Difference between revisions of "White Hat"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Jump to: navigation, search
(grammar clean-up)
(grammar edit)
(20 intermediate revisions by 14 users not shown)
Line 4: Line 4:
 
| first_appearance = [[260: The Glass Necklace]]
 
| first_appearance = [[260: The Glass Necklace]]
 
}}
 
}}
'''White Hat''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. He is distinguished by his eponymous white hat which appears to be in the shape and style of a {{w|boater}}. His overall appearance is identical to [[Black Hat]] other than the color of their respective hats. Of the two, White Hat is depicted is depicted far less often. He is sometimes referred to as "White Hat Guy" in the transcripts.
+
'''White Hat''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. He is distinguished by his eponymous white hat which appears to be in the shape and style of a {{w|boater}}. His appearance is identical to that of [[Black Hat]] other than the color of their respective hats. Unlike Black Hat, however, White Hat doesn't necessarily represent the same character in each appearance.
  
Unlike {{w|White hat (computer security)|white hat}} characters in fiction or hacker terminology, xkcd's White Hat is neither smart nor heroic. To the contrary, his pronouncements often contain logical fallacies which greatly frustrate the other characters.
+
Interestingly, the two characters have been depicted together only in [[1110: Click and Drag]], [[1000: 1000 Comics]], [[1708: Dehydration]], and [[1756: I'm With Her]] still without a real connection between them, although they actually speak in the same setting in [[1708]], the other three being [[:Category:Large drawings|large drawings comics]] where they do not meet. The same goes for the other white hat guy, [[Beret Guy]]. See more on how little these three interact in xkcd in the explanation for [[:Category:Characters with Hats|Characters with Hats]].
 +
 
 +
In early comics, White Hat appeared mostly as a rare secondary character. But starting with comic [[915: Connoisseur]], White Hat began appearing more often and developed more of a personality, often playing the role of a philosophically misguided person. In this way, he's a bit of a {{w|straw man}}, making logical fallacies to help advance [[Randall|Randall's]] point (see also [[973: MTV Generation]], [[1215: Insight]], [[1255: Columbus]] and [[1277: Ayn Random]]). Other times, he is simply an alternative to [[Cueball]] or one of the other main characters.
 +
 
 +
In [[603: Idiocracy]] a character with a white hat appears, but it is a rounded safari hat very unlike White Hat's usual boater. He also has a very different mindset so there is no reason to believe that he is White Hat at all, and the comic has been removed from the list of those with White Hat. The main reason for the initial misunderstanding is that White Hat had already appeared in his normal hat three times before that comic, and Safari Hat guy has never been shown again, except in [[1000: 1000 Comics]].
 +
 
 +
==See also==
 +
*[[:Category:Comics featuring White Hat|Comics featuring White Hat]]
  
 
{{navbox-characters}}
 
{{navbox-characters}}
 
[[Category:Characters]]
 
[[Category:Characters]]
 +
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]

Revision as of 01:59, 6 December 2017

White Hat

White hat as seen in 973: MTV Generation
First appearance 260: The Glass Necklace
Appearances 179

White Hat is a stick figure character in xkcd. He is distinguished by his eponymous white hat which appears to be in the shape and style of a boater. His appearance is identical to that of Black Hat other than the color of their respective hats. Unlike Black Hat, however, White Hat doesn't necessarily represent the same character in each appearance.

Interestingly, the two characters have been depicted together only in 1110: Click and Drag, 1000: 1000 Comics, 1708: Dehydration, and 1756: I'm With Her still without a real connection between them, although they actually speak in the same setting in 1708, the other three being large drawings comics where they do not meet. The same goes for the other white hat guy, Beret Guy. See more on how little these three interact in xkcd in the explanation for Characters with Hats.

In early comics, White Hat appeared mostly as a rare secondary character. But starting with comic 915: Connoisseur, White Hat began appearing more often and developed more of a personality, often playing the role of a philosophically misguided person. In this way, he's a bit of a straw man, making logical fallacies to help advance Randall's point (see also 973: MTV Generation, 1215: Insight, 1255: Columbus and 1277: Ayn Random). Other times, he is simply an alternative to Cueball or one of the other main characters.

In 603: Idiocracy a character with a white hat appears, but it is a rounded safari hat very unlike White Hat's usual boater. He also has a very different mindset so there is no reason to believe that he is White Hat at all, and the comic has been removed from the list of those with White Hat. The main reason for the initial misunderstanding is that White Hat had already appeared in his normal hat three times before that comic, and Safari Hat guy has never been shown again, except in 1000: 1000 Comics.

See also