14Jun/1011
Southern Half
by Jeff
Image text: Also, if you read his speech at Rice, all his arguments for going to the moon work equally well as arguments for blowing up the moon, sending cloned dinosaurs into space, or constructing a towering penis-shaped obelisk on Mars.
Not much to explain here.
Here's the full text of the speech to Rice.
Here's the full text of the 1961 speech to Congress.
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June 14th, 2010
With this entry, and the one a few days ago with the pop up blockers, I think that you’re beginning to slip on what you founded your site on. You said you would explain xkcd, to those who get confused by a funny yet sometimes hard to understand comic.
But it doesn’t help when you say “self explanatory” and “not much to explain”. You’re arbitrarily deciding what to write about and what not to write about, which defeats the purpose of this site.
There wouldn’t be any humor lost in your site by spending the few minutes to over-analyze even the simplest of jokes.
June 15th, 2010
Another vote that I will stop reading this site if I see another “self explanatory” – I did not get June 14th 2010’s joke at all. I’m wondering if it’s an age thing? Born in 84 here, no real historic knowledge of JFK or the point trying to be made about the globe. I read the first several paragraphs of the Rice speech, and I am just not seeing anything connecting it to the alt-text.
Lastly, I like to come here for even the ones I do get. There is also typically a “meta joke” or something hidden that I did not pick up. Thorough explanation raises my enjoyment and I agree with the above poster that thorough explanation for obvious comics would be hilarious.
I really do enjoy this blog, a number of my uni professors post XKCD comics on their doors, and I know a TON of students that regularly traffic. I have posted links to explainxkcd and shared with friends.
June 14th, 2010
“There wouldn’t be any humor lost in your site by spending the few minutes to over-analyze even the simplest of jokes.” – explain explainxkcd
I agree. In fact, it would be even more funny if you actually go out and take the time to explain an already simple joke.
June 14th, 2010
If you put a comma instead of a dash after “the whole southern half of the globe” JFK doesn’t appear to be so stupid.
June 14th, 2010
Regarding the image text, many of the reasons JFK mentioned don’t also work for the noted alternatives, but this particular line stands out as being totally non-specific:
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”
June 15th, 2010
Somehow, I have the feeling that xkcd purposely drew up obvious jokes to trip up explain xkcd… because there really is nothing to explain.
June 15th, 2010
Here’s some satiation for those seeking explanation. The bulk of the continents mentioned in the referenced JFK speech are not actually in the southern hemisphere. In fact, all of the Middle East is in the northern hemisphere. Thus, the question: Did JFK even own a globe?
June 16th, 2010
the places jfk mentions are predominantly in the northern hemisphere. in the southern hemisphere australia and antarctica dominate, which hardly fit the description of being a ‘battlefield for freedom’.
this joke is a comment on the proverbial lack of knowledge of geography, the earth, and other countries by americans, including their president. for a leader during the hight of the cold war, one would hope jfk would own, and occasionally look at, a globe.
June 20th, 2010
The comic is self-explanatory, that is, unless you do not know where or who the northern hemisphere is, in which case the joke’s on you. And as for the justification of the absurd using JFK’s reasoning, how about looking up his comments on moon landings, and seeing if they apply to the pursuits suggested? Life’s not all about being spoon-fed – half the fun is finding stuff out for yourself.
June 21st, 2010
The joke is so obvious that trying to explain it would be itself a joke. And a waste of time, probably. Fortunately, not every comic needs an explanation.
I think it’s good that Jeff focuses on the comics that are really not that obvious because they require special knowledge, or for other reasons.
Apart from that, if you disagree with an explanation (including the explanation “it’s self-explanatory”), why not simply use the comments? That’s what the comment form is intended for, after all.
June 27th, 2010
Michael Miller. You are correct, it is an age thing. It is a known fact that people born after 1984 do not know which countries are in which hemispheres, and cannot read a map.