36: Scientists - Revision history

92.17.62.87: Don't want to delete this, if true, but clearly it has no real value if it hasn't been given a link to support it.

2025-09-13T20:22:16Z

Don't want to delete this, if true, but clearly it has no real value if it hasn't been given a link to support it.

2A02:908:D72:3A60:C95A:4F8A:82F9:9344: /* Explanation */ added a real-world example of the phrase

2025-09-13T07:07:40Z

‎Explanation: added a real-world example of the phrase

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

2025-06-16T10:01:47Z

‎Trivia

FaviFake: And we also have broken templates

2025-06-16T10:00:54Z

And we also have broken templates

FaviFake at 10:00, 16 June 2025

2025-06-16T10:00:38Z

FaviFake: WE FINALLY HAVE A DATE

2025-06-16T10:00:18Z

WE FINALLY HAVE A DATE

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

2025-06-16T09:50:16Z

‎Trivia

172.70.91.160: Undo revision 378465 by 172.68.229.136 (talk) Needlessly repeats part of the middle paragraph, plus inverts the stereotype of a gay man as actually being hyper-aware of their attire.

2025-05-24T18:03:54Z

Undo revision 378465 by 172.68.229.136 (talk) Needlessly repeats part of the middle paragraph, plus inverts the *stereotype* of a gay man as actually being hyper-aware of their attire.

172.68.229.136 at 14:28, 24 May 2025

2025-05-24T14:28:29Z

FaviFake: removed Category:No date

2025-03-13T17:44:58Z

removed Category:No date

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-This comic plays on the type of statement that news reports often use: "In what [group of experts] are calling '[quote]'," to add more weight and credibility to their stories. For example: "In what scientists are calling an extraordinary example of animal mimicry, a yellow-bellied marmot has learned to use a cell phone!". In this case, [[Cueball]] is using the phrase to attempt to add gravitas to the (relatively mundane) fact that his shoes are missing, and he thinks it's "pretty gay" by assigning this opinion to scientists (rather than it being, presumably, his friend's or his own opinion). The same joke is at play in the image text where a leading expert thinks the situation is "retarded."
+This comic plays on the type of statement that news reports often use: "In what [group of experts] are calling '[quote]'," to add more weight and credibility to their stories. <!-- IF SOMEONE CAN LINK THE FOLLOWING, IT MIGHT THEN BE A GOOD EXAMPLE For example: "In what scientists are calling an extraordinary example of animal mimicry, a yellow-bellied marmot has learned to use a cell phone!".--> In this case, [[Cueball]] is using the phrase to attempt to add gravitas to the (relatively mundane) fact that his shoes are missing, and he thinks it's "pretty gay" by assigning this opinion to scientists (rather than it being, presumably, his friend's or his own opinion). The same joke is at play in the image text where a leading expert thinks the situation is "retarded."
 The phrases "pretty gay" and "retarded" are infantile and offensive slang for "foolish" or "contemptible", and so they are the opposite type of speech expected of experts on news reports. These terms were not generally considered more than mildly offensive by most of the public at the time this comic was posted. The cultural mainstream is now typically much more critical of this type of language, and this comic would likely be heavily criticized if it were published today.

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-This comic plays on the type of statement that news reports often use: "In what [group of experts] are calling '[quote]'," to add more weight and credibility to their stories. In this case, [[Cueball]] is using the phrase to attempt to add gravitas to the (relatively mundane) fact that his shoes are missing, and he thinks it's "pretty gay" by assigning this opinion to scientists (rather than it being, presumably, his friend's or his own opinion). The same joke is at play in the image text where a leading expert thinks the situation is "retarded."
+This comic plays on the type of statement that news reports often use: "In what [group of experts] are calling '[quote]'," to add more weight and credibility to their stories. For example: "In what scientists are calling an extraordinary example of animal mimicry, a yellow-bellied marmot has learned to use a cell phone!". In this case, [[Cueball]] is using the phrase to attempt to add gravitas to the (relatively mundane) fact that his shoes are missing, and he thinks it's "pretty gay" by assigning this opinion to scientists (rather than it being, presumably, his friend's or his own opinion). The same joke is at play in the image text where a leading expert thinks the situation is "retarded."
 The phrases "pretty gay" and "retarded" are infantile and offensive slang for "foolish" or "contemptible", and so they are the opposite type of speech expected of experts on news reports. These terms were not generally considered more than mildly offensive by most of the public at the time this comic was posted. The cultural mainstream is now typically much more critical of this type of language, and this comic would likely be heavily criticized if it were published today.

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 ''Thank you for your tireless documentation effort :)
-''Warmest wishes,''<br>''Randall''|[[Randall Munroe]]|[[User:FaviFake|Source]]}}{{comic discussion}}
+''Warmest wishes,''<br>''Randall|[[Randall Munroe]]|[[User:FaviFake|Source]]}}{{comic discussion}}
 [[Category:Checkered paper]]
 [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 [[Category:Language]]

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 ''Thank you for your tireless documentation effort :)
-''Warmest wishes,''<br>''Randall''|[[Randall Munroe]]|[[User:FaviFake|Source]]}}
+''Warmest wishes,''<br>''Randall''|[[Randall Munroe]]|[[User:FaviFake|Source]]}}{{comic discussion}}
 [[Category:Checkered paper]]
 [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 [[Category:Language]]

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 ''Thank you for your tireless documentation effort :)
-''Warmest wishes,''<br>''Randall''
+''Warmest wishes,''<br>''Randall''|[[Randall Munroe]]|[[User:FaviFake|Source]]}}
 {{comic discussion}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{comic
 | number    = 36
-| date      =
+| date      = April 28, 2006
 | title     = Scientists
 | image     = scientists.jpg
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ==Trivia==
-Before [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] started using the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website for his comics, he posted them on [[LiveJournal]] using the "[https://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/ xkcd_drawings]" account. The new xkcd website opened on January 1, 2006, and the backlog of 41 comics from LiveJournal from [[1: Barrel - Part 1]] to [[44: Love]] was transferred on the same day, but in a completely different order. There were also two new comics released on the first day of [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] and a third new comic, this one, inserted a few months later. This comic was instead initially published as a duplicate of comic [[10: Pi Equals]].
+Before [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] started using the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website for his comics, he posted them on [[LiveJournal]] using the "[https://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/ xkcd_drawings]" account. The new xkcd website [[LiveJournal#First day on xkcd.com|opened on January 1, 2006]], and the backlog of 41 comics from LiveJournal from [[1: Barrel - Part 1]] to [[44: Love]] was transferred on the same day, but in a completely different order. There were also two new comics released on the first day of [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] and a third new comic, this one, inserted a few months later. This comic was instead initially published as a duplicate of comic [[10: Pi Equals]].
 According to an [[User:FaviFake|email exchange between Randall Munroe]] and an editor from [[explain xkcd]], he later corrected this duplication on April 28, 2006, almost four months after the release of duplicate. Prior to this confirmation, readers had only been able to narrow the replacement window to between [https://web.archive.org/web/20060423175703/http://www.xkcd.com/c36.html April 23, 2006] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20060705231511/http://xkcd.com/c36.html July 5, 2006], based on Web Archive captures. The comic's art style and content suggested it may have been an older, unused drawing selected to better match the tone and aesthetic of the surrounding comics.
@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 ''Warmest wishes,''<br>''Randall''
-|[[Randall Munroe]]|[[User:FaviFake|source]]}}
+|[[Randall Munroe]]|[[User:FaviFake|Source]]}}
 {{comic discussion}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:03, 24 May 2025
Line 13:		Line 13:

	There may be a second level to the joke: Randall was still working for NASA at the time the comic was posted, so his friends at that time would presumably include scientists and "leading experts". If his friends made fun of him for not being able to find his shoes, it would therefore be accurate to say that scientists had made those statements. However, since them being scientists is irrelevant to the legitimacy of their opinions about Randall's shoe problems, presenting their teasing as an expert opinion is humorously misleading; a similar joke is at play in [[1206: Einstein]].		There may be a second level to the joke: Randall was still working for NASA at the time the comic was posted, so his friends at that time would presumably include scientists and "leading experts". If his friends made fun of him for not being able to find his shoes, it would therefore be accurate to say that scientists had made those statements. However, since them being scientists is irrelevant to the legitimacy of their opinions about Randall's shoe problems, presenting their teasing as an expert opinion is humorously misleading; a similar joke is at play in [[1206: Einstein]].
−
−	(Side note: at the time of publishing, the phrase "pretty gay" was less politically incorrect than it is currently. Stereotypically, homosexual men are perceived as 'feminine', so Cueball having a problem with his shoes aligns with this stereotype.)

	==Transcript==		==Transcript==

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:28, 24 May 2025
Line 13:		Line 13:

	There may be a second level to the joke: Randall was still working for NASA at the time the comic was posted, so his friends at that time would presumably include scientists and "leading experts". If his friends made fun of him for not being able to find his shoes, it would therefore be accurate to say that scientists had made those statements. However, since them being scientists is irrelevant to the legitimacy of their opinions about Randall's shoe problems, presenting their teasing as an expert opinion is humorously misleading; a similar joke is at play in [[1206: Einstein]].		There may be a second level to the joke: Randall was still working for NASA at the time the comic was posted, so his friends at that time would presumably include scientists and "leading experts". If his friends made fun of him for not being able to find his shoes, it would therefore be accurate to say that scientists had made those statements. However, since them being scientists is irrelevant to the legitimacy of their opinions about Randall's shoe problems, presenting their teasing as an expert opinion is humorously misleading; a similar joke is at play in [[1206: Einstein]].
		+
		+	(Side note: at the time of publishing, the phrase "pretty gay" was less politically incorrect than it is currently. Stereotypically, homosexual men are perceived as 'feminine', so Cueball having a problem with his shoes aligns with this stereotype.)

	==Transcript==		==Transcript==

36: Scientists - Revision history

92.17.62.87: Don't want to delete this, if true, but clearly it has no real value if it hasn't been given a link to support it.

2A02:908:D72:3A60:C95A:4F8A:82F9:9344: /* Explanation */ added a real-world example of the phrase

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

FaviFake: And we also have broken templates

FaviFake at 10:00, 16 June 2025

FaviFake: WE FINALLY HAVE A DATE

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

172.70.91.160: Undo revision 378465 by 172.68.229.136 (talk) Needlessly repeats part of the middle paragraph, plus inverts the *stereotype* of a gay man as actually being hyper-aware of their attire.

172.68.229.136 at 14:28, 24 May 2025

FaviFake: removed Category:No date

172.70.91.160: Undo revision 378465 by 172.68.229.136 (talk) Needlessly repeats part of the middle paragraph, plus inverts the stereotype of a gay man as actually being hyper-aware of their attire.