Difference between revisions of "32: Pillar"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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(Explanation: If you say so)
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Another interpretation of the punchline is that righty doesn't like lefty's idea of questioning all of human existence, and mocks that philosophy by pretending not to see that lefty is on the pole.
 
Another interpretation of the punchline is that righty doesn't like lefty's idea of questioning all of human existence, and mocks that philosophy by pretending not to see that lefty is on the pole.
  
As noted, this comic is based on a comic drawn by [[Randall Munroe|Randall]]'s brother Doug, although Randall apparently redrew and rewrote it. Unlike most other ''[[xkcd]]'' comics, the "panels" of this comic are not divided and are drawn within a single frame.
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The concept on a philosopher on a pole is likely a reference to many "performing monks" of the late antiquity period, most famously {{w|Simeon Stylites}}. Such practitioners were common throughout the Roman Empire, and their goal was to show their devotion as proudly as possible.
  
The concept on a philosopher on a pole is likely a reference to many "preforming monks" of the late antiquity period, most famously {{w|Simeon Stylites}}. Such practitioners were common throughout the Roman Empire, and their goal was to show their devotion as proudly as possible.
+
Unlike most other ''[[xkcd]]'' comics, the "panels" of this comic are not divided and are drawn within a single frame.
 +
 
 +
As noted at the title text, this comic is based on a comic drawn by [[Randall]]'s brother Doug, although Randall apparently redrew and rewrote it.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Revision as of 04:30, 3 March 2014

Pillar
A comic by my brother Doug, redrawn and rewritten by me
Title text: A comic by my brother Doug, redrawn and rewritten by me

Explanation

Two characters ponder the unanswerable philosophical question of whether all people observe the universe the same, or whether, for example, what one person sees as "red" might be what another see as "green". They muse that no one really knows how anyone else sees the world.

The misdirection and punchline of the comic comes when lefty asks if righty can get him down from the pole he's been standing on for the entire comic. Righty's reply indicates that he does not see a pole, proving that one person does observe the world differently than another; in this case, in a far more extreme and unexpected way than color differences.

Another interpretation of the punchline is that righty doesn't like lefty's idea of questioning all of human existence, and mocks that philosophy by pretending not to see that lefty is on the pole.

The concept on a philosopher on a pole is likely a reference to many "performing monks" of the late antiquity period, most famously Simeon Stylites. Such practitioners were common throughout the Roman Empire, and their goal was to show their devotion as proudly as possible.

Unlike most other xkcd comics, the "panels" of this comic are not divided and are drawn within a single frame.

As noted at the title text, this comic is based on a comic drawn by Randall's brother Doug, although Randall apparently redrew and rewrote it.

Transcript

This one is mostly by my little brother, Doug.
[Cueball on a tall pillar is talking to his friend on the ground]
Cueball: The sky is so blue, and all the leaves are green.
Friend: Haven't you ever wondered if we really see the same colors as everyone else? It's all perception.
Cueball: Well, you might as well call into question all of human experience. Who really knows what world someone else sees?
Friend: Yeah, I guess.
Cueball: Anyway, can you help me down from this pole?
Friend: What pole?

Trivia


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Discussion

I have oft wondered about the color thing. 71.178.11.180 21:49, 23 October 2012 (UTC) Bigger problem- how do you know there are other people?

The incessantly thumping bass from your neighbour's "music" is a bit of a clue. :-) BinaryDigit (talk) 09:23, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Is that Comic Sans (the font) in the top left? Caagr98 (talk) 15:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

Augh, it is Comic Sans! 173.245.52.29 21:00, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Also, it could be that Righty doesn't see a pole, but a pillar, as suggested by the title of the comic. That's why he asks, "What pole?", implying, "I only see a pillar". 173.245.62.75 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

The song "Shpadoinkle" from Trey Parker and Matt Stone's "Cannibal! The Musical" begins with the line, "The sky is blue, and all the leaves are green." Trueflint (talk) 17:15, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Anecdotally, I don't even perceive colors the same between my eyes. When I stare at a white wall, my left eye perceives it as tinted red, and my right eye perceives it as tinted green. 172.68.141.34 03:18, 15 August 2017 (UTC)

That's really interesting. Was it ever investigated why that is the case? And could that maybe be scientifically relevant? Fabian42 (talk) 09:12, 24 August 2017 (UTC)
Does this mean you don't need special glasses to watch a 3D film ?. Just kidding, I hope you get it fixed if you want to or are happy with it as it is. EditorGonk (talk) 12:34, 20 July 2018 (UTC)

My wife, who's an artist, perceives the sky as purple. We originally thought she was partially colorblind. But after finding out that she sees photographs of the sky inside as the same light blue / cyan as other people, and flowers turn different colors outside, and asking her if a blacklight was the same color as the sky (yes it is), I determined that she sees Ultraviolet Light that the rest of us cannot. Interestingly, this development happened at the same time as she developed a persistent "smear" across her vision, and it's correlated with that time she fell through the ice while skateboarding. Dartania (talk) 10:34, 10 June 2021 (EST)