Did anybody else have trouble understanding Monday's xkcd?

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For reference, here's the link: xkcd

I had to have a friend explain what was going on. Apparently I'm worse at nonverbal communication than I thought, because I absolutely could not follow what the characters were supposed to be telling each other.

I'm clueless.

I didn't get it the first time either, although after reading explain xkcd (google it, I'm too lazy to link) it makes sense now.

ExplainXKCD was also how I got to understanding it.

It was incomprehensible to me.

Redacted

the impression i get from reading through it once is that it is more effective to show someone something and let them draw their own conclusions about it, rather than expecting them to feel the same way as you do about it simply based on what you tell them about it without them having seen it.

I was confused until http://www.explainxkcd.com/

I didn't get it, and now I still don't get the joke/cleverness.

Redacted

I would have gone to the left or right of the hole. Not really too hard.

a surprisingly fine definition of "art"

I love xkcd but didn't understand that comic - the xkcd explained site is great ! !!

That has to be the hardest to understand XKCD I have ever seen. I had to read the explanation several times and I still find it hard.

Randall is very NT. Notice that the solution is to get social, to do things together. And every second strip is about relationships (usually involving sex)

A rant about XKCD being shallow, mean and hypocritical

I used to be a fan of XKCD, and I do not agree with the old "XKCDSucks" - Randall is still clever. but I think he is fundamentally wrong on a lot of what he says. he simply reflects his own biases (which of course we all do), but he does so in a way that attacks people who disagree with him (as we all so). For example, the previous strip is about being a human being versus being a pickup artist. This is wrong on so many levels:

1. Statistically, the pickup artist will have more success, so "don't be one" is bad advice. As someone who has always tried to be genuine I can assure Randall that most women much prefer pickup artists.
2. "Be a human being" means to be pickup atist (see: biology). people on the spectrum can probably see how fake most dating is, but the daters seem unaware of it.
3. "Be a human being" is a variation of "be yourself" - advice given by rich and popular people because, hey, it works for them.
4. XKCD is as shallow as they come: like most comics it will do anything for a laugh. The pickup artist has more depth because he is at least true to his genes and millions of years of ancestry, rather than claiming to be something new.
5. The "good" characters in XKCD are always attacking each other, just like the pickup artist,
6. XKCD is itself a pickup line: Randall does it to make money and be attractive to the opposite sex.

My biggest problem with XKCD is, if Randall is so smart, why doesn't he use his intelligence to do something of great lasting worth instead of a comic that confirms the prejudices of a minority (that the newest shiny meme really matters) and makes the majority feel dumb?

To be fair, I feel the same way about Stephen Fry. In his biography he says how he has never had any desire to do anything worthwhile. Obviously if you have great intelligence and wit it is easier to coast, but in the words Spider-Man's Uncle Ben, "with great power comes great responsibility."

My second biggest problem with XKCD is it is so self centred. The nearest thing to being deep or meaningful is when they sit by a lake (a few days ago) or similar. Personal pleasure is its highest form of morality. Even the occasional token charitable effort is just that, a token, it exists to allow the selfishness to continue without cog dis.

I know I am being harsh, but I just expect something better from someone who is smart. You can be clever and moral and successful at the same time. Look at Peanuts. Look at Calvin and Hobbes. Randall does not have to spend his life building a monument to his personal genius - there are other paths.


PS does anyone else find explainXKCD's use or "their" jarring?