https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=68.50.96.250explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-07-06T20:49:52ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1178:_Pickup_Artists&diff=305201178: Pickup Artists2013-03-17T13:26:54Z<p>68.50.96.250: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1178<br />
| date = February 25, 2013<br />
| title = Pickup Artists<br />
| image = pickup artists.png<br />
| titletext = It sounds like a great way to make friends! Is it near that Friend Zone you keep talking about? I wanna go!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A {{w|pickup artist}} is a person who considers himself skilled at at picking up (finding, attracting and seducing) women, through various psychological tactics and tricks. [[Randall]] clearly does not see this as a healthy attitude towards women, something he elaborated on in [[1027: Pickup Artist]] and [[800: Beautiful Dream]]; this comic also features [[Hairy]].<br />
<br />
Pickup basketball is like regular basketball, the difference being that in pickup basketball, the players are not part of an organized league or team but rather are just people who are available to play at that time and location. It's the way a basketball game can start on a local playground or at school. "Pickup" games generally have less formal rule structure compared to more formal forms of the games. See for example {{w|streetball}} for basketball or {{w|shinny}} for hockey.<br />
<br />
Beret Guy thinks (or wants to think) that what pickup artists really do is gather spontaneously to practice {{w|art|artistry}}, like the {{w|visual arts}}. This makes the world seem a happier place (especially considering his own disposition for (eccentric) art).<br />
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The title text also shows Beret Guy's (pretended?) belief that the "{{w|friend zone}}" is a physical place. The "friend zone" refers to the state of a relationship in which one part has (hidden) romantic interests, but the other person only wants to be friends. Once the friend zone is established, it is said to be difficult to try to move beyond that point into a romantic relationship. Randall previously expressed criticism towards trying to just slip into a romantic relationship from the friend zone in [[513: Friends]].<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:Beret Guy: What've you been up to lately?<br />
:Hairy: I've been hanging out with some pickup artists. I'm learning a lot!<br />
:Beret Guy: Oh, that sounds like fun!<br />
<br />
:The world seems like a happier place if you think "pickup artist" is like "pickup basketball player".<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]</div>68.50.96.250