explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1687: World War III+

2016-05-30T13:04:56Z

JMR:

The mouseover text mentions stripping a quote of its context... although this kind of makes the point of the context can often dilute the meaning, it seems that a counter point could be made by pointing out an example where the context is the source at least two major quotes (such as "No man is an island" and "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" both coming from John Donne).

Or I could just be being frivolous here?

[[User:Joshupetersen|Joshupetersen]] ([[User talk:Joshupetersen|talk]]) 04:15, 30 May 2016 (UTC)
:or maybe a good example could be Darwin's qoute on the eye, which many creationist nutjobs take out of context and annoy everyone else in the same way Randall shows annoyance in the rollover text
[[User:JMR|JMR]] ([[User talk:JMR|talk]]) 02:03, 30 May 2016 (BST)

Hey, Randall skipped World War XIII. --[[User:XndrK|XndrK]] ([[User talk:XndrK|talk]]) 04:20, 30 May 2016 (UTC)

Maybe World War XIII is just sticks and stones again, considering XII? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.71|173.245.56.71]] 05:14, 30 May 2016 (UTC)
:Sticks and stones ''underground!!'' [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.43|141.101.98.43]] 10:23, 30 May 2016 (UTC)

I swear that I've seen this exact joke somewhere before. Not just the general idea, but I mean down to the text. Can't find anything in searches though -- does anyone else remember seeing this before?--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.221|108.162.220.221]] 05:22, 30 May 2016 (UTC)
:It may be a memory of the black Cards Against Humanity 'question' card, that leaves a blank regarding ''what'' WW4 will be fought with so as to be answered with a non-sequiter white card? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.43|141.101.98.43]] 10:23, 30 May 2016 (UTC)

Comics released within the United State Memorial Day weekend. The unknown VIII-IX could reference Star Wars movies with their unknown scripts. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.15|141.101.98.15]]
:I made this misreading too, but it's VIII-XI, and I do not know of that many star wars movies planned. Could it be a final fantasy reference? --[[User:PsyMar|PsyMar]] ([[User talk:PsyMar|talk]]) 09:17, 30 May 2016 (UTC)

1686: Feel Old

2016-05-27T14:38:38Z

JMR: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1686
| date = May 27, 2016
| title = Feel Old
| image = feel_old.png
| titletext = 'How long are you going to keep this up?' 'Statistically, only four or five more decades.'
}}

==Explanation==

This is yet another comic following [[xkcd]]'s recurring theme of using cultural or pop-cultural event dates to reference how much time has passed between two events, often with the stated intention of making someone realize how old they are (see [[647: Scary]], [[891: Movie Ages]], [[973: MTV Generation]], [[1393: Timeghost]], [[1477: Star Wars]], and the last blog post [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/09/29/odd-temporal-milestones/ Odd Temporal Milestones]). In each case, the joke is derived from the shock that many adults feel upon realizing that events that feel relatively recent actually took place many years or even decades ago.

This becomes especially acute when it's pointed out how old someone born during that time would be. Perhaps this is because for many people, there are fewer significant events and changes in their lives after they reach adulthood where there are no grade numbers and annual class changes to mark the continued passage of years. Hearing many years have passed framed in the context of the age of a child allows you to realize how long the period really is as you recall how much had occured in your own life and how much you had grown by the time you were that age.

In this case, [[Megan]] makes [[Cueball]] feel old by noting to him that the {{w|United States presidential election, 2016}2016 U.S. presidential election}} will be the first U.S. presidential election in which there will be eligible voters who are too young to remember the {{w|September 11 attacks|September 11 terrorist attacks}} which took place in New York City on September 11, 2001 (commonly referred to as "9/11"). These attacks were, in many ways, a defining event for an entire generation of Americans. This statement is made on the basis that the eligible {{w|voting age}} in the United States (the minimum age you must be to be eligable to vote in an election) is 18 years old, which is set by the {{Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution}}.

Eligible voters in this election will have been born on or before November 8, 1998. The youngest voters will therefore have been approximately two months shy of three years old on September 11, 2011. Megan is presuming that three year olds (or at least some or many of them) were either too young to retain any memories from that age, or at least were too young to appreciate the significance of the attacks such that they would be retained memories 15 years later.

The {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|previous U.S. presidential election}} took place November 6, 2012 and eligible voters would have been just shy of seven years old on September 11, 2001. Megan similarly presumes (or at least is generalizing) that voters who were seven on 9/11 were old enough to retain that memory through adulthood.

Particularly for those who were of voting age on September 11, 2001, it might seem startling that by election day, 15 years will have passed since 9/11. This might be particularly so given how significantly 9/11 shaped American society in the years following the attacks. 9/11 was a significant political point in the elections following the attacks as well as in non-electoral politics (such as discussions over homeland security, military actions, etc.) To realize that there are people who have reached adulthood and weren't even old enough to be aware of 9/11 when it happened is a stark reminder of the passage of time since the event. The {{w|United States presidential election, 2020|following election on November 3, 2020}} will be first in which there will be eligible voters who were born after 9/11.

When Megan asks Cueball if he wants to "feel old", he replies resignedly, suggesting that he recognizes (possibly based on the previous strips) that she's about to make him feel his age, but claims that he's ready. However, after she makes her statement, he admits that he wasn't ready. While he's technically aware of his age, that kind of perspective still catches him by surprise, and likely causes significant emotional discomfort. His additional discomfort may also be as a result of the serious and significant events of 9/11 Megan references in comparisson to previous strips where lighter things like film release dates are cited.

In the title text, Cueball asks Megan how long she can "keep this up" (i.e. how long she will continue to mention things to make him feel old). However, instead of addressing how long she can keep coming up with uncomfortable facts, she references a new fact that (intentionally or not) that likely has a similar effect of making cueball feel old: that they're only likely to live another forty to fifty years (suggesting that they're both in their mid- to late- thirties).

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Is also a question that is likely asked to Randall often. Perhaps, through this comment, he is confirming that he will continue making these comics untill death or for as long as he possibly can.

==Transcript==
:[Megan talking to Cueball]
:Megan: Wanna feel old?
:Cueball: Does anyone? But OK, go ahead, I'm ready.
:Megan: This is the first presidential election in which there are voters too young to remember 9/11.
:Cueball: ...I wasn't ready.

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

1686: Feel Old

2016-05-27T14:37:29Z

JMR: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1686
| date = May 27, 2016
| title = Feel Old
| image = feel_old.png
| titletext = 'How long are you going to keep this up?' 'Statistically, only four or five more decades.'
}}

==Explanation==

This is yet another comic following [[xkcd]]'s recurring theme of using cultural or pop-cultural date references to reference how much time has passed between two events, often with the stated intention of making someone realize how old they are (see [[647: Scary]], [[891: Movie Ages]], [[973: MTV Generation]], [[1393: Timeghost]], [[1477: Star Wars]], and the last blog post [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/09/29/odd-temporal-milestones/ Odd Temporal Milestones]). In each case, the joke is derived from the shock that many adults feel upon realizing that events that feel relatively recent actually took place many years or even decades ago.

This becomes especially acute when it's pointed out how old someone born during that time would be. Perhaps this is because for many people, there are fewer significant events and changes in their lives after they reach adulthood where there are no grade numbers and annual class changes to mark the continued passage of years. Hearing many years have passed framed in the context of the age of a child allows you to realize how long the period really is as you recall how much had occured in your own life and how much you had grown by the time you were that age.

In this case, [[Megan]] makes [[Cueball]] feel old by noting to him that the {{w|United States presidential election, 2016}2016 U.S. presidential election}} will be the first U.S. presidential election in which there will be eligible voters who are too young to remember the {{w|September 11 attacks|September 11 terrorist attacks}} which took place in New York City on September 11, 2001 (commonly referred to as "9/11"). These attacks were, in many ways, a defining event for an entire generation of Americans. This statement is made on the basis that the eligible {{w|voting age}} in the United States (the minimum age you must be to be eligable to vote in an election) is 18 years old, which is set by the {{Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution}}.

Eligible voters in this election will have been born on or before November 8, 1998. The youngest voters will therefore have been approximately two months shy of three years old on September 11, 2011. Megan is presuming that three year olds (or at least some or many of them) were either too young to retain any memories from that age, or at least were too young to appreciate the significance of the attacks such that they would be retained memories 15 years later.

The {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|previous U.S. presidential election}} took place November 6, 2012 and eligible voters would have been just shy of seven years old on September 11, 2001. Megan similarly presumes (or at least is generalizing) that voters who were seven on 9/11 were old enough to retain that memory through adulthood.

Particularly for those who were of voting age on September 11, 2001, it might seem startling that by election day, 15 years will have passed since 9/11. This might be particularly so given how significantly 9/11 shaped American society in the years following the attacks. 9/11 was a significant political point in the elections following the attacks as well as in non-electoral politics (such as discussions over homeland security, military actions, etc.) To realize that there are people who have reached adulthood and weren't even old enough to be aware of 9/11 when it happened is a stark reminder of the passage of time since the event. The {{w|United States presidential election, 2020|following election on November 3, 2020}} will be first in which there will be eligible voters who were born after 9/11.

When Megan asks Cueball if he wants to "feel old", he replies resignedly, suggesting that he recognizes (possibly based on the previous strips) that she's about to make him feel his age, but claims that he's ready. However, after she makes her statement, he admits that he wasn't ready. While he's technically aware of his age, that kind of perspective still catches him by surprise, and likely causes significant emotional discomfort. His additional discomfort may also be as a result of the serious and significant events of 9/11 Megan references in comparisson to previous strips where lighter things like film release dates are cited.

In the title text, Cueball asks Megan how long she can "keep this up" (i.e. how long she will continue to mention things to make him feel old). However, instead of addressing how long she can keep coming up with uncomfortable facts, she references a new fact that (intentionally or not) that likely has a similar effect of making cueball feel old: that they're only likely to live another forty to fifty years (suggesting that they're both in their mid- to late- thirties).

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Is also a question that is likely asked to Randall often. Perhaps, through this comment, he is confirming that he continue making these comics untill death or for as long as he possibly can.

==Transcript==
:[Megan talking to Cueball]
:Megan: Wanna feel old?
:Cueball: Does anyone? But OK, go ahead, I'm ready.
:Megan: This is the first presidential election in which there are voters too young to remember 9/11.
:Cueball: ...I wasn't ready.

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

1686: Feel Old

2016-05-27T14:36:36Z

JMR: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1686
| date = May 27, 2016
| title = Feel Old
| image = feel_old.png
| titletext = 'How long are you going to keep this up?' 'Statistically, only four or five more decades.'
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is one of many in which Randall puts the passage of time in perspective by pointing out how long ago certain events took place (see [[647: Scary]], [[891: Movie Ages]], [[973: MTV Generation]], [[1393: Timeghost]] and [[1477: Star Wars]]. Also see the blag post [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/09/29/odd-temporal-milestones/ Odd Temporal Milestones]. In each case, the joke is derived from the shock that many adults feel upon realizing that events that feel relatively recent actually took place many years or even decades ago. This becomes especially acute when it's pointed out how old someone born during that time would be.

This particular strip references the {{w|September 11 Attacks| destruction of the World Trade Center}} that took place in New York City on September 11, 2001. These attacks were, in many ways, a defining event for an entire generation of Americans. The current US Presidential election will take place in November, 2016, which is over 15 years after the September 11 attacks. In America, the minimum age for voting in national elections is 18, which means that there will be people who can vote in this election who were only three years old (or even slightly younger) at the time of the attacks, and so presumably can't remember them.

When Megan asks Cueball if he wants to "feel old", he replies resignedly, suggesting that he recognizes (possibly based on the previous strips) that she's about to make him feel his age, but claims that he's ready. However, after she makes her statement, he admits that he wasn't ready. While he's technically aware of his age, that kind of perspective still catches him by surprise, and likely causes significant emotional discomfort.

In the rollover text, Cueball asks Megan how long she can "keep this up", instead of addressing how long she can keep coming up with uncomfortable facts, she introduces a new fact: they're only likely to live another forty to fifty years (suggesting that they're both in their mid- to late- thirties), so that limits how long they can do anything.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Is also a question that is likely asked to Randall often. Perhaps, through this comment he is confirming that he continue making these comics untill death or for as long as he possibly can.

==Transcript==
:[Megan talking to Cueball]
:Megan: Wanna feel old?
:Cueball: Does anyone? But OK, go ahead, I'm ready.
:Megan: This is the first presidential election in which there are voters too young to remember 9/11.
:Cueball: ...I wasn't ready.

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Statistics]]