Well, Loserz has continued down the path I predicted, with Jodie and Alice getting into a fight, and Eric chosing his friend over his girlfriend. However, while I might have desired to see Jessica tell that manipulative class-conscious little twit off… I didn’t have my hopes up.

So imagine my delightful surprise to load up Loserz and find that our favorite red-head of the series has actually had the courage to tell off her “best friend” and to do so using some delightfully offensive (but well deserved) language.

I’m not much for swearing. I think it’s overdone. I mean, you hear “f— this” and “f— that” all the time, to the point that it just doesn’t mean anything when you hear “f—” (hell, I’ve heard 4 year old children on the street telling each other to “f—” each other… it sickens and saddens me that a little kid is so used to hearing that language that they have no problem using it in everyday speech). Swears are supposed to have impact, meaning. If you overuse that language all the time… then that impact is lost. It’s just another word.

Unfortunately, I’m not exactly the best of people concerning this. One of my friends has a sad tendency to swear (though considering she’s in a bit of pain more often than not, it’s understandable) and after I’ve been with her a bit I start swearing more. And then my other friends pick up on it from me… and it just migrates through our group until I’m scolded on it and I try to stop. Still… I try not to use it in everyday speech. Jessica, from Loserz, does not seem the type to use it most of the time.

I mean, look at the expression of shock in her best friend’s eyes. They’re hollow voids. She went from cheerful gloating to “wtf did I hear?” (Yes, I know wtf could be considered an edited down swear, but I cheerfully replace “f—” with “fig” which is tastier and delightfully fruity language so…)

No doubt Jess and her “best friend” will get into a fight over this, and Ms. Social Conscience will tell her off, expecting Jess to crumple. But something tells me that it won’t be so simple. We choose our friends for several reasons – proximity, similar interests, loneliness… but first and foremost because we like the person. I’ve not seen much about Ms. Social Conscience that makes her all that likeable.

Further, Jessica has seen signs that this “friend” dislikes Ben, a guy she is interested in… and also knows that her “friend” manipulated the entire fight between Alice and Jodie. What’s to stop her from doing the same between her and Ben? Is this truly someone she wants to spend time with?

I’d be most amused to see Jessica end up a “Loser” like Ben, Jodie, and Eric. Seeing that she doesn’t sleep around, I could easily see her “friend” turning her other shallow friends against her and making her an outcast. I’ve seen such things in the high school environment… and few people can stand long against a concerted effort to shun someone until they succumb to peer pressure. Unless, of course, you have a couple good decent friends standing behind you and backing you up.

So here’s to Jessica… who would make a delightful addition to the regular Loserz cast… and showing that sometimes, it’s better to have the courage to stand against your peers than just be another follower. She can and should do better than the “friends” she currently hangs with. Even if they’re “Loserz”.

Addendum report: Loserz is no longer being hosted online, as far as I can tell. The cartoonist has moved on to other projects, and that’s all I’m going to say lest this addendum turn into a rant.