1708: Dehydration

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Revision as of 15:26, 18 July 2016 by 141.101.97.82 (talk) (Explanation: Explained title text)
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Dehydration
I don't care what the research says. Everybody knows you should drink 3,000 glasses of water a day and change your oil every 8 miles.
Title text: I don't care what the research says. Everybody knows you should drink 3,000 glasses of water a day and change your oil every 8 miles.

Explanation

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This comic puns on the idea that there is little to no consensus in the scientific community with regard as to the amount of water a person should drink per day. In the first panel White Hat presents us with an innocent and sensible suggestion (although controvertible) that people should drink six glasses of water per day. In the second panel, more characters joined the discussion, all with different (one of which markedly different) opinions, highlighting the existence of a wide range of so-called 'optimum' liquid consumption 'rule-of-thumb'. Implied here is the variety of health-related books, articles, blogs or other literature published that self-proclaims an optimum drinking formula. The first sign of absurdity arises here in the second panel when Black Hat posits that we need 5 glasses of water every minute. This equates to 7200 glasses of water a day, and using the standard definition of a glass equalling 8 oz, Black Hat is suggesting that we should each drink 1.7 cubic metres of water a day. This sarcastic [citation needed] statement further emphasises the undecidability of the problem at hand.

In the third and fourth panels, Megan, although having read through all studies on dehydration (or low-grade dehydration in particular), still could not come to a solid conclusion. She becomes dizzy and starts commenting on her own experience of dehydration due to her research on dehydration (ironically). Her personal experience with dehydration prompted someone off-panel to get some water. Cueball finally suggests that she should drink straight from the tap, a (tenuously) sincere suggestion seeing her dehydration, but mostly referring to Black Hat's sarcastic comment earlier.

The title text contains a mix-up between two often stated intervals; drinking eight glasses of water per day and changing the angine oil every 3000 miles (almost 5000 km). Obviously it's impossible to drink 3000 glasses of water, and changing the oil every eigth miles would make driving a car very impractical.

Transcript

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Dehydration

All but the second of the four panels have a black outline.

White hat says to Cueball: "Many people are mildly dehydrated. And don't realize it. You should drink at least six glasses of water per day."

Off-pane, left: "No, EIGHT glasses!" Ponytail says: "I heard ten." Black hat says: "You need to drink at least five glasses of water per minute."

[Later:] Megan holding a book or a thick binder, says: "Okay, I just read through every study I could find to try to figure out whether low-grade dehydration is even a real thing." Off-panel, right: "What did you learn?"

Megan, with squeans above hear head: "If you spend all day doing research and forget to eat or drink, you start to feel pretty bad." Off-panel, right: "I'll get some water." Megan: "But how many glas - Whoa, feeling dizzy." Cueball: "Maybe you should just drink straight from the tap."

Title text: I don't care what the research says. Everybody knows you should drink 3,000 glasses of water a day and change your oil every 8 miles.


Ambox notice.png This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.

Pane 1: Whitehat & cueball standing LTR next to each other, whitehat explaining to cueball:

Whitehat: "Many people are mildly dehydrated. And don't realize it. You should drink at least six glasses of water per day.

Pane 2: Whitehat & Cueball get joined by Ponytail and Blackhat

Offscreen comment: No, Eight glasses! Ponytail: I heard ten. Blackhat: You need to drink at least five glasses of water per minute.

Pane 3:

Later: one-eye-behind-her-hair-girl: Okay, I just read trough every study I could find to try to figure out wether low-grade dehydration is even a real thing.

Offscreen: What did you learn?

(one-eye-behind-her-hair-girl hereafter to be called o-e-b-h-h-g is the only one in this frame)

Pane 4:

o-e-b-h-h-g: If you spend all day doing research and forget to eat or drink, you start to feel pretty bad. Offscreen: I'll get some water. o-e-b-h-h-g: (Italic text) but how many glas- Whoa, feeling dizzy. (There's a few dizzy bursting bubble thingies above her head too)

cueball: Maybe you should just dring straight from the tap.


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Discussion

Uhm, shot glasses or lemonade glasses? Does it have to be a glass or can it be a mug? Could we specify it in litres perhaps? (How small a glass would you need for 5 glasses a minute in "normal" climate (20 C / 50% RH), without water poisoning? And maybe in 40 C / 15% RH?) --141.101.105.10 14:55, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

I think that's part of the joke, which is itself about how a large amount of people have been informed you should drink x amount of glasses of water per day, but the numbers wildly vary. I'd edit that into the page, but I'm bad at formal language. --141.101.98.73 15:00, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

It is possible to drink too much water, causing a dangerous condition called hyponatremia. Basically you end up dilluting the sodium (and other salts) in your body to a point where many normal functions can't occur. So 3000 glasses a day would probably kill you. On the other hand, I think the difference between a scientific recommendation of 5 and 8 glasses a day is statistically insignificant because other factors (height, weight, metabolism, activity levels, outside temperature, etc.) contribute much more to your needs. Bottom line, it's a lot easier to drink too little water than too much. 173.245.56.72 16:02, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Of course it would be a WOMAN to get dizzy. #rapeculture 162.158.214.231 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

She's doing SCIENCE, BITCHES. What do you want? 162.158.150.221 18:53, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

The other 'problem' with "you need to drink x amount" of water is the the studies (citation needed) give the amount of water you should consume, which includes the water in all (nonalcoholic)* drinks and food**. I go for days on end without drinking any plain (or carbonated) water without ill effect. There is a reputed way to assess dyhdration which is related to the colour of your "water". (*)the diuretic effect of alcohol results in the loss of more water than it was drunk with. (**)no doubt you could devise a diet with lots of juicy veg and fruit but no drinks, but it probably would have too much sugar.RIIW - Ponder it (talk) 18:26, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Is this the first time White Hat and Black Hat have been in the same comic? 141.101.70.127 19:25, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

It's the first normal comic to include both. Zach Weiner included both of them in 826, and they were both in 1110: Click and Drag and 1608: Hoverboard. .42 (talk) 20:19, 18 July 2016 (UTC)
Have you made cross reference between both characters .42? They are also both in 1000 which to my frustration haven't got any categories yet. I swear I will add them someday... but that is also a large comic. Have mentioned the fact in the explanation but with a possible included as I have no citation that it is so. (Yet) --Kynde (talk) 22:22, 18 July 2016 (UTC)
Oh, I missed 1000. I was only comparing their category pages. .42 (talk) 01:12, 19 July 2016 (UTC)
Yes and they are not mentioned in 1000, as someone thought that would be too much. I'm not agreing. But you also missed And 1581: Birthday ;-) in which they are mentioned. --Kynde (talk) 09:11, 19 July 2016 (UTC)
I also looked through and this is indeed the first comic where Black Hat speaks to White Hat. I have made explanation of this fact here. And linked to this from the explanation above. Beret Guy and Black Hat has never spoken together yet, and only once has Beret Guy spoken directly to White Hat. This is also mentioned in the link above. --Kynde (talk) 10:10, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

previous references to drinking n glasses of water a day:

maybe something to be put into the explanation? --141.101.91.247 20:11, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Someone has included those two already --Kynde (talk) 22:22, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

is the "maybe you should just drink straight from the tap" is related to the person saying "i'll get some water" being black hat. no one wants that. --141.101.98.84 11:35, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Funny detail, but since we do not know how much later we also do not know who is still there. Anyway if you are thirsty just drink from the tap, that saves the counting of glasses which was the point. --Kynde (talk) 21:37, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

I heard that the fuller quote is 'We need x glasses of water per day, most of which comes from our food'. 141.101.98.78 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Yes, this. Elvenivle (talk) 02:11, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

It's my understanding that the ideal amount of water to drink is gauged by however much it takes to turn your urine clear, which would undoubtedly vary from person to person. 173.245.50.25 05:35, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

  • um, a-level chemistry flooding back, i think you mean colourless. if your urine is cloudy you're in trouble. if it is dark brown then all that happens is that people who subscribe to the belief that this is harmful in some way get alarmed. for every imaginary study they have pointing out how harmful this is i have three that show it isn't and the opposite is true, that putting unnecessary pressure on your kidneys will have Dire Results. --141.101.98.84 12:09, 20 July 2016 (UTC)
  • 173.245.50.25 has the right idea, colorless urine = "you're drinking enough", yellow urine = "you should drink more" 162.158.83.144 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)