26-08-14 They lied

[Spidrift]

Oh, all twenty-seven of them lied, that's for sure. The only question is when, and about what.

[Zippy]

This strip seemed like a back pedal on the part of the writers (to make Dillon more forgiving) or Dillon is lying.

Yeah, this.

And, even if we accept what Dillon says in this strip at face value, this still means he had no trouble **boasting** about getting 27 guys (let's leave the straight out) to cheat on their partners. Whatever the circumstances, that still means he has absolutely no problem with cheating as long as it isn't on him.

[Spidrift]

Oh, Dillon is still definitely a bit of a jerk. The question is simply whether he's too stupid to be an effective jerk.

And, honestly, simply on past form, the idea that he is that stupid seems quite plausible. Note that this even calls into question all his boasts about the swirly-go-round. If those twenty-seven guys were all just bisexual opportunists (or totally amoral gay pick-up artists), the swirly was never actually more than a nice kissing technique - until the day it first met a clitoris. And even then, Gary apparently improved it.

[FlashD81]

I never thought about his boast in that way. Ruby's comment in that last panel kind of smacked me in the face. The chance that Dillon could have been lied to this whole time by all of the "straight" men with "girlfriends".

<facepalm> Well I feel like Amber when she realized her error with Didi and Yuki.

I'm going to just sit back and watch this. Help me oh Ruby one, you're my only hope.

[sukebe senpai]

How can Dillon, who is gay as gay can be, still believe what Nathan had told him about "being on the down low"? I'm starting to question his IQ.

[Spidrift]

Welcome to the party, but you're late.

Anyway, Dillon is not only very gay, he's is (I think quite consciously) a specific sort of gay; the sort that believes everything he's told he could have seen on Oprah, because St. Oprah would never lie to him. Plus, Nathan promised to make him a star, which shut down all his critical faculties on the spot.

Plus, he's an Ma3 character. They're not all stupid, but there's a low default baseline.

[Schmorgluck]

They lied? All 27 of them? Mmmmkay...

Well, Dillon is sexy, and not shy about sex. By what I know of the sexual history of my best friend, who's an attractive and sex-happy woman (and smarter than Dillon, but who isn't?), and who have met more than her fair share of guys who only told her they were in committed relationships only after having banged her, I don't find it at all unbelievable.

Masculinity is exactly as horrible as feminity.

[Error of Logic]

I think what's horrible is people willfully and unrepentantly ignoring their obligations for temporary gratification.

[JackApostrophe]

Did Dillon grow up in the same hyper-religious community as Gary or did I make that up somehow? It might help explain why he's fuzzy on definitions.

[Spidrift]

You made it up. No suggestion whatsoever.

[MissNix]

They lied? All 27 of them? Mmmmkay...

Well, Dillon is sexy, and not shy about sex. By what I know of the sexual history of my best friend, who's an attractive and sex-happy woman (and smarter than Dillon, but who isn't?), and who have met more than her fair share of guys who only told her they were in committed relationships only after having banged her, I don't find it at all unbelievable.

Masculinity is exactly as horrible as feminity.

Though that is possible, my disbelief comes more from Dillon twisting this in such a way that he can boast about it, and putting all those guys cheating down to him (or his kissing technique) being irresistible, and him in the end begin ok with the whole thing.Then again, it's Dillon.

Either way kinda hoping for some expansion on this, otherwise it's kind of just vague back pedalling.

[Spidrift]

I suspect that the process went something like...

1. Guy initially looked uncertain.
2. However, guy eventually kissed Dillon.
3. Guy displayed increasing enthusiasm.
4. Bed and sex.
5. Dillon asked when they could meet again.
6. Guy said "Uh, actually, I'm straight. Actually, I've got a girlfriend."
7. Dillon pouted.
8. Guy hastily added "But you were amazing! You're a great kisser! You made me forget all about her! But, well, I am straight. I should be going." Or words to that effect.

...Twenty-seven times.

From this, Dillon deduced that he was indeed an amazing guy who could turn straight men (perhaps only temporarily) with just a kiss. This does indeed allow him to boast about his amazing sexiness, while avoiding any responsibility for causing other people to cheat on their partners. As Ruby has, I think, just realised, though, the more likely explanation is that Dillon is the natural prey of married bisexuals in denial (see also Nathan), who like to (politely) blame the other guy for their infidelities, plus the occasional predatory gay man who uses "I have to go back to my girlfriend" as a way to terminate a one-night stand.

Almost certainly, the creators have had this lined up from the start. It's painfully plausible, really; Dillon wants to think of himself as an amazingly effective but strangely innocent seducer, when actually he's a vain idiot who never learns, and whose vanity makes him serially gullible.

[FlashD81]

<looks up from the nail> yep, you hit that one right on the head.

Dillon is looking like he just clueless about the 27.

[Spidrift]

The only thing that annoys me about this is that Ruby is likely to get dragged into helping Dillon recover from the consequences of his own stupidity. In other words, he'll find yet another woman who ends up mothering him. Admittedly, she's less likely to enable his flaws than Amber or Zii -- it'll be slightly tougher love -- but she still ought to have better things to do with her time.

This will be bad enough now; if she actually develops a social and romantic life of her own (which, yes, could come with Dillon's encouragement), he may turn into a serious effing nuisance. Even the nicest straight boyfriends could find that tearful calls from Dillon to Ruby at random intervals put a crimp in a relationship.

[FlashD81]

The sad fact is, and it has been mentioned before, is they need each other. Ruby needs to come out of her shell and Dillon needs to have his perceptions changed. While it's both funny and painful at times they make for good comic material. They both need to grow and at times one of them is going to be in denial about what the other is saying.

My view is that while I don't like seeing Ruby teased too much, she needs to see that her sexual drive is not evil, and it can be healthy. There are better ways to get her to see that but would they be as funny?

Then there is Dillon, he helped perpetuate the stereotype that blonds are dumb. While his high level of drama is annoying, if Ruby can help him then I'm all for it. He needs someone who can call him on his BS and help him see that his views are not correct all of the time.

I have said something similar previously in my posts, but I just wanted to share what my thought process is for these two in the comic.