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Story/Art © 2017 Clay

274 "My Social Goals"

Recurring Characters

Published January 23, 2016 11 Comments

depcom.274.col.400px

English
PANEL 1:
CAPTION: My Social Goals
PANEL 2:
— I know I’m not going to be the life of the party, but …
— I’ll just aim for normal. Just … normal.
PANEL 3:
CAPTION: My Social Accomplishments
PANEL 4:
— In the first two hours all I managed to say was, “Excuse me,” “Pardon me.”
— THEN I found a place so secluded I didn’t even have to say THAT.
— … how can someone fail normal so miserably?
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Comments

  1. Winnie Shears-KendallWinnie Shears-Kendall says

    January 23, 2016 at 7:50 am

    My life in a nutshell… 😮

    4
    Reply
  2. Sean HantzSean Hantz says

    January 23, 2016 at 9:06 am

    The best I’ve been able to manage is, “I’ll just sit here alone. If someone wants to talk to me, they can come up to me.”

    4
    Reply
  3. plotholetsi says

    January 23, 2016 at 10:08 am

    One time I was at a party that was about half people I knew, half people I didn’t. At one point my apathy and exhaustion was so great I curled up on a couch, turned facing into the cushions to try and rest(calm down), and then heard my husband explaining to multiple people why I was laying down. He had to explain(lie) to people that “She just had a long week, she’s tired…” And then I had a big pile of self-inflicted guilt to pile on my anxiety and sociphobia….

    I empathize with this character SO so much.

    1
    Reply
  4. Esmerelda BohèmeEsmerelda Bohème says

    January 24, 2016 at 6:43 am

    It’s hard work being sociable.

    1
    Reply
  5. DannyboyO1 says

    January 24, 2016 at 9:54 am

    I can handle few people. If I know them well, it’s a LOT easier. I can’t really do “party”. People are just… full of social cues and hints and subtexts and it’s a LOT to process, and they multiply with proximity kinda exponentially. It’s too much to think about. And I can’t just do the comfortable lie thing. Lying destroys me, and awkwardness drains me. And silence… well. Yeah. “not normal”. But screw normal! :p

    Reply
    • Jenny Islander says

      January 25, 2016 at 3:08 pm

      Spectrum? Me too.

      Stuff with a set of rules governing interactions seems to help, in my experience. You know, board games, pen and paper RPGs, a meetup of people who are all enthusiastic about X thing. It doesn’t make it easy, just easier.

      Also, learning your own signs of “Brain full OK, go now or this will become totally un-fun” is good. But it sounds like you know that.

      Reply
  6. Martin says

    March 8, 2016 at 4:05 am

    Is the point of these replies that people excluivly talk about themselves? If so, fair enough. I’d like people to reflect a bit more on how the person in the cartoon must be feeling. I get the impression though that people see these are straight away start thinking “me me me me this is about me.” Sure, it’s good for people to talk about their own feelings, but equally, do people not see other people’s way of feeling might not always mirror their own?

    Reply
    • clay says

      March 9, 2016 at 5:25 am

      Many people who suffer are looking for validation with their feelings and use these comics as such. This is totally OK. So is talking about the characters, but no one does that too much, the characters are really blank slates for people to see themselves through (that’s one reason the characters are all nameless — it’s not easy to talk about a character who has no name!). However people want to talk about the strips, as long it remains respectful to others, is entirely permitted here.

      1
      Reply
    • Sydney says

      March 1, 2017 at 9:12 pm

      Well, they ARE about “me me me me.” The characters are meant to be general and relatable.

      Reply
  7. Jane FerrenJane Ferren says

    September 12, 2016 at 3:34 pm

    This hit home way too close

    Reply
  8. Sometimes the bear says

    March 27, 2017 at 3:47 am

    This really does capture the grinding awfulness of social interaction when you’re depressed. Not only can you beat yourself with all the ways you’re not “normal”, you can also get a brand new humiliation or two to take home and nurture, examples of how awful people are to each other, etc.

    Reply

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