6: Irony

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Irony
It's commonly known that too much perspective can be a downer.
Title text: It's commonly known that too much perspective can be a downer.

Explanation

It must be part of the human condition that causes us to think that odd statements are sometimes more humorous than those supposed to be funny. Cueball makes a true statement, that his statement is not very funny. However, because he invoked irony, the sentence is now funny!

Now going meta: In 20,000 years, there might be no more humans on earth to find the irony funny anymore. How ironic!

This is the first xkcd to use stick figure people, which eventually becomes a defining characteristic of the comic.

Also see 33: Self-reference.

Trivia

Transcript

When self-reference, irony, and meta-humor go too far
A CAUTIONARY TALE
Cueball: This statement wouldn't be funny if not for irony!
Cueball: ha ha
Friend: ha ha, I guess.
20,000 years later...
[Desolate badlands landscape with an imposing sun in the sky.]


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Discussion

You can definitely see an improvement in these comics as Randall learns to clean drawings and form a proper punchline. Davidy22[talk] 14:07, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

I think this explanation is incomplete. Benjaminikuta (talk) 03:41, 11 August 2014 (UTC)


There is a community portal discussion of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the new Category:Multiple Cueballs. Since there is really only one Cueball that "talks" I think it is fine to keep him as Cueball. Just made a note that the other guy also looks like Cueball. Also noted that this is the first comic both with Cueball and with Multiple Cueballs --Kynde (talk) 17:06, 15 March 2015 (UTC)