377: Journal 2

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Journal 2
That's my hat! You took my hat!
Title text: That's my hat! You took my hat!

Explanation[edit]

This comic is a direct sequel to 374: Journal, where Black Hat discusses his plan exactly as Danish describes it here, that is, he intends to display signs of interest in order to flatter a stranger only to hurt her by rejecting her when she responds. In this case, the plan ricochets when Danish recognizes his plan before he has a chance to implement it.

Black Hat's tendency to act in enigmatic, and at times sociopathic, ways serves to give him a sense of superiority while at the same time keeping others distant enough that they can't hurt him. Danish not only recognizes that, she also calls him out on it. She recognizes his secret longing for connection to another, a connection that she could give should she choose to do so. Instead, she uses a more disingenuous version of his own ploy by laying bare his intentions and his desires before stripping him of his hat and confidence and herself from his life.

Danish proves she is equal to — or possibly even better than — Black Hat. His hat is an adumbration of his sociopathy and possibly a realisation that, in the completely hypothetical situation that Black Hat is just a character in a webcomic, no one would recognize him without his black hat.

The jarred Black Hat can bring his vast intellectual powers to say nothing more to an already-decamped Danish than “That’s my hat! You took my hat!”, making Danish far better at hurting others' feelings.

The whole "Journal" story is:

Transcript[edit]

[Black Hat and Danish are sitting in a train across from each other. Black Hat is writing in a journal.]
Black Hat: blush
Danish: I see what you did there.
[Danish stands up.]
Danish: You were trying to open me up so you could hurt my feelings.
Danish: You like to hurt people.
[Danish walks closer.]
Danish: Well, I like to hurt people too. And you know what?
[Danish is in Black Hat's face.]
Danish: *whispering* I'm better at it than you.
Danish: I'm about to hurt you more than you could ever hurt me.
Danish: See, I just saw right through you.
Danish: Alone of all the people you'll ever meet, I understand you-
[Danish strikes Black Hat's hat so it falls off.]
[Black Hat is surprised.]
[Danish catches Black Hat's hat and self-dons it]
Danish: -and you'll never see me again.
[Danish exits frame left.]
[Black Hat sits alone on the train and puts his arms down.]

Trivia[edit]

  • This is the first xkcd comic featuring Danish.
  • After this comic was posted, Black Hat would not appear in another comic until Journal 3, implying Black Hat stopped his usual antics whilst trying to track down Danish and get his hat back.
  • This comic used to be available as a signed print in the xkcd store before it was shut down.


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Discussion

I like how the explanation says that she is equal to, better than, or worse than Blackhat. Did we cover all of the bases? 108.162.237.161 15:42, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

It would be nice if the plot of the Journal series was not spoiled! 173.245.51.207

Fixed. I hope. --flewk (talk) 07:11, 28 December 2015 (UTC)

Fixed up the explanation. First time, someone check before removing the incomplete tag.Dontknow (talk) 21:49, 2 March 2017 (UTC)

I removed "worse than" from the explanation, because I think it ruins the point of the sentence it was in. Change it back if I'm wrong.

But I like my hat! (I almost always wear this green beanie lol) SilverMagpie (talk) 07:32, 8 May 2018 (UTC)

i don't like seeing black hat's hair. it unsettles me. 172.69.70.21 18:01, 31 August 2023 (UTC)

Same tbh it's weird --FaviFake (talk) 08:43, 1 September 2023 (UTC)