Difference between revisions of "1976: Friendly Questions"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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{{incomplete|Created by a NORMAL HUMAN - Expand explanation, add links to previous comics with theme.. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
 
{{incomplete|Created by a NORMAL HUMAN - Expand explanation, add links to previous comics with theme.. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
  
A common theme in xkcd is social awkwardness. Often times Cueball/Randall will grossly overthink casual social interactions, such as small talk. In this case, Cueball has prepared a note to himself, preparing for smalltalk, but it untimely backfires.
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A common theme in xkcd is social awkwardness. Often times Cueball/Randall will grossly overthink casual social interactions, such as small talk. In this case, Cueball has prepared a note to himself, preparing for the said smalltalk, but it ultimately backfires.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Revision as of 17:57, 4 April 2018

Friendly Questions
Just tell me everything you're thinking about in order from most important to last, and then we'll be friends and we can eat apples together.
Title text: Just tell me everything you're thinking about in order from most important to last, and then we'll be friends and we can eat apples together.

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a NORMAL HUMAN - Expand explanation, add links to previous comics with theme.. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

A common theme in xkcd is social awkwardness. Often times Cueball/Randall will grossly overthink casual social interactions, such as small talk. In this case, Cueball has prepared a note to himself, preparing for the said smalltalk, but it ultimately backfires.

Transcript

Ambox notice.png This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.
Cueball: Hey!
Hairy: Oh, hi!
[Cueball looks down at a sticky note in his hand]
[The sticky note reads: Normal Human Conversation | 1. Ask them about themselves]
Cueball: How many...apples...have you eaten?
Hairy: ...Like, in my life?
Cueball: Yes.
Hairy: ...
Cueball: ...I should go.
Hairy: OK.


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Discussion

same 162.158.238.160 15:57, 4 April 2018 (UTC)

>How many apples have you eaten?

IS THAT A JOJO REFERENCE? 172.68.211.82 16:22, 4 April 2018 (UTC)

Are you referring to the singer or the NY restaurant? Ianrbibtitlht (talk) 19:32, 4 April 2018 (UTC)
He's referring to the manga, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. In it, Zeppeli asks Dio, "How many lives have you sucked away to heal those wounds?" Dio responds, "Do you remember how many breads you've eaten in your life?" [sic] 172.69.54.63 21:29, 4 April 2018 (UTC)
Ok, thanks. Would not have gotten that in a lifetime! Your IP addresses are very close to each other - do you two know each other, or is this particular manga more popular than one might think? Ianrbibtitlht (talk) 23:01, 4 April 2018 (UTC)
It’s definitely a well known manga, with numerous internet memes spawned from it. Personally, I’m experiencing a Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon with it since Team Fortress 2 just had an update including an outfit that looks like the main character Jotaro Kujo. 172.68.211.82 04:34, 5 April 2018 (UTC)
You thought it was Cueball, but it was me DIO!172.69.63.103 22:54, 15 September 2019 (UTC)

I can relate way too much to this comic. Then again, I bet most of us here relate to xkcd in general, and are probably logically, socially inept, nerds. Linker (talk) 17:54, 4 April 2018 (UTC)

The last one of these was published a mere 15 comics ago. I assume this is becoming some sort of satirical how-to series. 172.68.211.112 22:46, 4 April 2018 (UTC)

Nah, Randall has just returned to some of his old themes recently. Check out the categories! Oh, and should we try to get the numbers on how many apples an average guy eats in his lifetime? I fell like maybe we could just write it, as a fun fact. Herobrine (talk) 23:51, 4 April 2018 (UTC)
As I pointed out in 1961, not so much "returning to old themes" with this topic, because he never really left it. Someone started a Social Awkwardness catagory (called "Social interactions" for some reason) after that last one, and I "quickly" zipped through all the previous comics to fill in the category. There were something like 5 in the two year "gap" there was supposed to be. :) Actually, as soon as I saw this one I rushed to ExplainXKCD to make sure this one was added, LOL! NiceGuy1 (talk) 05:09, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

I would assume "Do you like apples" might be weird unless there is some apple context, but at least answerable. -- Hkmaly (talk) 00:47, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

Noone else feels like this could be a reference to the - by now a few weeks old - news story in which the US president used a note on how to show human emotions to the vicitims of a massshooting? Lupo (talk) 05:26, 5 April 2018 (UTC) I feel that way as well, it was my first thought upon reading. 108.162.229.4 15:51, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

Probably not given as the note just reminded him to show empathy, it wasn't a guide on how to handle human interactions.Mulan15262 (talk) 14:03, 7 April 2018 (UTC)

The "I should go" reminds me of Mass Effect token phrase when ending dialogues. Could that be relevant to the post? 162.158.111.61 13:07, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

I find it unlikely that Randall is referencing the highly misogynistic and socially problematic Adams in this comic, and frankly the assumption that he is indicates minimal familiarity with either author and their outside work.172.68.141.52 17:30, 5 April 2018 (UTC) --172.68.141.52 17:30, 5 April 2018 (UTC)


 and the post-it being titled "Normal Human Conversation" which implies the existence of other post-its with titles such as "Abnormal Human Conversation" or "Normal Cat Conversation".

Does it, really? If I find a recipe titled "Delicious French fries", should I expect recipes for "disgusting French fires" and "delicious Chinese fries" to be part of the book? "Abnormal" conversation presumably comes naturally to Cueball, so he does not need a note for that, and he is probably not trying to communicate with animals, so he does not need notes for that, either. Jaalenja (talk) 06:35, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

Absolutely agree. I removed that part. Elektrizikekswerk (talk) 09:25, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

Reminds me of Donald Trump's cue notes for the meeting with students after the Florida school shooting in the Middle of February. Questions were e.g. '1. What would you most want me to know about your experience' and '5. I hear you'. Personally I am glad that a politician takes an effort and prepares. He should not be publicly shamed for this situation and possible social awkwardness per se (as long as he keeps positive and friendly attitude to people, what is not always the case) and I did not like the generally disapproving public reaction to the cuesheet and the questions on it. (I am not from the US.) Sebastian --141.101.105.180 10:04, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

Sorry, but Trump doesn't get a 'social anxiety" pass on that incident. When it comes to harassing private citizens, condemning immigrants, corporations or entire countries, races and ethnic minorities, trade pacts and trading partners, declaring who is "treasonous" or who needs to be executed, etc. he has no trouble speaking and seems to not even care what he says. The fact that he needs crib notes on how to be sympathetic and caring points to the fact that he is unfamiliar with those concepts. These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For (talk) 00:52, 8 April 2018 (UTC)
I think Randall is autistic. It seems like exactly what someone with that would experience (also, in What if? he said something along the lines of "12 people is a generous estimate for me". 172.70.34.164 18:16, 27 June 2021 (UTC)
There's actually a published journal article about how this comic is really about autism and recharche philosophy! Check it out: Wilkenfeld, D. A. (2019). Living with Autism: Quus-ing in a Plus-ers World. Res Philosophica, 97(1), 53-68.
For Those interested, his website has a link to said paperAnonymouscript (talk) 02:09, 7 April 2023 (UTC)