Editing 2051: Bad Opinions
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Explain xkcd seeks to be a neutral source of information; as such, it should be treated like one. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
+ | [[Cueball]] is imagining bad opinions, searching them up on the Internet, and excoriating people holding said opinions. | ||
− | + | In title text he goes further, where he can't find an opinion he imagined on the internet, but still wants to discredit it, just because he is so infuriated by just being able to imagine it. This is similar to {{w|Straw man|straw man argument}}, where someone refutes an argument that wasn't actually made by anyone. | |
− | + | If Cueball wasn't thinking of all these bad opinions, nobody else would have brought them to his attention, and he wouldn't have an opportunity to argue against them. The fact that Cueball is the cause of his own agitation is the joke of the comic (or perhaps, the sad part of the comic). | |
− | Ironically, the comic itself could | + | Ironically, the comic itself could be considered an example of this behavior. It is possible that Randall imagined the absurd person and behavior depicted in the comic, and wrote a comic satirizing it, without knowing if such a person actually exists. |
The [[1974: Conversational Dynamics|unhealthy conversation habits]] enabled by the [[181: Interblag|Interblag]] has been a regular theme in xkcd. In fact, this is a rather obvious callback to one of the most popular xkcd comics, [[386: Duty Calls]], wherein Cueball is actively seeking to discredit and correct people who are "wrong" on the internet. This is later done in [[2071: Indirect Detection]]. | The [[1974: Conversational Dynamics|unhealthy conversation habits]] enabled by the [[181: Interblag|Interblag]] has been a regular theme in xkcd. In fact, this is a rather obvious callback to one of the most popular xkcd comics, [[386: Duty Calls]], wherein Cueball is actively seeking to discredit and correct people who are "wrong" on the internet. This is later done in [[2071: Indirect Detection]]. | ||
− | Perhaps due to the inherent combination of disconnection and intense focus involved in use of the internet, it's pretty common for people to get into arguments online. Cueball has followed the trend of finding social success online by dedicating more time and energy to arguing pedantic points than his opponents. He's done this to such a great degree that he is now actively seeking possible arguments, even when the situations do not arise on their own. The end result is that his life has needlessly more stress, his interpersonal habits are those of contradiction and conflict, he makes unnecessary enemies, and he is always looking at a computer screen instead of his real world friends. | + | Perhaps due to the inherent combination of disconnection and intense focus involved in use of the internet, it's pretty common for people to get into arguments online. Cueball has followed the trend of finding social success online by dedicating more time and energy to arguing pedantic points than his opponents. He's done this to such a great degree that he is now actively seeking possible arguments, even when the situations do not arise on their own. The end result is that his life has needlessly more stress, his interpersonal habits are those of contradiction and conflict, he makes unnecessary enemies, and he is always looking at a computer screen instead of his real world friends. It's similar to obsessively editing a wiki article, just to make sure it's right. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== |