My Life’s Worse than Your Life
In today's strip, this is the third time that April’s life has been praised by other characters in the strip. Luis Guzmán told her that her life was better than that of a refugee. Eva Abuya told her she was lucky to have a nice place to live and not to be homeless in a wartorn country. And now, Becky McGuire tells April she is lucky to have a regular life, a regular home, and parents who are not divorced.
The overall point seems to be to let April know that, despite her complaining, she has got the good life. April’s life is pretty good. The peculiar thing is that these other characters seem to be determined to let April know that her life is better than theirs, and their criteria is a little on the bizarre side. Most people in Canada are not refugees like Luis, didn’t come from wartorn countries like Eva, and are not pop stars like Becky.
As near as I can tell, April has a home life typical for most teenaged girls living in suburban Toronto. It seems that Lynn Johnston is going out of her way to proclaim the advantages of the average Toronto suburbanite. This may be the true reason for this storyline. The creator wants people to be able to relate to her comic strip and I would say the bulk of the people who read For Better or For Worse are not like Luis, Eva, or Becky; and more like April. In this way, Lynn is actually praising the readers.
Look! You’re not divorced and you’re raising a child. You’re pretty good. You’ve given your child a home. Good for you! Your kids are wholly unremarkable and average in talents. Thank goodness for that, or your kids would be miserable. You only buy wash-and-wear clothing. Good job!
All those people who say that the Pattersons remind them of themselves, can also take with them the idea that their lives are worthwhile and praiseworthy, all thanks to reading For Better or For Worse. It’s no wonder people love this comic strip. It makes them feel better about themselves.
The overall point seems to be to let April know that, despite her complaining, she has got the good life. April’s life is pretty good. The peculiar thing is that these other characters seem to be determined to let April know that her life is better than theirs, and their criteria is a little on the bizarre side. Most people in Canada are not refugees like Luis, didn’t come from wartorn countries like Eva, and are not pop stars like Becky.
As near as I can tell, April has a home life typical for most teenaged girls living in suburban Toronto. It seems that Lynn Johnston is going out of her way to proclaim the advantages of the average Toronto suburbanite. This may be the true reason for this storyline. The creator wants people to be able to relate to her comic strip and I would say the bulk of the people who read For Better or For Worse are not like Luis, Eva, or Becky; and more like April. In this way, Lynn is actually praising the readers.
Look! You’re not divorced and you’re raising a child. You’re pretty good. You’ve given your child a home. Good for you! Your kids are wholly unremarkable and average in talents. Thank goodness for that, or your kids would be miserable. You only buy wash-and-wear clothing. Good job!
All those people who say that the Pattersons remind them of themselves, can also take with them the idea that their lives are worthwhile and praiseworthy, all thanks to reading For Better or For Worse. It’s no wonder people love this comic strip. It makes them feel better about themselves.
posted by howard at 10:27 PM
9 Comments:
The timing for this arc in FBORFW couldn’t be better. For the past week we’ve been bombarded with stories about Lindsay Lohan and her inability to deal with her fame and screwed-up family. The divorce rate in the USA is about 50%. I am guessing that 25% of children come from divorced homes and another 25% are living with parents in unhappy marriages. Although I don't personally know any pop stars, I do know dozens of refugees or children of refugees. Yes, April is lucky to have a solid, supportive family - and she knows it. And we also know it.
Anonymous,
Lynn Johnston had Luis Guzmán from Mexico refer to himself as a “refugee” which, living in Arizona close to the Mexico border, is a term most of the Mexican immigrants I know would not use to describe themselves. Otherwise, I don’t know any refugees. However, I think it is fairly safe to say that most of the people from Mexico would prefer that life in Mexico were such that they did not feel the need to have to move. If you asked them if they would prefer the life of April Patterson to their own, they would like the things she has, but would prefer their own culture.
Lindsay Lohan is a good example of a kid who got screwed up because of fame. However, if you were to ask Lindsay Lohan if she preferred the life of April Patterson to her own, I don’t think you would get the same answer that Becky gave April.
As a child of divorce where my parents get along vs. my wife who is a child of divorce where her parents don’t get along, I can tell you whether or not the parents get along makes a big difference to the kids. I presume this is the point you were trying to make with your “25% are living with parents in unhappy marriages” statistic.
I will agree with you that April is lucky to have a solid, supportive family, and she knows it. I am amused that April was unable to say that to her dad except by pointing out Becky had costumes you couldn’t wash.
Luis Guzmán is living in Canada, not Arizona; I see nothing odd in referring to himself as a refugee. The immigrants that I know best are high school students who come from the far east (Korea/China/India) and the Dominican Republic. There are also thousands of illegal Mexicans living in New York City - I see them everywhere but I don’t know them. They are extremely poor by our standards and they live in horribly overcrowded conditions, yet they choose to leave their families and stay here because life in Mexico is even worse. Someone once said: “Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery.”
Lindsay Lohan is screwed-up because of fame AND because of a horrible family situation. Rebecca is also dealing with both issues. And, yes, I do think that Lindsay would say that she wishes she had April’s life. She will probably be spending time in jail for drugs and drunken driving – and that’s gotta be terrifying for her.
“I am amused that April was unable to say that to her dad except by pointing out Becky had costumes you couldn’t wash.” Glad you’re amused; after all, this is a comic strip!
Anonymous,
I would have to admit my view of Mexicans in Arizona is probaby skewed by the apparent easy access they have to the state and their home country and the fairly high standard of living it appears that they have compared to the people you have seen in New York City. The people I know have a great deal of cultural pride, which I doubt they would trade for April's life. I do not know how the immigrants you know feel about their culture.
As for Lindsay Lohan, I expect she may be influenced by the Paris Hilton experience, i.e. going to jail was a good career move for her, so jail might not be as terrifying, knowing that she will treated very well in celebrity jail. We will have to disagree on how Lindsay will choose. I don't see Lindsay ever saying she would give up million dollar mansions, expensive cars, hot boyfriends, personal assistants and the Hollywood celebrity lifestyle in order to live in a 2-bedroom house in a little town in Ontario with Elly and John Patterson watching her every move, even if it meant not having to deal with her crazy dad and mom.
The Prince and the Pauper, Trading Places, and Aladdin are thee stories that come to mind. In stories (and more importantly, in reality) fame comes with a very high price tag, and not many are emotionally equipped to deal with it. In 10th grade we studied the poem "Richard Cory," by Edwin Robinson – and this had great impact on me.
Interesting that you give the size of a house as an example. I, in fact, had a similar choice and I opted for a 2-bedroom apartment near my extended family rather than a 4-bedroom house in the suburbs. In hindsight, I still feel that I chose wisely. Others would have chosen differently, and they too would have chosen wisely.
Hollywood is filled with the likes of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and the Egyptian/French singer, Dalida. Fame at a young age can be tragic to the individual. Brittney, Lindsay, and Michael Jackson are only the tip of the iceberg. Fame is external while happiness is internal. As for Paris Hilton, if she were my daughter I think I would have to kill myself...!
Anonymous,
The interesting thing about The Prince and the Pauper, Trading Places, and Aladdin is that each of the stories involve some element of revenge against the persons who treat the "poor" character badly, once the "poor" character gets status and power. The characters learn to appreciate what they have. The Prince doesn't say, "I would rather be the pauper forever." "Richard Cory," by Edwin Robinson is an excellent example of someone not learning to appreciate what he has, to amazement of someone who works for him.
Fame is external while happiness is internal. So true. And yet, would Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Dalida, Britney, Lindsay or Michael Jackson want to trade with April Patterson? I still can't see it. My daughter's favourite young star is Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana). We read a lovely article on her in People Magazine, where her parents said they are making it a point to do whatever they can to keep her from turning into a child star that fame ruined. I can believe that Becky McGuire would want to change parents to ones like April's or Miley's, but I can't see her wanting to give up the fame.
As for your choices of houses, the giveaway to me is "near my extended family." If you had to choose between a 2-bedroom apartment or a 4-bedroom house equidistant from your extended family, would you have made the same choice?
Also, I am glad Paris Hilton is not your daughter.
I didn't see Luis say he was a refugee -- when April said she was living like a refugee, he said, "No, you're not...." Similarly, Eva didn't claim to come from a war-torn country, she just asked Liz, "What if you lived in a war zone ...."
These conversations were susceptible to more than one interpretation, but I don't think we can say that Luis is definitely a refugee, or Eva is definitely from a war zone.
I find this arc highly ironic; Lynn Johnston has both fame and a bad childhood (parent was abusive). It seems that Lynn is expressing her own views through April's friends--longing for the loving parents, and rejecting the pressures fame.
On the other hand, I totally cannot imagine that Lynn would really give up her fame for anything. It seems to me, that is one of the reasons she hasn't already retired and has agreed to hybrid strip. Lynn seems scared of losing her fame and recognition.
DebJyn
I think we are confusing talent and success with fame. I suspect that Lynn would be able to walk down the streets of New York and no one would recognize her. And no one would be interested in photographing her when she goes to the bathroom. Her work is done in private and she has all the personal space she needs.
I don't think she is scared of losing her fame; after all, her huge body of work will remain. I think she is looking to slow down but she is not ready to "roll over and play dead."
Al Hirschfeld was a brilliant artist (my husband and I met him several times) who died several years ago at the age of 100. He drew for the NY Times until the end of his life. ("The Line King" is an excellent documentary of his life.)
Young superstars have no privacy and many find it extremely difficult to maintain their own identity. They have handlers trying to control the way they walk, talk and interact. Sometimes the people who are supposed to be protecting them (agents, bodyguards, boyfriends, and even parents) rip them off or sell stories about them. They are children with mega fears, so it is not surprising that so many self-destruct.
Howard, if I could have had a 4-bedroom house near my family I would have been thrilled. But the point is that most of the time we have to compromise. And to do that we first have to know what are the things that are really important to us. Richard Cory had the things that were important to his neighbors but he did not have the things that were important to him.
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