Difference between revisions of "1073: Weekend"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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(Explanation: Since Monday is the first day of the week it would be the first Saturday of the week as well.)
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That's a good way to interpret it. It's dumb, but I keep reenebmrimg a line from an episode of The Mentalist this season. Patrick Jane (the titular mentalist) told someone that if he would stop evaluating things in terms of what he likes and doesn't like, and simply sees things for what they inherently are, he would be much happier. Very insightful, and something I struggle with every day. (We all do, I suppose.) The lesson is that value is really meaningless. Nothing has value except that which you give it. Instead of going around appraising things, just live your life and be thankful.
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{{comic
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| number    = 1073
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| date      = June 25, 2012
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| title    = Weekend
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| image    = Weekend.png
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| titletext = Of the two Garfields, you wouldn't think the cat would turn out to be the more compelling presidential speechwriter, but there you go.
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}}
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==Explanation==
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No confirmation has yet been found that any of these words are references to something from former {{w|James Garfield|US President James Garfield}} or {{w|Garfield|Garfield the cartoon cat}}. However, Garfield the cartoon cat has a bunch of different images emphasizing the greatness of the weekend and bemoaning the existence of the first day of the work week, Monday.
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The comic was posted on a Monday, so it was on time to emphasize that.
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In the first image, there is a reference to the {{w|Lover Boy}} song "[http://youtu.be/0-lH2nhC_R4 Everybodys Workin For the Weekend]"; both the song and the panel refer to how most working and middle-class people are constantly focused on merely surviving until Saturday with enough energy to relax properly.
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When you actually stop and think about the speech, the argument turns into utter nonsense. Simply renaming every day on the Gregorian Calendar to "Saturday" doesn't actually do anything, and "the first Saturday of the week" would carry the ''exact'' same stigma as "Monday". Furthermore, if [[Cueball]] is proposing to abolish the work week entirely, the economy would collapse within twenty four hours.
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==Transcript==
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:[Cueball stands at a podium before a very large crowd.]
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:Cueball: We all hate Mondays. We're all working for the weekend. But our chains exist only in our minds.
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:[A shot of Cueball from the podium upwards, from a 34 angle. He raises one hand in explanation.]
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:Cueball: Calendars are just social consensus. Nature doesn't know the day of the week.
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:[Closer still, looking straight ahead.]
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:Cueball: My friends— we can make today Saturday.
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:[Extreme close-up, negative colors.]
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:Cueball: We can make it Saturday ''forever''.
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{{comic discussion}}
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
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[[Category:Politics]]
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[[Category:Psychology]]

Revision as of 01:55, 26 July 2014

Weekend
Of the two Garfields, you wouldn't think the cat would turn out to be the more compelling presidential speechwriter, but there you go.
Title text: Of the two Garfields, you wouldn't think the cat would turn out to be the more compelling presidential speechwriter, but there you go.

Explanation

No confirmation has yet been found that any of these words are references to something from former US President James Garfield or Garfield the cartoon cat. However, Garfield the cartoon cat has a bunch of different images emphasizing the greatness of the weekend and bemoaning the existence of the first day of the work week, Monday.

The comic was posted on a Monday, so it was on time to emphasize that.

In the first image, there is a reference to the Lover Boy song "Everybodys Workin For the Weekend"; both the song and the panel refer to how most working and middle-class people are constantly focused on merely surviving until Saturday with enough energy to relax properly.

When you actually stop and think about the speech, the argument turns into utter nonsense. Simply renaming every day on the Gregorian Calendar to "Saturday" doesn't actually do anything, and "the first Saturday of the week" would carry the exact same stigma as "Monday". Furthermore, if Cueball is proposing to abolish the work week entirely, the economy would collapse within twenty four hours.

Transcript

[Cueball stands at a podium before a very large crowd.]
Cueball: We all hate Mondays. We're all working for the weekend. But our chains exist only in our minds.
[A shot of Cueball from the podium upwards, from a 34 angle. He raises one hand in explanation.]
Cueball: Calendars are just social consensus. Nature doesn't know the day of the week.
[Closer still, looking straight ahead.]
Cueball: My friends— we can make today Saturday.
[Extreme close-up, negative colors.]
Cueball: We can make it Saturday forever.


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Discussion

I usually start spewing this kind of nonsense when I lose track of what I'm saying in a speech. Who needs scripts? Davidy22[talk] 13:35, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Since I am not well read regarding James Garfield's speeches perhaps this is an effort to point out that James Garfield's speeches were less compelling than the desire to avoid Monday's and how lasagna makes everything better.?66.88.136.254 20:10, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

How can you make the statement "abolish the work week entirely, the economy would collapse within twenty four hours." This is unsupported by any kind of evidence. Many countries don't have a 40 hour work week, and it is becoming rarer in the US as well. Even if everyone stopped working tomorrow, it wouldn't collapse the system because it would be like a holiday. Are you assuming the abolition of the work week would mean no one works, or that it would be replaced by an inferior system that collapses the economy? Neither seems rather realistic. 63.149.29.1 21:15, 11 October 2013 (UTC) Robert

Missed Source

Hi There, I just went random on xkcd and noted that one first time... But I know the concept from a book: Sam Small flies again by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Knight ... One of the stories is about Sam Small deciding that it is now Saturday... on and on and on... Funny story, should not miss here...141.101.93.49 14:19, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

I don't think it's a reference. The joke is that Garfield (the character) hates Mondays. 108.162.237.89 02:09, 2 December 2016 (UTC)

I have watched the Garfield Movie, and this speech seems very similar to one made in the movie. I recommend that someone looks into that. 162.158.79.23 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Looks as if Garfield the president was shot on a Saturday (July 2, 1881) and died on a Monday (September 19, 1881). In between he probably wasn't a big fan of Saturdays, hard to say what his final take on Mondays was. Assuming that after being shot the president indeed disliked Saturdays and assuming that being dead is worse than being shot, the cat was right then; Mondays are worse. MK