Part of the issue is her bringing up issues no one knows how to fix and there not being adequate proof she DOES know what she’s doing when she messes with the dials.
She’s been rude and obnoxious and went out of her way to scare the people around her, people that she has to work with. She started something that appeared to manipulate matter. She failed to check the settings herself.
…would you trust an experiment she wants to do? Would you allow her to go further than she has?
It’s important to note that, justifiable as it may be, it’s still rude, and should be noted that she was given the opportunity to perform the experiment by the adults, WHO ARE IN CHARGE, regardless whether they “deserve” to be, or not. She is still just an inexperienced teen, smart or not. Never mind that the adults in the room have done nothing but help her, Bud in particular, so far.
It could be argued, however, that that very sentiment of being polite and pandering to the egos of superiors who don’t know what they are doing is likely why there is such a dangerous problem to begin with. Sometimes stupid people need to be told point blank how stupid they are. No one learns from being coddled.
If I were in her situation, when I discovered that the people who were there to safeguard the operation were not at all qualified, I’d have shut the experiment down, to either review the experiment to add additional safeguards to compensate for not having qualified observers or to get competent observers. I can say this with confidence because when I was in a similar situation with apparently much less risk, that’s exactly what I did.
To be clear, I didn’t just send everyone home, but instead turned it into an impromptu training class, just in case trained versions of them was the only competent help available. It also worked well enough to underscore exactly why I was aborting the test. By “well enough”, I mean only one of the monitors still didn’t understand, and it was possible to get him voted off the team. Requiring another couple of training sessions before we rescheduled it was enough to make that vote unanimous (that is, he didn’t want to be there either.)
That is such a “grown-up” thing to say. Age always thinks youth is arrogant when they dare to behave like adults do. “Behave yourself and stop growing up.”
Well, the fact that her clothing didn’t waiver in the slightest when she changed the controls from digital to analog demonstrates intense focus on her situation and the task at hand.
However, she’s just demonstrated the adults in the room haven’t a clue as to what her experiment entails. And she’s realized what that means. So, yeah, that’s got to have an affect on her.
This girl has some NASTY communication problems and a frankly dangerous ego. I’m worried about her. I know she’s young, and I KNOW she isn’t normally like this, but her attitude is getting literally dangerous.
Knowledge without experience.
There’s a reason trainee pilots, for example, need to clock up hundreds of flying hours before they’re allowed to go solo.
I think it’s funny that people are getting pissy about Scar being uppity when that’s what this whole fiasco seems to be all about – adults thinking themselves inherently high and mighty compared to teens.
Sometimes, it pays to humble yourselves and LISTEN.
That’s true, however there’s no point being the smartest person in the room if you’re an arse and can’t deliver that information in a receivable manner.
If a professional can’t handle their ass justifiably being verbally handed to them, they shouldn’t be a professional. Especially not top professionals.
From the first post above, you can see my reaction to Scar. But it’s important to acknowledge that NO ONE is so good or smart that it justifies their being a jerk. I don’t mean “lose their cool” on occasion. I mean the deep running sense of insecure superiority that makes everything they think and say right and everything anyone else says stupid.
But anyway, when you’re way smarter than most people, assuming that they’re about to fuck up is both justified and the safe option. I’ve prevented thousands of dollars worth of property damage and a few serious injuries by re-checking stuff that some “adult” assured me was perfectly OK. I don’t have the aggressiveness (aka “assertiveness”) to actually go crook at them the way Scar is doing, but I suspect it is salutary.
I believe this is more along the lines of “losing her cool”, considering she’s dealing with what seems to be the very fabric of reality being fucked up six ways to Sunday.
To everyone complaining about her getting “uppity:”
These adults have volunteered to serve as metaphorical fireman over her controlled burn, and she’s just discovered she knows more about fire safety than they do. It’s not “uppity,” it’s crisis management from the most capable person in the room.
That’s kind of what I keep sticking at. She is justifiably infuriated with these “experts”.
I will grant it was rather foolish of her to assume the device was properly set from the start without reviewing it with everyone, but in Scar’s defense she was told that these people were professionals who had reviewed her data beforehand. As intelligent as Scar has demonstrated to be from the outset, the arrogance these professionals had to try and “correct” her equipment without saying anything is baffling.
Still, I feel that Scar was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was a one off mistake which lead to her joke. At that point though, whoever (or is it whomever?) shouted demonstrated that they really do not have the slightest clue as to what they are doing. Her reactions to me therefore do not read of arrogance, but rather exasperation that they still will not accept she knows better than they do in this specific situation.
Hence her closing line here smacking of “Buckle up kiddos, we’re going for a ride”
Adult is an artificial distinction based as much as not on an arbitrary date legislated differently in different places. What matters is maturity. Something I don’t see from any of the people in the room. Would hope to see at least a sense of responsibility from someone.
As an Elder Millennial who is currently 40 years old and has been a adult for roughly two decades my first response to Scar is “You go girl” and my response to those people who are dissing her for it here is “Ok, Boomer” whether or not that person may or not be an actual Boomer it’s the attitude you’re portraying. The whole children should be “seen and not heard” idea. She is clearly the smartest person in the room and at this point she’s 16/17? which is close enough to adulthood intellectually (definitely not emotionally). All y’all really need to stop clutching your pearls and I hate to see how you treat your own children if you have any.
As a certified boomer and elderly person, I concur 100%. I understand that there’s a huge difference between intellectual maturity and emotional maturity, and that Scarlet’s intellect may be off the charts while her amygdala is still thrashing in the same way any heathy teenager’s does until they cross a certain physical maturation threshold. That said, its perfectly understandable for a person who *is* the smartest person in the room, and who has spent years being either ignored or disparaged by people who think she should be seen and not heard, to get frustrated in a critical moment and speak truth to power even if it sounds arrogant. The girl is pissed that the “adults” are not taking her or her experiment seriously because they don’t understand the parameters the way she does… and rightfully so.
I beg to differ! Dr. John Sonsmith had a large lab with an extensive team of researchers, working tirelessly for years, to develop improved versions of itching powder, exploding cigars, gum which turns the teeth black, whoopee cushions, and cans of “peanut brittle” containing spring-powered paper snakes. Everyone working there had a sense of humor.
Scarlet may be wicked-smart, but she’s not exhibiting a lot of wisdom or maturity here… certainly not in the “getting along with your peers” department. She could make her points about knowing the experiment setup best, without stepping on toes and burning bridges the way she is. And joking about safety, in an experiment which has already shown that it can go wrong in unexpected and dangerous ways… NOT a good idea!
Maybe that’s just from being young and inexperienced (I remember being anxious to prove myself, and less concerned about other peoples’ feelings then I should have been, when I was her age). Maybe some of it comes from being a pred… predator species often have some pretty complex social-dominance displays and behaviors,
and she may be “staking out her territory”.
In any case, she’s painting herself into a corner here… she’ll look damned foolish the first time she’s wrong about anything.
Being condescending, even as a joke, to future coworkers may make them dismiss in the future the small print that’s really important because they’ll see her as a snotty brat with a bellybutton larger than her shirt.
Being smart is not the quality looked for here, being workspace savvy is.
Go Scar!
If I were them, I’d shut her down right now. She’s taking an arrogant position about this.
Is it arrogance if she’s right?
Yes. Arrogance is an attitude. You can be right and polite while still conveying a sense of importance and urgency.
Part of the issue is her bringing up issues no one knows how to fix and there not being adequate proof she DOES know what she’s doing when she messes with the dials.
She’s been rude and obnoxious and went out of her way to scare the people around her, people that she has to work with. She started something that appeared to manipulate matter. She failed to check the settings herself.
…would you trust an experiment she wants to do? Would you allow her to go further than she has?
It’s important to note that, justifiable as it may be, it’s still rude, and should be noted that she was given the opportunity to perform the experiment by the adults, WHO ARE IN CHARGE, regardless whether they “deserve” to be, or not. She is still just an inexperienced teen, smart or not. Never mind that the adults in the room have done nothing but help her, Bud in particular, so far.
It could be argued, however, that that very sentiment of being polite and pandering to the egos of superiors who don’t know what they are doing is likely why there is such a dangerous problem to begin with. Sometimes stupid people need to be told point blank how stupid they are. No one learns from being coddled.
She’s continuing with the test, so absolutely.
If I were in her situation, when I discovered that the people who were there to safeguard the operation were not at all qualified, I’d have shut the experiment down, to either review the experiment to add additional safeguards to compensate for not having qualified observers or to get competent observers. I can say this with confidence because when I was in a similar situation with apparently much less risk, that’s exactly what I did.
To be clear, I didn’t just send everyone home, but instead turned it into an impromptu training class, just in case trained versions of them was the only competent help available. It also worked well enough to underscore exactly why I was aborting the test. By “well enough”, I mean only one of the monitors still didn’t understand, and it was possible to get him voted off the team. Requiring another couple of training sessions before we rescheduled it was enough to make that vote unanimous (that is, he didn’t want to be there either.)
That is such a “grown-up” thing to say. Age always thinks youth is arrogant when they dare to behave like adults do. “Behave yourself and stop growing up.”
Yep – experiment over. Step away from the equipment.
Has she been affected by it in some way?
Well, the fact that her clothing didn’t waiver in the slightest when she changed the controls from digital to analog demonstrates intense focus on her situation and the task at hand.
However, she’s just demonstrated the adults in the room haven’t a clue as to what her experiment entails. And she’s realized what that means. So, yeah, that’s got to have an affect on her.
Well, she is BEHIND the device…
Sounding more and more like an Origin Story…
PS Paul, if I just spoilered your next 5-year story arc, I apologize.
This girl has some NASTY communication problems and a frankly dangerous ego. I’m worried about her. I know she’s young, and I KNOW she isn’t normally like this, but her attitude is getting literally dangerous.
Knowledge without experience.
There’s a reason trainee pilots, for example, need to clock up hundreds of flying hours before they’re allowed to go solo.
Knowledge without experience, and she has a better grasp on the situation than the so-called experts.
I think it’s funny that people are getting pissy about Scar being uppity when that’s what this whole fiasco seems to be all about – adults thinking themselves inherently high and mighty compared to teens.
Sometimes, it pays to humble yourselves and LISTEN.
Coming from GlytchMeister, that’s frightening.
Earlier I was thinking that we might want to keep Glytch away from Scarlet, though she is a little young for him . . .
Which part is made frightening by me saying it, and how? I actually don’t understand.
That’s true, however there’s no point being the smartest person in the room if you’re an arse and can’t deliver that information in a receivable manner.
That’s what science communicators are for.
If a professional can’t handle their ass justifiably being verbally handed to them, they shouldn’t be a professional. Especially not top professionals.
Meanwhile back in Hiroshi’s Bedro– I mean, HOUSE, yeah House. What are those two crazy Kids up to Hmmm?
This has to be a dream right? Makes more sense she’s wrestling with feelings of inadequacy
“Feelings of inadequacy”? Scarlet?
Only time she’s shown signs of that is during the CTS triangle.
Yikes. This kind of ” I’m smarter and I know better than everyone” attitude is the kind of thing that supervillains start with.
Some of the presumed adults in the comments section are showing the same attitude as the scientists in the comic!
From the first post above, you can see my reaction to Scar. But it’s important to acknowledge that NO ONE is so good or smart that it justifies their being a jerk. I don’t mean “lose their cool” on occasion. I mean the deep running sense of insecure superiority that makes everything they think and say right and everything anyone else says stupid.
“Insecure superiority”? What even is that?
But anyway, when you’re way smarter than most people, assuming that they’re about to fuck up is both justified and the safe option. I’ve prevented thousands of dollars worth of property damage and a few serious injuries by re-checking stuff that some “adult” assured me was perfectly OK. I don’t have the aggressiveness (aka “assertiveness”) to actually go crook at them the way Scar is doing, but I suspect it is salutary.
I believe this is more along the lines of “losing her cool”, considering she’s dealing with what seems to be the very fabric of reality being fucked up six ways to Sunday.
To everyone complaining about her getting “uppity:”
These adults have volunteered to serve as metaphorical fireman over her controlled burn, and she’s just discovered she knows more about fire safety than they do. It’s not “uppity,” it’s crisis management from the most capable person in the room.
That’s kind of what I keep sticking at. She is justifiably infuriated with these “experts”.
I will grant it was rather foolish of her to assume the device was properly set from the start without reviewing it with everyone, but in Scar’s defense she was told that these people were professionals who had reviewed her data beforehand. As intelligent as Scar has demonstrated to be from the outset, the arrogance these professionals had to try and “correct” her equipment without saying anything is baffling.
Still, I feel that Scar was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was a one off mistake which lead to her joke. At that point though, whoever (or is it whomever?) shouted demonstrated that they really do not have the slightest clue as to what they are doing. Her reactions to me therefore do not read of arrogance, but rather exasperation that they still will not accept she knows better than they do in this specific situation.
Hence her closing line here smacking of “Buckle up kiddos, we’re going for a ride”
Adult is an artificial distinction based as much as not on an arbitrary date legislated differently in different places. What matters is maturity. Something I don’t see from any of the people in the room. Would hope to see at least a sense of responsibility from someone.
As an Elder Millennial who is currently 40 years old and has been a adult for roughly two decades my first response to Scar is “You go girl” and my response to those people who are dissing her for it here is “Ok, Boomer” whether or not that person may or not be an actual Boomer it’s the attitude you’re portraying. The whole children should be “seen and not heard” idea. She is clearly the smartest person in the room and at this point she’s 16/17? which is close enough to adulthood intellectually (definitely not emotionally). All y’all really need to stop clutching your pearls and I hate to see how you treat your own children if you have any.
As a certified boomer and elderly person, I concur 100%. I understand that there’s a huge difference between intellectual maturity and emotional maturity, and that Scarlet’s intellect may be off the charts while her amygdala is still thrashing in the same way any heathy teenager’s does until they cross a certain physical maturation threshold. That said, its perfectly understandable for a person who *is* the smartest person in the room, and who has spent years being either ignored or disparaged by people who think she should be seen and not heard, to get frustrated in a critical moment and speak truth to power even if it sounds arrogant. The girl is pissed that the “adults” are not taking her or her experiment seriously because they don’t understand the parameters the way she does… and rightfully so.
Ditto
Polysatyr81 and The Old Wolf:
God damned right.
This boomer agrees. Scar rocks!
Alas, very few scientists have a sense of humour 🤨
I beg to differ! Dr. John Sonsmith had a large lab with an extensive team of researchers, working tirelessly for years, to develop improved versions of itching powder, exploding cigars, gum which turns the teeth black, whoopee cushions, and cans of “peanut brittle” containing spring-powered paper snakes. Everyone working there had a sense of humor.
Granted, it was a low one, but still…
Centaur said “few”.
He did not say “no”.
I’ve known a few scientists who tried to… obtain a sense of humor (not pretty).
Humorous in its own way
Scar’s savagery is hitting on all points.
How to ensure you don’t get all those sweet bennies from the government, 101.
This is starting to give me the vibes of an episode of Love, Death, & Robots or Black Mirror.
Scarlet may be wicked-smart, but she’s not exhibiting a lot of wisdom or maturity here… certainly not in the “getting along with your peers” department. She could make her points about knowing the experiment setup best, without stepping on toes and burning bridges the way she is. And joking about safety, in an experiment which has already shown that it can go wrong in unexpected and dangerous ways… NOT a good idea!
Maybe that’s just from being young and inexperienced (I remember being anxious to prove myself, and less concerned about other peoples’ feelings then I should have been, when I was her age). Maybe some of it comes from being a pred… predator species often have some pretty complex social-dominance displays and behaviors,
and she may be “staking out her territory”.
In any case, she’s painting herself into a corner here… she’ll look damned foolish the first time she’s wrong about anything.
There is a bit of “You Insolent FOOLS! I will show you all!” energy going on here.
She is gonna summon the Dreen isn’t she?
Humour is the least shared trait worldwide.
Being condescending, even as a joke, to future coworkers may make them dismiss in the future the small print that’s really important because they’ll see her as a snotty brat with a bellybutton larger than her shirt.
Being smart is not the quality looked for here, being workspace savvy is.
Hijinks ensue
I like it. Her arrogance makes for an interesting character flaw.
A flaw that can get dimensions killed!
Scarlett is in a spark’s Madness Place
Not here to make friends, is she?
This will probably come back to bite her later.
Someone’s asking for a helicopter ride.