inge
Junior Sitter
Posts: 767
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Post by inge on Mar 28, 2007 5:41:34 GMT -5
Me too! I'd definitely prefer those over the little sister ones!
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scrounge
Sitter-In-Training
Boo and bullfrogs!
Posts: 414
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Post by scrounge on Mar 29, 2007 23:25:48 GMT -5
I always felt angry at how much of a stereotype Janine was presented as. She was a caricature of herself long before the others became one-dimensional. This is Janine! She's smart! That's her entire personality! She's smart so she wears fugly clothes and spends all her time alone in her room, haha! When I was a kid and realized that Janine had a computer in her room (seemingly the only one in the Kishi house), I figured she was playing games, probably early 80's crappy text-based graphics adventures, much like the ones my brother and I spent hours on. After all, if you're that smart, it doesn't take you seven hours to do your homework.
I liked the scenes where Janine showed some self-doubt, because to me that is much more typical of someone who is so smart and yet seems to lack social skills. Like when she asks Claudia to help her with her clothes in the mystery where she starts dating Jerry. It wouldn't surprise me if she subconciously plays up being smart and using big words just to make herself feel better about who she is, and to make her parents draw comparisons between her and Claudia. (Okay, so I'm projecting here, but I did always like Janine.)
Also. Why is it okay to make fun of Janine for being smart, but not okay to make fun of Claudia for being dumb?
And "Continue on is redundant!" always made me laugh because the girl talking to her at the time she said it (Dawn?) was just using a bunch of big words to try to sound smarter, because Janine is far too smart to understand normal people conversation, and the entire paragraph Dawn spouted off didn't make a whole lot of sense. The club was "profusely proficient" if I remember right.
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Post by aln1982 on Mar 29, 2007 23:54:43 GMT -5
I think they overdo Janine's speech to stereotype her but see the using big words as just a habit that comes from reading books with big words or listening to others use them. Just my opinion on it, though, and some of it is overdone.
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Post by booboobrewer on Mar 30, 2007 0:31:32 GMT -5
It's so strange, Janine doesn't really do anything that is particularly exasperating; she doesn't prank call during meetings like Sam or wears everybody out like Karen. Yet it's always "oh, she's a genius, we can't relate to her at all." I've noticed she's always willing to occasionally come around and give out helpful information -
1. She points out that the telephone is ringing in MA and the Great Romance when everybody is whooping and hollering after hearing the news of the engagement during the meeting and can't hear the phone. 2. MA takes Tigger to a meeting, and when they discover he's missing, they get all panicky until Janine appears in the doorway holding him and is like "looking for this?" (I forget which book it was.) 3. When everyone is congratulating themselves in Claudia and the Clue in the Photograph over solving the mystery with some dumbass theory about ATMs, Janine calmly informs them from the doorway that they're wrong, but says what they're doing is admirable. 4. She lets Stacey and Claudia know their ride has arrived to take them to New York (I think in one of the Super Mysteries).
Plus, she's always kind with the charges (playing pattycake with Lucy Newton, helping Claire make cookies in Claudia and the First Thanksgiving), and even takes on a sitting job when the older girls are in Maine and Mal and Jessi are freaking out over the shortage of sitters.
I think the only times she is outright snarky or a bit rude are to comment on Claudia's outfits or maybe on a piece of art she's working on. Loved when they were holding that little party in Claudia and the Middle School Mystery and Claudia tells Janine to come in and join the fun. That was a great way to end it.
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ktag
Junior Sitter
Posts: 694
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Post by ktag on Mar 30, 2007 2:20:37 GMT -5
And how about when she rushed in to warn them about the Babysitters Agency? This being right after the narrator (Stacey) had finished insulting her. Janine was way too good for them.
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inge
Junior Sitter
Posts: 767
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Post by inge on Mar 30, 2007 3:42:50 GMT -5
After all, if you're that smart, it doesn't take you seven hours to do your homework. Ha, good point! I never thought about that. I always just assumed she way working ahead, but I guess that on a certain point, there's just no more homework left. I agree with everyone about Janine being a stereotype. It really bugs me when everyone's like "ow, Janine is a genius... that wears stupid clothes and can't be understood." when she's actually such a nice and sweet girl. She also tried to help out with Rosie Wilder.
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Post by booboobrewer on Mar 30, 2007 11:39:05 GMT -5
Another one for the list, ktag! Helping Rosie's a big one, inge. She definitely was too good for them...
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Mar 30, 2007 18:55:58 GMT -5
You know, I bet Janine and Mallory would get along really well if they ever spent more time together.
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Post by aln1982 on Mar 30, 2007 19:27:16 GMT -5
I thought that too about Janine and Mallory, thought Janine was too good to the girls, and loved the Rosie subplot. As for the stereotype, I noticed it with Rosie when Claud commented (in her narration) on how the two smart ones were wearing glasses and the dumb one (not in those words) wasn't. Last time I checked, wearing glasses didn't boost your IQ
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magentanation
Sitter-In-Training
The girl with colitis goes by
Posts: 424
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Post by magentanation on Apr 30, 2007 20:14:12 GMT -5
Was I the only child confused back in the day as to how to pronounce Janine? I always pronounced it "Jan-In" in my head until I saw some movie or other years later with a character named Janine and was like "ooooh, so THAT'S how you say it."
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Post by booboobrewer on Apr 30, 2007 20:53:32 GMT -5
You're not alone! I pronounced it "Jay-nine" for years until I heard it said "Ja-neen."
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msstock87
Sitting For The Braddocks
Here Comes The Bride!
Created by Rie.
Posts: 3,618
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Post by msstock87 on Apr 30, 2007 21:31:19 GMT -5
I always had trouble pronouncing her name at first, because I knew a Janine but it was spelled with a G instead of a J. So I always got it confused!
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on May 12, 2007 1:26:05 GMT -5
For some reason, I had thought that it was just an American translation of her Japanese name.
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Post by aln1982 on May 13, 2007 23:58:10 GMT -5
I love it in Super Mystery #1 how Janine takes a night sitting job to help Mal and Jessi out. She always seems so willing to do what she can for the BSC and Claudia and her friends. Also love how she tells Jerry off in European Vacation. I think that Janine likes kids but they just aren't her priority like they are for the BSC. She also has some trouble relating to them as she is so smart.
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mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
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Post by mckay on May 14, 2007 2:56:53 GMT -5
It makes me sad how much Claudia seems to dislike her sister - Janine always seems to try so hard! She can't help being smart, nor should she want to be average just to keep her sister from being jealous!
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