Tall
Cidu Bill on Mar 2nd 2010
Okay, seriously, would anybody over the age of five ask a question this moronic? To his girlfriend’s father, no less? Why not go all the way and ask Sara why her nose is bigger than her bustline?
And what’s with Mr. Toomey’s response? Overcompensation? And honestly, a PhD in engineering isn’t chopped liver, but it’s not as if he invented cold fusion or anything. He seems to think his accomplishments are absolutely awe-inspiring.
And the point here is what, that Jeremy hasn’t accomplished as much as he has? The kid just turned 16.
Filed in Bill Bickel, Zits, comic strips, comics, humor | 30 responses so far
Jessica Mar 3rd 2010 at 12:41 am 1
But, in the old guy’s defense, Jeremy’s been 16 for the past ten years at least. I think he’s had time to accomplish something.
Buzz Killington Mar 3rd 2010 at 12:47 am 2
He should have asked why his eyes are so squinty!
yellojkt Mar 3rd 2010 at 01:01 am 3
And Jeremy doesn’t look six feet tall. That is pretty big for a sixteen year old.
Cidu Bill Mar 3rd 2010 at 01:04 am 4
My 16-year-old’s that tall. Granted he’s one of the taller kids in his class, but still…
furrykef Mar 3rd 2010 at 02:20 am 5
I’ve been 6′2″ for almost as long as I can remember… I almost certainly was already when I was 16. As I understand it, the growth spurt typically ends at age 16 or 17, so I don’t think Jeremy’s height is atypical.
But then, I meet relatively few people who are quite as tall as I am. There was one kid in high school who dwarfed me, though.
As for the comic, I’m pretty sure the dad’s response is simply a way of saying that height ultimately matters very little. But I do have to agree that Jeremy asking in the first place does feel like a setup contrived specifically to invite that response. (Though people do ask moronic questions at times, so who knows?)
- Kef
RyanE Mar 3rd 2010 at 04:48 am 6
Gotta agree on the tall kids.
My nearly 16-yo is at least 6′0, got me beat by around an inch at this point.
Fortunately, he’s smarter than Jeremy. Of course, a bag of bricks is smarter than Jeremy.
RyanE
mitch4 Mar 3rd 2010 at 08:08 am 7
For several days, Jeremy has been deep in fear over meeting her father. Then his relief that the dad turned out not at all intimidating (on the surface!) spilled over into this weirdly awkward question.
Cidu Bill Mar 3rd 2010 at 08:17 am 8
mitch4, this seemed like less a case of nerves (which would have made a lot more sense) than a bizarre and ongoing obsession with the man’s height.
My father-in-law was fairly short. Not cartoonishly short, since I don’t live in a comic strip, but short. Somehow, I managed to get through my first meeting with him without commenting on his height.
Bearman Mar 3rd 2010 at 08:21 am 9
Jessica…too funny.
Karen Mar 3rd 2010 at 09:20 am 10
A lot of boys (and men, actually) seem to think being tall is important. And they look down on short guys. So yeah, Sara’s father is kind of overcompensating, but I think he’s pointing out to Jeremy that one’s height shouldn’t be the most important thing about a person.
And whoever says a PhD in engineering isn’t something to be proud of can go stick it. My husband worked hard for six years for his PhD, down to building his own damn telescope, so he has every right to be proud of his doctorate.
Beyond that, Sara’s dad, being a retired Air Force colonel, deserves respect. You know, if he were a real person instead of a character in a comic strip.
Cidu Bill Mar 3rd 2010 at 09:35 am 11
Karen, I’m certainly not denigrating engineers. My son is an engineer. What I said was that Mr. Toomey’s listing his accomplishments as if he expected Jeremy to faint with astonishment was a little odd.
Damn right he deserves respect — but of course so does Jeremy’s dad who’s an orthodontist.
mitch4 Mar 3rd 2010 at 09:46 am 12
In the followup strip today (Wednesday), Sarah and Jeremy are talking in the car, rehashing the encounter at home, and there is still that odd emphasis on height.
Anne Mar 3rd 2010 at 10:48 am 13
I don’t think Sarah’s dad is expecting Jeremy to faint with astonishment at his accomplishments. Rather, it’s a snarky way of saying “my height isn’t who I am, and you shouldn’t ask such a rude question”. I thought it was funny, anyway - I’ve answered stupid questions in a similar manner.
I don’t know anyone particularly short who’s had to deal with this, but my former boss was 6′7″ and had people asking his height all the time. He hated it, for similar reasons. So having a clueless teenager ask this guy’s height doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.
hm Mar 3rd 2010 at 11:31 am 14
If you go back a couple of days to when Jeremy first imagines meeting Sara’s Dad, he imagines a HUGE person dwarfing him (based on his fear), so is surprised by the reality. It would have made more sense if he blurted out “you’re shorter than I expected” or some such, but then the response wouldn’t have worked.
In today’s Sara’s comment seems to further the idea that adults’ apparent size is often more a factor of the situation than their actual physical size.
Christine Mar 3rd 2010 at 11:54 am 15
I don’t think it was that he was trying to make Jeremy feel like he was such an amazing guy, as to say “being short hardly stopped me from doing anything”. That and Jeremy is a 16-year-old guy. At that age aeronautical engineering is still way cooler than biochem or the like.
Dr. Shrinker Mar 3rd 2010 at 12:46 pm 16
Maybe instead of focusing on his (lack of) height, Jeremy should ask why a 50-year-old man looks like he’s well into his 80’s…
Kate C Mar 3rd 2010 at 03:17 pm 17
Dr Shrinker: maybe he’s visiting from Funky Winkerbean?
Dan Mar 3rd 2010 at 04:02 pm 18
I don’t follow the strip much, but is this really the first time Jeremy’s met Sarah’s dad? They’ve been together/not together for a long time now, and it’s not as if they’re in college, away from parents. Surely Jeremy’s been over her house when her dad’s been home..?
Lord Jubjub Mar 3rd 2010 at 06:05 pm 19
Notice that Sarah’s Dad never answered the question, either.
bAT L. Mar 3rd 2010 at 10:23 pm 20
Strange, I took this to be a play on words. Then again, I’ve never heard the word used in specifically that way, but there are many phrases I come across that I haven’t heard used before. I thought Sarah’s dad was using “tall” to mean “accomplished”, or something similar.
Cidu Bill Mar 3rd 2010 at 11:47 pm 21
Dan, Sara’s parents are divorced.
Pirk Mar 4th 2010 at 01:34 am 22
he didn’t even offer him tea . . .
padraig Mar 4th 2010 at 10:02 am 23
Military guys who are vertically challenged tend to get “short-guy” syndrome where they feel they need to get on top of taller guys right away. Gen. David Petraeus (5′8″ ish I think?) is an excellent runner, and he reportedly likes to invite new staffers out for a 5-mile run. If that doesn’t run them into the ground, the next day he takes them on a 10-mile run, and so on, until he finds the distance where he can crush them.
Dan Mar 4th 2010 at 12:25 pm 24
Thanks, Bill.
Another oddity - although Jeremy is generally portrayed as the psoter child for all things teenage (all the stereotypical qualities, basically), his query here is extremely polite. Not unnecessarily polite, of course, but it feels a little out of character.
paperboy Mar 4th 2010 at 01:08 pm 25
Seems to me the last bunch of Zits were of Jeremy smugly getting the “last laugh” simply because he’s young, and his mom and dad are (ha ha!) old. Maybe Jerry wanted to take him down a bit for a little balance.
Mark M Mar 4th 2010 at 07:41 pm 26
I had a similar reaction as bat L. - never heard the term “tall” used that way. And the closest dictionary.com comes is “in a proud, confident, or erect manner”. That doesn’t jive either.
paperboy Mar 4th 2010 at 09:46 pm 27
I took it to mean he was pointing out that being 6-foot+ and young is not an accomplishment, but a condition, and to wipe that smirk off your face! But, then the quotes around “tall” indicates he IS trying to make a play on words.
Freezer Mar 5th 2010 at 05:12 am 28
I just wonder if Scott and Bergman notice what an unlikable asshole Jeremy is, nearly all the time. He’s not the only thoughtless, rude, selfish, etc. teen in comics, but every other one I can think of (Luann, Holly from Stone Soup, Peter and Paige Fox, etc.) have moments of self-awareness and charity to balance things out.
furrykef Mar 5th 2010 at 06:54 am 29
But, then the quotes around “tall” indicates he IS trying to make a play on words.
I don’t think the quotation marks indicate a play on words so much as emphasizing that it’s a metaphorical usage.
Todd Mar 6th 2010 at 04:00 pm 30
I had a coworker who said he was five foot twenty. He said he didn’t care if people called him giraffe (he was skinny too).