Is Chris "getting better"?

[AnOminous]

Yes, after a certain point, having a high debt-to-income ratio makes your credit not great (which is probably part of why Chris has a ridiculous monthly payment on the Ford Focus---didn't Chris say it was $140 during the Pumpkin Swirl incident?), even if you're always on time with minimum payments.

Chris would probably be well served to declare personal bankruptcy and shed all that shit. It would also keep him from being approved for credit for a while. Anyone who loaned Chris that money really deserves to get shafted anyway, and has probably already made back their investment and more already anyway.

 

[The American Hedgehog]

Like, he spent a few grand on legos over the course of a few months without any negative financial repercussions. I wish I could do shit like that.

Was that during the same time frame as when he was asking people to buy his stuff from ebay because he couldn't afford to pay for some of his shipments or for Barb's dental work?

In this context, stability means that Chris' finances over a period of, say, eight months are pretty stable and uneventful. I'd extend my estimate a lot further, but Barb kind of fucks around with that.

How big of a cut does Barb take from him? Is it in addition to what he pays for rent?

If it were, he would be literally punished for getting a job.

Getting a job might make sense in some different context, but the perverse incentive of how Social Security does disability in cases like Chris's really creates a situation where he would not benefit in the least by having a job, unless there were some specific part-time job basically designed for him personally that he actually liked doing.

If he got a job, he could still keep the full tugboat for a nine month trial. Afterwards, for three years, he could still receive it if his income dropped below $1090 for that month.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/detailedinfo.htm

 

[Iffymoo]

Chris is happier than he has ever been so I'd say he is definitely getting better, even if not in the way we would consider normal!

I was totally rolling my eyes when he decided he was transgender, but after seeing the massive change in how he has acted, his confidence, and his self esteem, I'm starting to think there is more to it than I thought originally.

 

[Tragi-Chan]

Chris is happier than he has ever been so I'd say he is definitely getting better, even if not in the way we would consider normal!

I was totally rolling my eyes when he decided he was transgender, but after seeing the massive change in how he has acted, his confidence, and his self esteem, I'm starting to think there is more to it than I thought originally.

I still don't believe he's actually trans, but I do agree that he's more confident. My theory is that it gives him a layer of insulation from cold reality. In a sense, his old-fashioned beliefs about women work in his favour - he can put himself on a pedestal, and convince himself that he's kind, beautiful and stylish. And, bluntly, it's okay for him to be lazy, materialistic and horny, because men are supposed to do the hard work and women are only interesting in shopping and fucking.

 

[Marvin]

Was that during the same time frame as when he was asking people to buy his stuff from ebay because he couldn't afford to pay for some of his shipments or for Barb's dental work?

Not that I remember.

How big of a cut does Barb take from him? Is it in addition to what he pays for rent?

My problem with Barb taking money from Chris isn't about rent or shared household bills. I'd be completely fine about that. Chris definitely should pay his fair share of their expenses. My problem is that Barb arbitrarily and inconsistently takes money from him to pay her debts. Chris has no input on this.

If he got a job, he could still keep the full tugboat for a nine month trial. Afterwards, for three years, he could still receive it if his income dropped below $1090 for that month.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/detailedinfo.htm

Well, and more importantly, this is only if he is engaging in Substantial Gainful Activity, which is currently $1090/month. Chris can make up to an extra grand a month without affecting his tugboat. He's content with how things are right now, so he doesn't really need a job now, but a job will probably become a lot more important post-Barb.

The other problem is that having used all of one's available credit and only paying the minimum means you can't pay upfront or take out credit for stuff like root canals or veterinary emergencies, which people with available credit can finance through things like CareCredit.

Wouldn't a root canal be a medical issue and thus covered by medicare? Chris also gets (or is eligible) for a lot of other benefits.

The threat of a big, financial emergency is a real one, and that's why having good credit is important. But a lot of the big ticket emergencies are covered by Chris' benefits, or things like car insurance, which he's required to have, thankfully.

Chris shouldn't have pets.

And this isn't even including the whole gender confirmation medical process, which is enormously expensive even if the basic surgery is entirely paid for by public benefits. There's stuff like electrolysis, plastic surgery...I don't know. It seems like the "pay the minimum, spend the cash as it comes in" approach could really hurt Chris in the long run, but if Chris doesn't care, it's no skin off my ass.

Oh, I don't think Chris is aware of those things. Advancing his gender transition is put in his "to do later" list. He thinks he's super feminine and attractive right now, and while he wants to get the duck chopped off at some point, it's not vital right now.

 

[MrsFrizzle]

Medicare doesn't include dental, except for extractions in some cases. Maybe Chris has private dental insurance? Even so, it still winds up costing hundreds out of pocket. Hopefully Chris won't have any dental issues, though.

 

[Tragi-Chan]

He thinks he's super feminine and attractive right now, and while he wants to get the duck chopped off at some point, it's not vital right now.

Plus he'd lose his irresistible appeal to straight women.

 

[The American Hedgehog]

Not that I remember.

http://sonichu.com/cwcki/August_2014_Facebook_Posts#Need_more_money

 

[Marvin]

http://sonichu.com/cwcki/August_2014_Facebook_Posts#Need_more_money

Yeah, nah, this wasn't when the lego spree was going on.

 

[Trilby]

The threat of a big, financial emergency is a real one, and that's why having good credit is important. But a lot of the big ticket emergencies are covered by Chris' benefits, or things like car insurance, which he's required to have, thankfully.

Chris shouldn't have pets.

And hopefully never does.

 

[Male Idiot]

I live in east europe and I heard of this site from a friend there.

Actually I could think of pets that would suit Chris like certain insects that he could propably care for. Ants, those hissing Roaches and maybe butterflies but that last one could be too hard for him.

Chris should not keep any cats or dogs or even turtles or hamsters.

But the real question is, could a well trained bonobo keep a Chris?

 

[Trilby]

I live in east europe and I heard of this site from a friend there.

Actually I could think of pets that would suit Chris like certain insects that he could propably care for. Ants, those hissing Roaches and maybe butterflies but that last one could be too hard for him.

Chris should not keep any cats or dogs or even turtles or hamsters.

I would think a fish myself, though I was afraid of what he'd do if it overfed it or forgot to feed it. Those things can't wait that long.

But the real question is, could a well trained bonobo keep a Chris?

Now there's a challenge!

 

[Tubular Monkey]

Chris isn't constantly staring at my tits. He's not stroking my back talking about "hmm yeh, my mommy loves dis strong massage...".

There's my mental image for the day.

 

[Male Idiot]

I would think a fish myself, though I was afraid of what he'd do if it overfed it or forgot to feed it. Those things can't wait that long.

That's why I think roaches or ants would make a good pet for Chris. He could just feed them garbage whenever he wants and they would chew on it until he feeds them again. Roaches can't feel pain, can last long without food and will find greasy soup the perfect meal. Its like a match made in heaven.

A fish would need regular feeding, regular cleaning (Not his strong suit) and generally a lot of maintenance for the aquarium.

 

[Trilby]

That's why I think roaches or ants would make a good pet for Chris. He could just feed them garbage whenever he wants and they would chew on it until he feeds them again. Roaches can't feel pain, can last long without food and will find greasy soup the perfect meal. Its like a match made in heaven.

A fish would need regular feeding, regular cleaning (Not his strong suit) and generally a lot of maintenance for the aquarium.

I'm sure some drug store in CWCville has one of those Uncle Milton's Ant Farm sets he can get started on.

 

[Lefty's Revenge]

I think the answer is a definite yes but that doesn't mean that he's out of the woods by any measure.

Lets say you can measure how well a person is doing quantitatively (Its not possible of course but lets assume.)

Lets say the standard for "doing okay" is about 50. Anything higher is doing very well anything lower, not so much.

If we were to measure Chris on this "doing well" meter he has jumped a good 10 or even 20 slots since the death of Bob. And a few spots higher since the blarms fuckery. He's attempting to socialize, he's shut the fuck up about blarms, he's no longer talking about how depressed and sad and lonely and steel heart he is, which would lead one to assume hes no longer depressed like he once as, and most surprisingly he has managed to make a surprisng amount of money off of Sonichu. He is also now creating art on the regular basis which is a good way to not be fucking depressed. These are all objective facts that we can all see.

The problem, I think, some of us have with saying he is getting better is that when we were first introduced to Chris he was starting at like a 3 and slid down to about a -50 at certain points. So yes, he's getting better but right about now hes like at a 10. There is still a shit ton wrong with his life. His hygiene still seems questionable, his house is still filthy, his dogs sound like they were in the Vietnam war, he still has a less than healthy relationship with his mother, and his dating prospects are less than zero. And this is setting aside issues that are up for debate like his alleged transgenderism and whether or not he is or can make genuine social connections at the gay bar.


But the TL;DR answer to me is a resounding and easy "Yes." he is getting better. It may all go to shit tomorrow and the work isn't even close to done but he is doing better. Especially when you compare him to like ADF or something. Shit ain't all that bad, right now.

 

[Boudica]

No. He is going to become progressively more insane. But he will burn out from being old. Give it ten years.

 

[melty]

I think the answer is a definite yes but that doesn't mean that he's out of the woods by any measure.

Lets say you can measure how well a person is doing quantitatively (Its not possible of course but lets assume.)

Lets say the standard for "doing okay" is about 50. Anything higher is doing very well anything lower, not so much.

If we were to measure Chris on this "doing well" meter he has jumped a good 10 or even 20 slots since the death of Bob. And a few spots higher since the blarms fuckery. He's attempting to socialize, he's shut the fuck up about blarms, he's no longer talking about how depressed and sad and lonely and steel heart he is, which would lead one to assume hes no longer depressed like he once as, and most surprisingly he has managed to make a surprisng amount of money off of Sonichu. He is also now creating art on the regular basis which is a good way to not be fucking depressed. These are all objective facts that we can all see.

The problem, I think, some of us have with saying he is getting better is that when we were first introduced to Chris he was starting at like a 3 and slid down to about a -50 at certain points. So yes, he's getting better but right about now hes like at a 10. There is still a shit ton wrong with his life. His hygiene still seems questionable, his house is still filthy, his dogs sound like they were in the Vietnam war, he still has a less than healthy relationship with his mother, and his dating prospects are less than zero. And this is setting aside issues that are up for debate like his alleged transgenderism and whether or not he is or can make genuine social connections at the gay bar.


But the TL;DR answer to me is a resounding and easy "Yes." he is getting better. It may all go to shit tomorrow and the work isn't even close to done but he is doing better. Especially when you compare him to like ADF or something. Shit ain't all that bad, right now.

I really like your idea of attempting to objectively measure happiness on a 1-100 scale. We could call it "heart levels" or something.

 

[Trilby]

No. He is going to become progressively more insane. But he will burn out from being old. Give it ten years.

Lord knows the 'pains' he'll have then.

 

[Lefty's Revenge]

I really like your idea of attempting to objectively measure happiness on a 1-100 scale. We could call it "heart levels" or something.

Its really just an example. The point is, Chris is even though hes making money and socializing, hes still far from doing well. Just better than what he was before.