Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for June 24, 2023

Is Rat going to punch Goat in the head?

At least he’s willing to let people have their own thoughts; that puts him far above all the “woke” maniacs.

Rat needs a time out…away from other people!

Rat punches ’em in the head and tells them to think at what point did they go wrong.

Pastis drew the lines in this comic.

Rat drawing the line, just shy of maturity, that he will not cross.

Sounds reasonable.

A lot of people say you can think whatever you want, but in the end, if you vocalize your thoughts what can happen is they might bring violence toward you. I found this to be true when playing cards online, opponents could get downright nasty if they weren’t doing well.

“Don’t think less of me.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly think less of you.”

It makes a big difference whether someone thinks something and keeps it to themselves versus if they don’t keep it to themselves. It also makes a big difference whether you express something with your words or with your fists.

Good feelings abound.

So basically, Rat is saying that it’s okay for people to hate him, just as long as they don’t say it to his face.

Freedom of speech entails responsibility and consequences.

Come on, Rat. You know you will punch the fools in the head for even thinking poorly of you. Rat is a true rebel with or without a cause. Very much like Yrs Trly, The Count. The Count ❤️s Rat! Dilly! Dilly!

Leave me and my thoughts alone, Rat, and I’ll do the same for you.

What other people think about me is none of my business

hey, it’s the Charlie Brown wall!

More names for Rat to put in the filing cabinet.

Sorta have to side with Rat on this one..It’s ok to not be an easy mark for some.

So much for freedom of expression. Keep it alive, I say!

Rat must be channeling Mike Tyson.

Just do it with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

Face it! No one really wants to hear what other people think of them.

John Durham’s response this past week to Rep. Steve Cohen was perfect: “My concern about my reputation is with the people who I respect, and my family, and my Lord, and I’m perfectly comfortable with my reputation with them, Sir.”

At times, Goat must feel very lonely.

Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

If somebody only thinks poorly of him, Rat will only think of punching him,.

Someone posted a quote on GoComics last year that’s stuck with me, though I still don’t know where it originated:

“When I was young, I worried about what other people thought about me.

Then I grew up and stopped caring about what other people thought about me.

Now that I’m older, I’ve realized that other people were never thinking about me at all."

The fact is, there’s no one whose opinion of me I value so highly that I would change a behavior that is leading to my self-actualization solely to avoid their disapproval. Therefore I need to cultivate indifference to others’ opinions of me. Of course it’s quite natural to be irritated when I’m reminded of such things, but I actively strive to let that feeling wash over me and flow downstream without engaging it.

What other people think of me is none of my business!

“Drawing the line”—at “if they express it” or at “almost mature”? I guess it depends on whether you prefer Goat or Rat….

There’s nothing you can do to change what a person thinks of you, but you can control whether or not they’re right.