So let’s jump right into it, Clyde is probably the most misunderstood character by the fandom. 

I’ve seen him portrayed as a douchey jock and a whiny crybaby, but he’s usually just a douchey jock with a spoon of awkwardness slopped ontop. And while I agree that Clyde can have a tendency to be awkward, I gotta say I heavily disagree with the disdain the fandom has towards Clyde. I like Clyde as he is and despite him being a side character there’s some pretty consistent care that goes into him.

First thing’s first, Clyde is a pretty emotional kid. No, I don’t mean he cries a lot. I mean that Clyde’s a bottle of high energy and rampant thoughts waiting to come out.

Now this might seem similar to the zany portrayal that the fandom gives Clyde, and they’re onto something, but if you’ve seen the show Clyde actually doesn’t act highly emotional. He acts reserved. So why say that Clyde’s highly emotional?

‘Cuz man. He’s not naturally reserved. Clyde may act like he’s as chill and a popular dude. But the reason he acts like that is because he wants to be that. He wants to not give a fuck. He wants to be cool like his friend Craig.

Craig is a cool motherfucker that really doesn’t give a fuck and everyone in school knows this (he pulls it off better than Clyde). Clyde being his friend and someone also seeking popularity, looks up to Craig and allows Craig to take him under his wing. This dynamic seems to work pretty well. These boys seem pretty loyal to each other, and it allows Clyde to maintain this air of chill if for no other reason than Craig rubs off on him. (And if you’re asking yes I fuckin ship it fuck Creek ok this is the real shit)

But even with that in mind, Clyde isn’t like Craig. He’s naturally emotional. He has stress that does build up. He’s trying to shove himself into this box of what he’s supposed to be but the fact of the matter is he can’t hold his emotions in forever. That results in sudden bursts of emotion.

There are these little snippets of emotion that will slip through the cracks but that’s not what he wants people to see. Clyde has decisive thoughts and definitive views. He even agrees with some (some) of Cartman’s views, but he would never admit to it if you asked him. Clyde is insecure. He shows extreme hesitation with expressing his opinions most of the time.

Over the seasons he’s come to express himself a little more bit by bit, but the fact still stands that Clyde most of the time doesn’t feel comfortable being himself. Inside he’s an energetic thoughtful boy, probably with lots of interests we don’t know about. But somehow he got it in his head that this wasn’t the appropriate way to act. 

Was it the schoolyard environment that made him do that? Considering Cartman has always spoken his mind and Clyde has been there for most of it, I’d say probably not. Plenty of kids act out and speak their mind. So that proobablyyy meaaanss

hmmmm

Now I know that this was the only real snippet of Clyde’s mom we got before she died, and from that alone you’d say, “Wow Clyde, don’t flip off your dead Mom you fuckin asshole.”

BUT

would it be so far fetched to say that Clyde’s insistence on being as reserved as Craig is a big help to him in his household? To say that Clyde’s emotions before Craig only made situations with his mom worse, and he had to disconnect a little to find any bit of relief?

That maybe just maybe Clyde had a very good reason for flipping her off?

I MEAN LOOK. LOOK AT THIS INTERACTION.

Did you notice how much Clyde is flinching? How distressed he is from this interaction? 

if a Mom would scream at the top of her lungs for something so trivial, Clyde is walking on eggshells every time he comes home. And he grew up with that.

And yes, Clyde did feel a familial connection with his Mom on some level. Clearly there is some endearment in this relationship. But ultimately

these are his final thoughts on her. (It’s kind of a cute homage to Craig’s influence too fshkdf)

And this is why I think Clyde doesn’t deserve the shit he gets. He doesn’t cry because he’s a baby – he cries because when you try to be someone you’re not, when you have a very vocal personality and you just hold all that stress in, the final straw could be anything.