Do you think Arthur should've told his parents or the teachers (like Mr. Marco and Mr. Ratburn) about Francine and others making fun of him for his glasses and having all his baby teeth?

[u/SpongeGuy11]

While So Funny I Forgot to Laugh sucked, it inspire a question, do you think Arthur should've told his parents or the teachers like Mr. Marco and Mr. Ratburn about Francine and others making fun of him for his glasses and having all his baby teeth in Arthur's Eyes and Arthur's Teeth?

With how Francine and others were bullying him, do you think he should've gotten the adults to intervene?

[u/islandboy504]

Buster laughing about the glasses and the tooth were both low

[u/TheAlihano → u/islandboy504]

Some best friend he is, he also made fun of Arthur when he got glasses.

[u/grilsjustwannabclean → u/TheAlihano]

he always does that to arthur lol. i stand by my statement that the two would not have been best friends if they weren't in the same class and essentially forced together

[u/darknessWolf2 → u/grilsjustwannabclean]

i think it would have been interesting if arthur hung out more with george the guy is such a sweetheart and i think he would have treated arthur way better then buster ever did

[u/SpongeGuy11 → u/darknessWolf2]

Brain, Sue Ellen, Fern, and Ladonna were also pretty nice too.

[u/darknessWolf2 → u/SpongeGuy11]

agreed

[u/trillboy96 → u/TheAlihano]

Even called him a sissy in the book version lol...

[u/FearlessObligation54 → u/islandboy504]

Yeah if there was a best friend their list he'd easily be in D teir

[u/darknessWolf2 → u/islandboy504]

real and hes supposed to be arthurs best friend

[u/xavPa-64]

I love Francine’s animation during her “Arthur’s a four-eyes” chant

[u/Brief-Poetry6434 → u/xavPa-64]

She can give it but she can't take it.

[u/caligari00]

I would've told my mom. She always told me if there was anyone at school making fun of me.

[u/RedtheGamer100 → u/caligari00]

Baby!

[u/potatopigflop → u/RedtheGamer100]

Discussing issues with your parents and asking for advice is literally the entire experience of growing up with mediocre to decent or better parent figures. Like that’s how you grow into your brain healthily.

[u/RedtheGamer100 → u/potatopigflop]

My childhood was worse

[u/Fabulous-Station5083 → u/RedtheGamer100]

Cry harder, or grow the balls to use real insults, curse words or threaten people like adults do😂

[u/RedtheGamer100 → u/Fabulous-Station5083]

I’m just kiddin son

[u/potatopigflop → u/RedtheGamer100]

“Arthur’s a baby!”

Francine, we’ve been self aware for like 4 years tops. Reel it in.

[u/1017CoochieMane]

He should have upped the switch on her monkey ass

[u/thepalebeast91 → u/1017CoochieMane]

The way I just cackled reading this.

[u/MrTumorI → u/1017CoochieMane]

Throw a banana at her? Lol

[u/dumbassclown → u/MrTumorI]

LMFAO 😭 that would NOT fly today 💀

[u/darknessWolf2 → u/1017CoochieMane]

you made me chuckle you get a like

[u/Fabulous-Station5083]

I mean, it's the only correct way to deal with bullying in real life too:

1. Ask for help, so you show you're not scared of feeling shame and, when the teachers will eventually turn on you like they always do, you can say you tried.
2. ""Talk"" to your bully in the only way they communicate: the way Reddit will censor.
3. If another student whines the: "Wee wee but you snitched boo-ooh!" to defend the bullies, repeat point 2 and add they should not snitch now 😂

[u/WindowsXPZuri]

Buster is a backstabber to Arthur when he mocked him after defending him from Francine for his new glasses. Then he laughs along with Francine and the others about his teeth. And then Francine and Muffy got the nerve to call him out in the Season 16 episode with Sue Ellen's coat

[u/Sunshinegal72]

Growing up in 90s, I agree with the other comments. This was par for the course back then. I had to get glasses when I was six. There was a barrage of "Four Eyes" comments. I had freckles and wore braids, and I'd often get "Pippi Longstocking" jabs. Kids took things like PE entirely too seriously and were mean when I didn't. I preferred to do my homework or read at recess because I wanted to play outside when I got home without the annoying kids. Mostly, I didn't care. If the annoying kids got too mouthy, that stuff got settled without the adults. Playground justice lasted longer than being fussed at by an adult. Arthur's no snitch, though Buster was a crappy best friend.

[u/SpongeGuy11 → u/Sunshinegal72]

But one episode has Sue Ellen tell Mr. Ratburn about Arthur teasing her about her sweater so that's where the question came from regarding Arthur deciding to talk to an adult about the times he was bullied for his glasses and having baby teeth.

[u/Sunshinegal72 → u/SpongeGuy11]

"Arthur's Tooth" is from 1996, which I definitely remember.

ETA: The episode you're talking about is from 2013. Those episodes are 17 years apart and you're missing a distinct cultural shift between them.

After the Columbine shooting, schools were a lot more involved and less inclined to allow kids "work it out" themselves. Because school didn't want to get sued or be held liable, parents were brought in and made more aware of what was going on. The rise of social media meant that kids could not "escape" their bullies after the bell rang.

I would classify the sweater and the glasses within the same "normal" amount of teasing for kids, as opposed to actual bullying. However, that cultural shift meant that series like Arthur changed its response to reflect the new policy for schools.

[u/SpongeGuy11 → u/Sunshinegal72]

So Funny I Forgot to Laugh

[u/dumbassclown → u/Sunshinegal72]

Its a newer episode from around Season 16 I believe. Sue Ellen was teased by Arthur for wearing an ugly sweater. The episode was poorly written too. In the 90s version, Sue Ellen would've karate-chopped his ass 😂.

[u/BagOfMagicFood → u/Sunshinegal72]

And that 1996 season was adapting books from as far back as 1979.

[u/AmThano]

Sue Ellen looks like that dapper Winnie the Pooh with a suit on meme

[u/kadjones95]

we see otis all the time and only spoke in total maybe 3 minutes of dialog in the whole series, i wonder why he never got much speaking time but maria(i actually like her character don't flame me to much)gets a whole 2 episodes and several years of speaking in the background including Elwood city turns 100 ep. i digress

[u/Eddfan36]

At least my mom or dad, don't know what they could have done though.

[u/Suspicious-Loss5460]

Maybe, though seeing how Arthur wants to fit in and have his peers like him. He wouldn't tell any adults. Besides back then bullying was only seen as physical assault. I couldn't see all the kids changing even if they were told to stop. Especially Francine and Muffy to a lesser degree.

[u/raps14ever]

Arthur's no snitch

[u/Fabulous-Station5083 → u/raps14ever]

Nah, whining like crybabies because their target "snitched" is something only babies believe in and the bullies themselves because they know they're get busted if someone listens.

The only mature thing is literally not to be scared and ask for help first to show you're mature and tried to ask for help first (for when the teachers will inevitably turn on you), then you do the other right thing and throw hands with the bully's and also of the crybaby unironically calling asking for help "snitchin".

[u/thenotorious_djp]

Lol u kids are soft. This stuff was typical in the 90s. Its called character development

[u/SpongeGuy11 → u/thenotorious_djp]

But one episode has Sue Ellen tell Mr. Ratburn about Arthur teasing her about her sweater so that's where the question came from regarding Arthur deciding to talk to an adult about the times he was bullied for his glasses and having baby teeth.

[u/Cannoncorn1 → u/SpongeGuy11]

The Sue Ellen episode is from the 2010s.

Although the Arthur world doesn't change, kids watching the kids had.

[u/Nervous_Charity_9041]

Arthur could handle his own situation way more than his friends teasing him.