Tag: CTE

Cut the Bull

I want to thank the commenters who’ve shared their very personal stories about cognitive dysfunction and depression. It looks like Batiuk has once again drawn a response from his readers by addressing another thought-provoking and sensitive topic…and getting just about everything wrong.

The North Carolina reference in today’s strip led me to Grandpa Google: I read about a study, being conducted by UNC, of 2,500 former NFL players, investigating “the potential long-term neurological effects from concussions.” Maybe Bull’s “cup of coffee* with the [St. Louis] Cards” qualifies him for such a study, but the majority of his “repeated concussions” had to have taken place during his high school and college playing career. One could hardly fault the NFL for refusing to pay for his care.

* “A ‘cup of coffee’ is a North American sports idiom for a short time spent by a minor league player at the major league level. The idea behind the term is that the player was only in the big leagues long enough to have a cup of coffee before being returned to the minors. The term originated in baseball and is extensively used in ice hockey, both of whose professional leagues (MLB and the NHL) utilize extensive farm systems; it is rarely used in basketball or American football since neither the NBA nor NFL have implemented a true farm system.” —Grandma Wikipedia

At Least I’ll Get My Washin’ Done

While harmless for the person repeating the word or action, this behavior can be troublesome or stressful for those caring for the person with dementia. Fortunately, there are some ways to distract the person and break the repetitive action.

  • Provide plenty of reassurance and comfort, both in words and in touch.‬
  • Try distracting the person with a snack or activity.‬
  • Avoid reminding them that they just asked the same question.
  • Try ignoring the behavior or question and distract the person into an activity.‬
  • Don’t discuss plans with a confused person until immediately prior to an event.

https://www.nextavenue.org/coping-dementia-related-repetitive-actions/

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…or do what Linda Bushka does: stand back and let ’em have at it! Bull’s torturous decline continues, and apparently the only support that Linda seeks is for herself, online. And what’s Buck got to smirk knowingly about? He shared with Linda that he’d (impossibly) been diagnosed with CTE himself, shortly after Bull was. He still appears hale and hearty, while Bull has been reduced to a mindless laundry addict.

But Who Is The Dreamer?

Link To Today’s Strip

Bull and Linda share an inside CTE joke today, or so it appears. It’s nice to see a Very Serious prestige arc end on such a light-hearted note, unlike that mousy woman that got the cancer that time. Blech, what a downer THAT was. Anyway, it’s sort of tough to believe they drove all the way to North Carolina for the cone of uncertainty diagnosis, as they probably could have gotten that in Ohio, but whatever. Hopefully Batiuk gives us some sort of “heads up” when Bull actually starts declining, as otherwise it’ll be impossible to tell, what with all the wryness and all.

There’s Someone In Bull’s Head But It’s Not Him

Link To Today’s Strip

Phony faux-profoundity with absolutely nothing at its core…a classic Batom prestige arc blow-off strip. Bull chose to play football but didn’t choose brain damage…yeah, that’s some powerful thought-provoking stuff right there. It really makes you think, namely that I really should have tried to get in on this comic strip scam back in the day.

More Like Vortex Of Stupidity

Link To Today’s Strip

Yes, Linda, Bull’s future is uncertain and impossible to accurate diagnose because they can’t f*cking remove Bull’s f*cking brain because as of today he’s still f*cking using it, you imbecile. For crying out loud, Batom, the woman is an educator who’s been living with Bull’s CTE for two and a half years, so why can’t she act like it? The way he essentially just rebooted this CTE story from the beginning is really annoying the shit out of me right now. He always exhibits a sort of low-key blithe disregard for his readers’ intelligence but this is really pushing it. Doing a story about someone with an illness doesn’t mean you just get to say “this character has an illness” over and over again, unless you’re in the Batiukverse, of course.