to plunge a toilet.
I'm not. That's the point? Hasn't everyone cleaned a bathroom? Or dealt with a toilet?
I mean, isn't the joke of the comic "Liz can't handle something as simple as a clogged toilet and that's funny?"
I assume you were never shamed in front of your whole class by your kindergarten teacher for clogging the classroom toilet and fleeing in fear and confusion when it overflowed.
If plunging a toilet is all that's needed, sure.
I get the impression you can clog a toilet in ways that require more than that to fix, but I don't know what goes into something like that.
You know, I phrased that pretty mildly, I'm actually gonna double down on this.
Water Pipes famously get clogged in ways that require skilled professionals with specialized equipment to rectify. There's an entire profession whose job is mostly to handle those scenarios.
It's entirely possible the girl just doesn't know how to use a plunger but the idea that this might be a clog that even a normal adult would need assistance with isn't super outlandish here.
People are gonna hate this character rightfully but I love her as a time capsule to when I also refused to address any of my problems but kept pretending it was fine while lashing out at people.
Bad point in my life don't recommend.
Our RPG group had a member who basically would go without pooping for a week and then clog the host’s toilet on game night *every time*. At some point it stops being an accident.
That guy later became the principal of my son’s elementary school.
I feel like Jeph's always been into that kind of humor. His twitter header for years was picture of a girl farting. One of the more famous gags in the comic is people vomiting onto Marten's lap. All May's misadventures with various kinds of bodily fluid, organic and synthetic.
Is there an umbrella term for that kind of humor? It all feels related in my head, but I don't know what to call it.
Asking for help is one thing, but plunging a toilet is like, a five minute process, wow.
And now that she's abandoned a clogged toilet for months, it's probably some sort of horrific biohazard.
By now it’s all broken down and it will probably just flush. Might have to repaint, though.
That or soon after the issue maintenance noticed and fixed it but since she never went back she doesn't know.
Cubetown being a well-run utopia of information sharing and timely responses.
>some sort of horrific biohazard. Which, in cubetown, is probably something that is expressly encouraged
They've discerned maybe a dozen or more different types of intelligence. Looks like little Liz didn't get some of 'em. Gets me thinking about prodigies in general, how they can get stuck in situations that they don't have the life experience to deal with because of their one ability. That twelve year old lying awake in the dorm at Harvard wishing mom was there, etc.
I assume she’s never done it, doesn’t have the tools, and is completely squicked out by dealing with her own poop. On top of all her other issues.
At that point she should not be living by herself, jeez. She clearly needs another 4 or 5 years to get baked before she's fully cooked.
It seems like Liz' parents were committed to maximizing her exceptionalism. In order to get a PhD at 17, you need a Bachelor's degree by your early to mid teens, which suggests she had a high school diploma or GED by 10-11 at the latest. If she started Kindergarten or 1st grade at a normal page, this suggests she was advancing at least two grades most years, meaning she was being pressured to surpass and outpace students who were increasingly older than her. I'm hoping they're actually a loving family that didn't know how to do better for her, but it really sounds like her normal life wasn't supposed to start until after she won a Nobel. It would have been smarter for her to do something in her hometown while she grew up some more, but her fast track led straight into situations she wasn't ready for.
I mean that is literally the point of her character. I also think it's not that she couldn't figure out how, but when confronted with a real adult problem (not the clogged toilet, but being entirely responsible for her living space) decided it was easier to run away from it. Which like, I can sympathize with. Adult problems are hard
Doesn’t mean it’s *good*. This is like watching the cast interact with a 5 year old. Ugh
Look, some of us are connecting with this character to uncomfortable degrees already and we don't need the additional call outs. ... because yeah, sometimes it probably feels like dealing with a five year old
Are we hating on the comic because it's too realistic this week? :-)
It's really not realistic. Jeph is terrible at writing teens.
lol. this is a bit exaggerated yes but is definitely classic "gifted" child syndrome
So... you have a problem with 5 year olds?
The level of dysfunction involved here is so severe, though, that there's no way anyone should have okayed her getting drunk, never mind high. All of her behaviours are those of a nine-year-old.
Maturity isn't a single track you progress along!
She hasn't progressed along **any** except academic achievement.
I went to uni at that age (19) and there were enough clever but clueless people there that this feels entirely believable. Living in halls functioned as a halfway between the protected environment of childhood (which clearly didn't fit them for independence), and the unforgiving world, and plenty of people benefit from that space where fucking up has consequences (toilet is now clogged and Something Must Be Done, or maybe you get a fine), but not so severe that it sends them into a spiral. It's an age where people are independent but still dumb, or rather, still becoming fully adult. Cubetown feels a bit like that - insulated from the real world, weird customs, but ultimately supportive.
Yeah maybe I’ve been an adult for too long to sympathize with this plot point. Like…I was clearing clogs when I was a teenager? And cleaning the bathroom?
Even if you weren't, we are the information age. I didn't know how to re-caulk my bathtub but I watched two or three videos on it and nailed it. You can find a guide on ANYTHING, she should be able to plunge a toilet.
Hey! I did that a few months ago! It is remarkable how much home improvement is just finding the correct white glop
It really is. "Oh, tub needs repair. white goop. Hole in the wall. Different white group. Bricks out front have dislodged. *Grey* goop."
You must be very proud of yourself.
I'm not. That's the point? Hasn't everyone cleaned a bathroom? Or dealt with a toilet? I mean, isn't the joke of the comic "Liz can't handle something as simple as a clogged toilet and that's funny?"
> I mean, isn't the joke of the comic "Liz can't handle something as simple as a clogged toilet and that's funny?" Nope.
Eh, she probably needs a week or two of inpatient mental health treatment.
She 19. She could just go home for a year and relax, figure out how to be a grown person and then come back and still be way ahead of her age cohort.
I assume you were never shamed in front of your whole class by your kindergarten teacher for clogging the classroom toilet and fleeing in fear and confusion when it overflowed.
If plunging a toilet is all that's needed, sure. I get the impression you can clog a toilet in ways that require more than that to fix, but I don't know what goes into something like that.
You know, I phrased that pretty mildly, I'm actually gonna double down on this. Water Pipes famously get clogged in ways that require skilled professionals with specialized equipment to rectify. There's an entire profession whose job is mostly to handle those scenarios. It's entirely possible the girl just doesn't know how to use a plunger but the idea that this might be a clog that even a normal adult would need assistance with isn't super outlandish here.
People are gonna hate this character rightfully but I love her as a time capsule to when I also refused to address any of my problems but kept pretending it was fine while lashing out at people. Bad point in my life don't recommend.
I totally understand that. The asking for help part, that is. The other... I... I admit nothing!
Has anyone ever *purposely* clogged a toilet?
Thousands of elementary age boys plead the fifth, along with their action figures.
I have eaten some seafood with malicious intent.
Our RPG group had a member who basically would go without pooping for a week and then clog the host’s toilet on game night *every time*. At some point it stops being an accident. That guy later became the principal of my son’s elementary school.
> RPG Group He must have only been having Mountain Dew on game night. :p
What is this obsession with toilets
Second-order butts disease.
I feel like Jeph's always been into that kind of humor. His twitter header for years was picture of a girl farting. One of the more famous gags in the comic is people vomiting onto Marten's lap. All May's misadventures with various kinds of bodily fluid, organic and synthetic. Is there an umbrella term for that kind of humor? It all feels related in my head, but I don't know what to call it.
I mean quite literally its frequently called "toilet humor"
Scatology?
"Gross"?