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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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[[Randall]] [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|once again makes us feel old]] by referencing an old movie that would feel recent to someone at the time. The movie in question is ''{{w|The Social Network}}'', written by {{w|Aaron Sorkin}} and directed by {{w|David Fincher}}, which was released seven years and three days prior to this comic, on October 1, 2010.
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{{incomplete|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
  
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In the comic, Megan introduces her factoid with a typical opener of "Want to feel old?". Cueball points out that this is obviously a rhetorical trick to secure his engagement, as nobody truly ''wants'' to feel old. However, he still succumbs to the trick due to morbid curiosity - while he doesn't want to feel old, his desire to know the factoid is too great.
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[[Randall]] [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|once again]] makes us feel old by referencing an old movie that our memory puts as recent. The movie in question is ''{{w|The Social Network}}'', written by {{w|Aaron Sorkin}} and directed by {{w|David Fincher}}, which was released seven years and three days prior to this comic, on October 1, 2010. Seven years is also how long some people believe bad luck will follow you if [http://www.mirrorhistory.com/mirror-facts/broken-mirror breaking a mirror].
  
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Megan tells Cueball that, had he broken a mirror when ''The Social Network'' was released, his seven years of bad luck would now be over. This is a reference to an ancient superstition that breaking a mirror causes seven years of bad luck. For the purposes of Megan's comparison, however, it provides a more dramatic way to express "seven years ago", which makes the impact of that length of time land harder than it otherwise would. Cueball thus immediately regrets his curiosity.
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The {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_2016|2016 US presidential election}} took place on November 8, 2016. {{w|Donald Trump}} won in a surprise victory over {{w|Hillary Clinton}} ([[Randall]]'s favorite, see [[1756: I'm With Her]]). Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency so far probably makes [[Randall]] feel that the election took place far longer than 11 months ago. {{w|Telescoping_effect|Backward telescoping}} is a psychological effect that causes people to overestimate the elapsed time since an event.
  
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A mirror was previously broken by [[Black Hat]] in [[1136: Broken Mirror]]. However, as of October 2017, there were still 2 years of bad luck remaining from that breakage.
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Interestingly, the title of this comic is patterned on the previous "this will make you feel old" comic "[[November 2016]]," which was published in the early hours of November 9th, while the presidential election's ballots were still being counted. Some people (including ''explain xkcd'' editors, writing in that explanation's [[1757:_November_2016#Trivia|trivia]] section, see that for more details, also on this special title name) felt that Randall could have published something more timely, and commented that the election had made them feel old enough as it was. By using the same sort of title and making this joke, Randall brings the whole thing full circle.  
  
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The title text alludes to an opposite effect: even though the {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_2016|2016 US presidential election}} was relatively recent (11 months ago) at the time of this comic, Randall/Cueball has somehow convinced himself that the event has been going on for ''decades''. This alludes to the fact that Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency has so far been so stressful and eventful that the election feels like it took place far longer than 11 months ago. In psychology, this effect is called {{w|Telescoping_effect|Backward telescoping}}, which causes people to overestimate the elapsed time since an event.
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Shortly after the election Randall made [[1756:_I'm_With_Her#Sad_comics|several comics]] that could indicate his emotions regarding the result, but references to the election have become fewer and farther apart and here he again indicates that he has not been happy with the election result and what have followed, causing him to feel that all these bad things could not really have happened in less than a year, but they did.
  
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==Trivia==
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==Transcript==
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* The title of this comic appears to be patterned on the previous "this will make you feel old" comic [[1757: November 2016]], which also used the month-year format.
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{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
  
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==Transcript==
 
 
:[Megan and Cueball are walking.]
 
:[Megan and Cueball are walking.]
 
:Megan: Want to feel old?
 
:Megan: Want to feel old?
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:Cueball: Why do you always start your factoids that way? Of '''''course''''' I don't want to feel old. I '''''already''''' feel old.
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:Cueball: Why do you always start your factoids that way? Of ''course'' I don't want to feel old. I ''already'' feel old.
  
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:[Slim beat panel where they keep walking.]
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:[Beat panel]
  
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:[In a frame-less panel only Cueball is shown walking.]
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:[Frameless panel of Cueball.]
 
:Cueball: ...Fine, hit me.
 
:Cueball: ...Fine, hit me.
  
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:[Megan holds her hand up as they again are shown walking together. Cueball balls his hands up into fists in response to her comment.]
 
 
:Megan: If you broke a mirror back when the Aaron Sorkin Facebook movie came out, your seven years of bad luck would be over this week.
 
:Megan: If you broke a mirror back when the Aaron Sorkin Facebook movie came out, your seven years of bad luck would be over this week.
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:Cueball: '''''Dammit.'''''
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:Cueball: ''Dammit.''
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
  
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[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
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[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
 
 
[[Category:Politics]]
 
[[Category:Politics]]

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