2858: Thanksgiving Arguments

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Thanksgiving Arguments

Title text: An occasional source of mild Thanksgiving tension in my family is that my mother is a die-hard fan of The Core (2003), and various family members sometimes have differing levels of enthusiasm for her annual tradition of watching it.

Explanation

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The comic features a conversation between Cueball and Megan, discussing the dynamics of family gatherings during Thanksgiving, specifically about the topics of political arguments and how to navigate them.

In the first panel, Cueball is depicted sitting at a computer, presumably writing an article or blog post titled "How to Win Political Arguments with Your Awful Relatives at Thanksgiving Dinner." This sets up the premise of the comic, implying that political discussions during family gatherings can be contentious and that there is a desire to "win" these discussions, treating them as debates or conflicts rather than dialogues. In addition, the relatives concerned (who are perhaps usually avoidable, except during seasonally expected gatherings) are considered "awful" – a personal opinion that is possibly reciprocated, although it would actually be worse if it is not.

The second panel shifts to Megan, who challenges the assumption that political arguments are common at Thanksgiving by referencing surveys that indicate most families don't actually engage in political arguments during the holiday, with Randall citing an article in Huffington Post in support of her statement. This panel introduces a counterpoint to Cueball's assumption, suggesting that the narrative of inevitable political conflict might be exaggerated or not universally applicable. In the third panel, Megan further suggests that Cueball's relatives might actually be fine with differing political opinions and that these differences are not the root cause of arguments. She proposes that Cueball could instead focus on writing about the actual topics that lead to arguments, suggesting that there is a disconnect between Cueball’s perception and the reality of family discussions.

The fourth panel concludes with Cueball reflecting on a recurring argument that does take place at his family's Thanksgiving dinner, which is not about politics but about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which was poorly received for a Star Wars film which nonetheless may have some fans with less trenchantly negative opinions; it is left ambiguous exactly what fervent opinions are raised, but they do seem to add some form of tension. Thus Cueball's family apparently does indeed have a 'tradition' of recurring ideological arguments, for at least the last four years, but they are centered around a topic that is less serious and more in the realm of pop culture. The punchline lies in the juxtaposition of the expectation of serious political debates with the reality of a trivial argument that has become a peculiar (and necessarily quite recently inaugurated) tradition, highlighting the idiosyncrasies of family gatherings.

The comic humorously encapsulates the heightened expectation of political debates at family gatherings, a cultural narrative especially prominent during Thanksgiving. However, the actual experience often deviates from this expectation, with families either avoiding such topics or engaging in entirely different kinds of disputes. The comic satirically suggests that these arguments might be over trivial matters, such as pop culture references, rather than the anticipated political disagreements. This portrayal subtly critiques the societal assumption about family conflicts during holidays and implies that the reality is much more nuanced and varied, with each family having its unique quirks and traditions that may or may not align with common stereotypes.

The title text extends this theme by introducing another layer of familial tradition that could be a source of tension, albeit mild. In this case, the mother's devotion to the 2003 movie The Core (widely considered a contender for all-time-worst 'science in a movie' winner) and her insistence on watching it annually during Thanksgiving becomes a humorous bone of contention within the family. The varying levels of enthusiasm for this tradition among family members illustrate the comic's broader commentary on family dynamics: that tensions during gatherings often arise from personal idiosyncrasies and peculiar family rituals, rather than from the expected ideological clashes. It underscores the idea that while families may not always share the same passions, these unique and sometimes eccentric traditions define the character and the memories of family gatherings.

Transcript

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[Cueball types on a computer:]

Computer: How to win political arguments with your awful relatives at Thanksgiving dinner

Megan: You know, despite all the posts about it, surveys show most families don't actually argue about politics at Thanksgiving.*

Footnote: *https://www.huffpost.com/entry/poll-nobody-fights-thanksgiving_n_5deece02e4b07f6835b7eab6

Megan: Take your relatives. Their political opinions are basically fine.

Megan: Maybe you should write about what they argue about?

[Cueball types again:]

Computer: How to win arguments about The Rise of Skywalker at your Thanksgiving dinner

Megan (off-panel): Aunt Katie does bring that up a lot, doesn't she.

Cueball: This'll be year four.

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Discussion

I know it isn't important but im dying to know whether the titletext is from Cueball's or Randall's perspective - Vaedez (talk) 22:11, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

Right, was Randall's mom mad at him for making fun of The Core in 673: The Sun? Orion205 (talk) 22:22, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

I think title text is often considered to be Randall's own viewpoint, unless it's an obvious continuation of the comic. And since Cueball has already indicated that Rise of Skywalker is his family's point of contention, I think this is Randall's mother. Barmar (talk) 22:34, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

We should just make a category for The Core (2003) at this point?--172.69.79.182 07:59, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

This being at least the 5th comic with a reference to The Core (2003), it indeed looks like someone in Randall's life keeps bringing that movie up. We have: 673: The Sun, 2011: Newton's Trajectories, 2074: Airplanes and Spaceships, and earlier this year, 2765: Escape Speed where you can find "a DVD of The Core (2003)". 172.70.174.136 23:19, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

I have my doubts about the referenced Huffington Post article- in my experience it is readers of the Huffington Post who are both most likely to bring up politics at family get togethers AND most likely to deny it, thus leading to skewed statistics.Seebert (talk) 00:06, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

I would not be surprised if that is part of the joke. ;) also merry turkey day. SDT172.70.114.95 02:48, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

ermmm acktuuallyyy it's "happy thanksgiving" 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓 someone, i guess^{(talk i guess|le edit list)} 03:47, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

ermmmm akshually, according to my calculashuns, its “have a jolly avian 24 hours”!!! 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓 42.book.addict (talk) 21:59, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

The best way to win an argument about The Rise of Skywalker is to fervently insist the Star Wars franchise ceased operations after 2013 and reject any evidence to the contrary. 162.158.62.237 09:51, 24 November 2023 (UTC)

Well, as there was nothing after the 1980 sequel, I don't know why you say the above... 172.71.242.213 11:54, 24 November 2023 (UTC)

Touché, good sir. 162.158.62.237 04:29, 25 November 2023 (UTC)

Or just point out that the whole thing was little more than a series of B-movies, and therefore not worth debating.172.70.90.231 09:19, 27 November 2023 (UTC)

Allow me a moment to retrieve the visual aids for my TED talk about the value of "low art" genres as a means of artistic expression and subversive commentary. Scorpion451 (talk) 18:03, 27 November 2023 (UTC)

That approach seemed to work for The Matrix. Too bad they never made any sequels. Orion205 (talk) 01:50, 28 November 2023 (UTC)