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Post by aln1982 on Feb 6, 2008 16:54:47 GMT -5
^ Agree about the sense of humor. I think mine is inherited, too, (or possibly taught ;D) as my parents have the same thoughts on the follies and things like that. Though my dad was a bully in HS and feels so awful now about it. He remembers almost every mean thing he ever said, he claims, and it still makes him feel bad.... Anyway.... was there any subplot in this one except the kids' follies? If not, I don't think I will reread though I was planning to. It just makes me too uncomfortable with no good to balance it. (for me at least)
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Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Feb 6, 2008 18:09:04 GMT -5
mr trout as a fish out of water? a pun worthy of abby. ;D Yeah, I knew it was bad. Thanks aln, for your reasoning. I never really thought about it that way. I make fun of my own characteristics that I can't change (like my height) all of the time, and I don't mind if my friend tease me a little bit about it. (most of the time. if i'm pmsing or it goes from friendly banter to meanness then I get a little miffed. But I try not to show it.) I usually just tell people I drank a lot of coffee as a child. But then again, my family shows affection by teasing each other. My aunt's step children and her children-in-law haven't quite grasped the hang of the "being nice" part of the teasing, however, and I would like for them to stop coming to christmas dinner if they are just going to call me martha stewart in a mean tone for 2 hours. But I digress. I don't want to debate this issue either. I really was just curious as to why you don't like it. Thanks for filling me in, I love to know why people are the way they are.
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nothingtolose18
Sitting For The Johanssens
Mal / Sam / Price / Ben
Posts: 1,059
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Post by nothingtolose18 on Feb 6, 2008 18:39:37 GMT -5
I had a teacher my last year of high school who was a 'Mr. Trout'. Ridiculously sad story, actually. This lady had seen her husband and son die in a car accident. They had been in the car in front of hers. Naturally, the poor woman was so high on antidepressants all the time that she didn't have a clue what was going on and subsequently, people just loved to torment her. I could never understand what could possess people to be so cruel - then again, one of her tormentors was a boy I grew up with, who teased me about the fact that my grandmother died... on the very day that she passed away. Talk about cruel, I don't know why I was so surprised about him tormenting this teacher.. very sad story. Anyway, I can't remember much about this book, but I did like how Jessi mailed him at the end. I think the Follies would be good to an extent - if it was done playfully. Also, it depends on the person; I know some teachers at my high school who would have thoroughly enjoyed it, while others who may have taken offense. At my grade 8 graduation, I was going from my elementary school (I was there from K - 8 ) to high school, so we had a little 'roast to the teachers'. Various members of our class dressed up as the teachers and we poked fun at some of their traits, such as how our principal took a million pictures at every event, and how one particular teacher of ours was really tiny with a squeaky voice, so we called her mouse. They loved it. Mr. Trout, I think, was just a) being tortured as it was and b) just didn't have the self-esteem and confidence needed to be a middle-school teacher.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2008 7:50:51 GMT -5
^^That's a really sad story. i can't even comprehend people being that cruel. seriously, that's just unfathomable to me. She saw her family die in front of her and people teased her??
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Post by morbiddadestiny on May 16, 2010 9:35:02 GMT -5
^ it baffles me how heartless some people can be.
re: this book, i thought the BSC follies were really weird. like, i can't really explain why it annoyed me, but we're supposed to believe that these 8 year old girls have nothing better to do than to obsess about the mannerisms of the BSC? what?
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Post by wiggir13 on Jul 4, 2011 18:45:01 GMT -5
I believe this book is one of my least favorites.
Not to dwell on stereotypes, but I was a CS major in college and the people I had class with I can see them being a typical Mr. Trout. Very antisocial and not understanding how to talk with people and not machines. I think this is why it annoyed me so bad b/c those people were wonderful, they just didn't have those skills. I see Mr. Trout as just not figuring out he didn't know how to talk to people.
Anywho, I would have enjoyed it if the BSC follies somehow made Jessi feel like she made Mr. Trout feel. Maybe one of the kids could prance around saying - "Hey did you know I'm black?" or something. Terrible I know but I think I may have drank too much wine while reading this one!
I did like the letters at the end.
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 4, 2011 19:31:53 GMT -5
I haven't commented on this book because I think it is my least favorite of them all and in a bad way. I didn't find any of it, story or subplot enjoyable at all. The Mr. Trout storyline simply reinforced that someone who speaks, acts, and/or dresses differently than the norm due to whatever reason is (probably) not very bright and must have some underlying "issue," deserving of being singled out and teased. And, of course, added to it was how he conducted class, which I admit he should have done better, but otherwise, he did nothing wrong. Apparently SMS admin is either blind as a bat or turns a blind eye because surely one such person should have noticed what was going on. Maybe they fall in ranks with a lot of the Stoneybrook parents. The BSC follies was just dumb. It would have been more entertaining had the charges written some sort of skit or play about the sitters/like memories of some outing/camp/whatever. Instead it was just more people putting down/joking at the expense (whether it was intended or not) at others. This post is having one of my "Abby" rants isn't it? Sorry about that, I love to laugh, have fun, but was never into jokes or apparently follies.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,263
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Post by oldhickory on Jul 5, 2011 16:16:42 GMT -5
i hated the bsc follies too. as if being 13 isn't crappy enough, having all these little kids making fun of me (even if they meant it in the nicest way) would be so irritating.
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 5, 2011 18:27:50 GMT -5
^It really would be. I didn't even think of that. I just thought of something! Wasn't at least one of Claud's parents in attendance? IIRC, one of the charges "made fun" of Claudia for her candy habit? Lol, now that would have been "funny:" Claud's junk food habit inadvertently brought to light by a charge. As "mean" as it sounds it almost would have served all of them right.
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Post by wiggir13 on Jul 6, 2011 1:31:40 GMT -5
^how did they know that thought about her? How did they know that Kristy wore a visor in meetings etc....strange.
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Post by anzuhana on Jul 6, 2011 9:00:11 GMT -5
^ Maybe Charlotte told them.
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 6, 2011 11:22:53 GMT -5
^I remember in Stacey and the Mystery at the Empty House, a book that came way after this one, the charges make up a junk food basket as a gift for Claudia. Maybe Claudia eats candy on the job and/or in conversation with the kids has mentioned her love of chips and sweets?
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,263
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Post by oldhickory on Jul 6, 2011 13:54:29 GMT -5
i know she had a couple of girls in her cabin at the camp, and she kind of went crazy with the junk food there too. so apparently it's no secret, and everyone knows except her parents?
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Post by anzuhana on Jul 6, 2011 14:31:38 GMT -5
Hard to believe, isn't it? I wonder how Claudia managed to hide all the junk food from her parents (unless they know and just don't say anything).
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 6, 2011 15:25:01 GMT -5
I think her parents, have to know, they must. Can they really be that galactically stupid? I would hope they don't know of (if they do, horrible they never intervene) how Claudia often turns to unhealthy amounts of junk food as comfort.
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