Editing 603: Idiocracy
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| titletext = People aren't going to change, for better or for worse. Technology's going to be so cool. All in all, the future will be okay! Except climate; we fucked that one up. | | titletext = People aren't going to change, for better or for worse. Technology's going to be so cool. All in all, the future will be okay! Except climate; we fucked that one up. | ||
}} | }} | ||
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | The title of this comic is a reference to the dystopian comedy ''{{w|Idiocracy}}''. The film postulates that over about 500 years, society will suffer from a massive decrease in intellectual potential. This development | + | {{incomplete|explain, title text and transcript}} |
− | + | The title of this comic is a reference to the dystopian comedy ''{{w|Idiocracy}}''. The film postulates that over about 500 years, society will suffer from a massive decrease in intellectual potential. This development is attributed to the fact that people with a lower IQ are believed to be more fertile and thus better able to pass on their genes. The scientifical approach towards a negative correlation between intelligence and fertility is called {{w|dysgenics|intelligence dysgenics}}. | |
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− | + | [[Cueball]] professes his approval for the theories represented in the film, and [[White Hat]] agrees with him, lamenting the gradual decay in intelligence and education. But in panel 3, White Hat suddenly reveals that all the "facts" he cited were wrong, and we learn that he doesn't support the dysgenic thesis at all. He turns to accuse Cueball of conceited self-righteousness (using religious bigots as an analogy), harshly condemning intelligence dysgenics as an excuse for feeling superior to the rest of society. Cueball's suggestion of {{w|Birth control movement in the United States|birth control}} for the unintelligent only furthers his attitude. Although it is not named, one thing at work here is the {{w|Dunning-Kruger effect}} — that stupid people don't realize they're stupid. | |
− | + | White Hat's punchline, playing on Cueball's birth control suggestion, is a direct insult: it would be better to reproduce with a stupid person than an elitist like Cueball. | |
− | + | It's pretty clear here that [[Randall]] is voicing his opinion through White Hat, and using Cueball as a straw man. In later comics, this situation is often reversed, with White Hat as the straw man and Cueball as the reasonable one. | |
− | + | The title text reflects the opinion. It makes a few cheery comments on the future, but then finishes on a rather sour note about {{w|climate change}}. | |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Cueball | + | :[Cueball looking at a DVD cover. White Hat stands next to him.] |
:Cueball: ''Idiocracy'' is so true. | :Cueball: ''Idiocracy'' is so true. | ||
− | : | + | :White Hat: I know, right? It used to be that the intelligent, upper classes had more children. |
− | : | + | :White Hat: Sadly, the recent reversal of this trend has dragged IQ scores and average education steadily downward. |
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:Cueball: Depressing, huh? | :Cueball: Depressing, huh? | ||
− | : | + | :White Hat: Yeah, except ''everything I just said was wrong.'' |
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:Cueball: Huh? | :Cueball: Huh? | ||
− | : | + | :White Hat: Wrong. False. The opposite of true. |
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− | : | + | :White Hat: You're like the religious zealots who are ''burdened'' by their superiority with the sad duty of decrying the ''obvious'' moral decay of each new generation. |
+ | :White Hat: And you're just as wrong. | ||
:Cueball: But look at how popular— | :Cueball: But look at how popular— | ||
− | : | + | :White Hat: More harm has been done by people panicked over societal decline than societal decline ever did. |
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:Cueball: Look — all we need is a program that limits breeding to— | :Cueball: Look — all we need is a program that limits breeding to— | ||
− | : | + | :[White Hat is walking off panel.] |
− | + | :White Hat: New theory: Stupid people reproduce more because the alternative is sleeping with ''you.'' | |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | + | [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]] | |
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
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[[Category:Biology]] | [[Category:Biology]] | ||
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