Editing 647: Scary

Jump to: navigation, search

Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision Your text
Line 8: Line 8:
  
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
−
[[Rob]] is telling his eight-year-old nephew a ghost story, employing such clichéd devices as a flashlight-lit face and stock ghost story endings. The boy is unimpressed, so Rob challenges him to come up with a scarier story. Rob's nephew merely states that he was born after {{w|9/11}}, and yet he is already mentally developed enough to hold a conversation with an adult. This proves effective, as in the final panel Rob assumes a fetal position, gripped by existential dread.
+
Uncle [[Rob]] is telling his eight-year-old nephew (also a [[Cueball]]) a ghost story, employing such stereotyped devices as a flash light-lit face and stock ghost story endings. Normally you do not look for the head of a ghost, but of a body - then the ghost may be a headless one.  
  
−
There is no hidden meaning here, but this comic sure is scary for many adults. What's being implied here is that time seems to be moving really quickly and we're getting older faster than we think. Events that seem like they "just happened" have happened long enough ago for a whole other person to come into existence, grow up, and learn to carry on a conversation. Every time we get reminded of this fact, it can be scary, as you then realize that [[1393: Timeghost|you are now closer to your death]]...
+
Rob's precocious nephew thus characterizes the ghost story as "lame," meaning that it was unimpressive or unconvincingly feeble. His uncle Rob ask him if he can come up with something scarier. Sure he says and offers the much scarier notion that even though he has been born after 9/11 he is already old enough to be able to have this kind of conversation.
  
−
9/11 was a terrorist attack in the United States in 2001, on September 11th. Major events such as the assassination of {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|Kennedy}}, the Moon Landing of {{w|Apollo 11}} or 9/11 are easily memorable. It is often said that "everyone remembers where they were when they first heard...". In consequence, these events act as milestones in our memory. They are recalled more vividly, and seem more recent. Today this is maybe also topping the {{w|Attack on Pearl Harbor}} which happened in 1941.
+
No hidden meaning here, but this sure is scary for many adults. What's being implied here is that time seems to be moving really quickly and we're getting older faster than we think. Events that seem like they "just happened" have happened long enough ago for a whole other person to come into existence, grow up, and learn to carry on a conversation. Every time we get reminded of this fact, it can be scary, as you then realizes that you are now closer to your death...
  
−
The title text mentions that [[Randall]] is teaching his 8-year-old relatives to say the same as in the comic — presumably to the annoyance of his older relatives who will be reminded of the fast passage of time. He does not stop here, but teaches the 14-year-olds to say they are born after {{w|Toy Story}} — a major block buster hit from {{w|Pixar}} which came out in 1995. A movie many people will remember fondly and feel just came out the other day. He continues with these scary thoughts by mentioning that {{w|Pokémon}} (1996) came out over a decade ago and that kids born after the big {{w|Disney}} hit movie {{w|Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin}} from 1992 will turn 18 next year (i.e. in 2010 a year after this comic was published).
+
{{w|9/11}} was a major disaster in 2001 to the United States — maybe also topping the {{w|Attack on Pearl Harbor}} in 1941.
  
−
[[Randall]] has both before and after this comic tried to [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|make people feel old]] several times.
+
The title text mentions that [[Randall]] is teaching his 8 year old relatives to say the same as in the comic — presumably to the annoyance of his older relatives who will be reminded of the fast passage of time. He does not stop here, but teaches the 14 year old's to say they are born after {{w|Toy Story}} — a major block buster hit from {{w|Pixar}} which came out in 1995. A movie many people will remember fondly and feel just came out the other day... He continues with these scary thoughts by mentioning that {{w|Pokémon}} (1996) came out over a decade ago and that kids born after the big {{w|Disney}} hit movie {{w|Aladdin_(1992_Disney_film)|Aladdin}} from 1992 will turn 18 next year (i.e. in 2010 a year after this comic was published).
 +
 
 +
[[Randall]] has since this comic tried to make people feel old several times in [[891: Movie Ages]], [[973: MTV Generation]] and [[1393: Timeghost]].
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
−
:[Rob and his nephew (also drawn like a Cueball, but smaller) are sitting on the ground facing each other. Rob is holding a flash-light up to his face and leans back on the other arm, while crossing his legs. The nephew is sitting forward resting one arm on his lifted knees and leaning back on his other arm.]
+
:[First panel: Rob and his nephew are sitting on the ground. Rob is holding a flash-light up to his face.]
 
:Rob: But they ''never found the ghost's head!''
 
:Rob: But they ''never found the ghost's head!''
 
:Nephew: Lame story, Uncle Rob.
 
:Nephew: Lame story, Uncle Rob.
Line 25: Line 27:
 
:Nephew: Sure.
 
:Nephew: Sure.
  
−
:[Rob has removed the flash-light from his face and the nephew leans more back and has shifted a leg down so only one knee supports the arm which are now more straight.]
+
:[Second panel: Rob has removed the flash-light from his face.]
 
:Rob: Try me.
 
:Rob: Try me.
 
:Nephew: 9/11 happened before I was born, yet I'm old enough to have this conversation with you.
 
:Nephew: 9/11 happened before I was born, yet I'm old enough to have this conversation with you.
  
−
:[Rob has dropped the flash-light. The nephew has taken the other arm down to the ground. Beat panel.]
+
:[Third panel: Rob has dropped the flash-light.]
  
−
:[Rob has curled his legs up to his chin and wrapped his arms around them while the nephew relaxes even more.]
+
:[Last panel: Rob has curled up and wrapped his arms around himself.]
−
 
 
−
==Trivia==
 
−
*Since 2017-11-05, the time between 9/11 and this comic has been smaller than the time between this comic and the present.
 
−
*Since 2019-09-11, some babies born after 9/11 are old enough to vote
 
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
−
 
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]
−
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] <!--the little guy-->
+
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
−
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] <!--two of the stick figures-->
 
−
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
 

Please note that all contributions to explain xkcd may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see explain xkcd:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

To protect the wiki against automated edit spam, we kindly ask you to solve the following CAPTCHA:

Cancel | Editing help (opens in new window)

Templates used on this page:

Retrieved from "https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/647:_Scary"