Kids should have to work for their porn and go looking for it in the woods like we did so long ago.

zoomerposting but iirc diary of a wimpy kid is written to be very grounded personalities-wise. the comedy in these books is derived from all of the characters being flawed in some notable ways and those flaws intersecting to create inane situations in an otherwise-realistic setting. The first book is essentially Greg’s unrelated-yet-consistent bouts of Main Character Syndrome coalescing into an incident in which to not totally fuck things up beyond repair, under duress, he has to eat a slice of moldy cheese that has been attached to the pavement for at least a decade.

there’s an element of farcicality on both sides of this where Rodrick tends to be disengaged and edgy, and Susan is overcorrecting and IIRC pretty puritanical, so it leads to this situation. It’s less aiming for commentary, more for absurdity.

Its the balance with this kind of stuff that’s tricky. You don’t want to make kids ashamed of having urges. But also, you do want them to act in ways that are socially acceptable (speaking very generally), and of course, porn specifically can easily become pretty mentally unhealthy for adults, let alone teens.

I feel like, especially for ‘awkward/nerdy’ kids, this kind of shaming can lead them to being anxiety ridden wrecks anytime they are around potentially interested partners, as they think their urges overall are something to be ashamed of.

And, that shame is multiplied if the content is LGBT, generally speaking.

But also, “I’m sorry women” is very funny

He’s ashamed of the interviews.

I liked the books a lot, especially as someone who wants to tell stories but can’t draw to save his life. Telling the story from the POV of a middle schooler makes it actually really good.

Who’s Manny?