tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post5296359932008173526..comments2024-03-17T05:03:46.056-07:00Comments on xkcd sucks: Comic 756: IgnoranceCarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-81387406202091525972010-06-28T12:33:48.805-07:002010-06-28T12:33:48.805-07:00Isn't this a little bit too meta, even for you...Isn't this a little bit too meta, even for you, Randall?mojo_ivhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14191366368538600770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-47360525518673815112010-06-25T14:51:30.450-07:002010-06-25T14:51:30.450-07:00I think that should be "We already know that ...I think that should be "We already know that Randall loathes the media." After all, we're not dead, he's not dead, and hasn't stopped loathing...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-10393979454421462662010-06-25T06:45:38.349-07:002010-06-25T06:45:38.349-07:00I love when prescriptivists are wrong.
first: &qu...I love when prescriptivists are wrong.<br /><br />first: "the media" refers to, and here I am quoting from dictionary.com's first entry for "media," "the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines, that reach or influence people widely." it is, as such, a collective noun. regarding its usage as a collective noun, the American Heritage Dictionary has this to say:<br /><br />"People also use media with the definite article as a collective term to refer not to the forms of communication themselves so much as the communities and institutions behind them. In this sense, the media means something like "the press." Like other collective nouns, it may take a singular or plural verb depending on the intended meaning. If the point is to emphasize the multifaceted nature of the press, a plural verb may be more appropriate: The media have covered the trial in a variety of formats. Frequently, however, media stands as a singular noun for the aggregate of journalists and broadcasters: <i>The media has not shown much interest in covering the trial.</i> This development of a singular media parallels that of more established words such as data and agenda, which are also Latin plurals that have acquired a singular meaning. The singular medium <b>cannot</b> be used as a collective noun for the press. The sentence <i>No medium has shown much interest in covering the issue</i>, would suggest that the lack of interest is in the means of communication itself rather than in its practitioners. "<br /><br />the most prevalent form the media takes in Western society tends to be the television, but print, online, and radio journalism are also included in "the media" and tend to have the same problems--it's why they get lumped together in the same collective noun.<br /><br />thanks for playing "idiots and pedants!" I hope you return again soon!rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-27929673218397292412010-06-25T05:36:32.003-07:002010-06-25T05:36:32.003-07:00Why do the illiterate always refer to television a...Why do the illiterate always refer to television as "the media" as if it were the only one? Maybe, to them, television IS the only medium.<br /><br />HINT: multiple channel selection doesn't make television more than one medium.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-15647570800845447952010-06-24T18:27:37.099-07:002010-06-24T18:27:37.099-07:00the daily show is famous for playing back to back ...the daily show is famous for playing back to back clips of politicians and journalists either contradicting themselves or just being bone shatteringly stupid. his impressions are notoriously bad and no one watches the show for them.<br /><br />as to my comment above....i think it proves once and for all that i have no idea what i am talking about. I'm surprised more people didn't call me on my epic stupidity. it was incidental to my point, but still: ugh.Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-67564314029379737842010-06-24T16:01:44.975-07:002010-06-24T16:01:44.975-07:00and John comes back with an incredibly pathetic zi...and John comes back with an incredibly pathetic zinger! it sure is a good thing I didn't specifically say that comically exaggerating traits for humor--something this comic did not do--is another way to make things funny.<br /><br />but congratulations on finally grasping the basics of sarcasm! it's an important first step in understanding why XKCD is so incredibly terrible.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-32321874723341536242010-06-24T15:46:43.649-07:002010-06-24T15:46:43.649-07:00Haven't you read Rob's new blog, dailyshow...Haven't you read Rob's new blog, dailyshowdoesntsuck.blogspot.com ?athoristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070678263796650684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-71722443074946949302010-06-24T15:31:10.601-07:002010-06-24T15:31:10.601-07:00Wait, the Daily Show is funny?Wait, the Daily Show is funny?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-83114796173607302172010-06-24T14:43:17.134-07:002010-06-24T14:43:17.134-07:00Wait, the Daily Show is funny because he takes stu...Wait, the Daily Show is funny because he takes stuff people say? So that impression of Dubya he's so famous for, everything he says when he does that is a direct quote, right?athoristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070678263796650684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-59359758295771913902010-06-24T12:57:35.219-07:002010-06-24T12:57:35.219-07:00Ugh, I hate the black hat guy comics. He's a ...Ugh, I hate the black hat guy comics. He's a character Randal borrowed from Men In Hats and then proceeded to fail at writing. Funnily enough, this is maybe the closest Randal has ever gotten to characterizing him right, although in Men In Hats he would probably just light the guy on fire or something.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-70554028958871910872010-06-24T12:56:57.291-07:002010-06-24T12:56:57.291-07:00Fuck you, Rob.
Fuck you right between the eyes....Fuck you, Rob. <br /><br />Fuck you right between the <i>eyes</i>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-52317390168375830352010-06-24T08:51:11.700-07:002010-06-24T08:51:11.700-07:00Rob's corpulence is second only to his sexual ...Rob's corpulence is second only to his sexual persistence.<br /><br />*stares*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-90224921629777562792010-06-24T08:14:58.558-07:002010-06-24T08:14:58.558-07:00I never said it exaggerated the media's traits...I never said it exaggerated the media's traits. its biggest problem is the fact that it doesn't do anything with it. it just makes a claim, and then sort of stares at you expectantly.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-24400187327754620132010-06-24T07:59:53.867-07:002010-06-24T07:59:53.867-07:00But it *is* "exaggerating the medias traits f...But it *is* "exaggerating the medias traits for humour"! And you criticised it for doing exactly that!<br /><br />Now youre saying it *isnt* doing that, and youre criticising it for that too!<br /><br />Damned if you do, damned if you dont, eh?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-8784769941324012682010-06-24T07:39:34.467-07:002010-06-24T07:39:34.467-07:00you miss the point. I guess I shouldn't be sur...you miss the point. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as you are defending XKCD, but nevertheless.<br /><br />the point is that, since the media is stupid, there are plenty of actual stupid things to choose from to make fun of them. it's pretty easy to do, especially given how incredibly dumb the media is.<br /><br />if you're going to make something up, it had better be actually legitimately funny--in some way interesting or different. Network was a fictional work that critiqued the media, and it was brilliant. Randy's work is fiction, but it's insipid. it doesn't offer clever commentary. it doesn't really expose anything interesting about the media. it's doing nothing more than saying "the media only reports on public ignorance and doesn't know it's doing it!" and it's doing this in the least clever way possible: by just straight up saying it.<br /><br />it's not exaggerating any of the media's traits for humor, nor is it exposing anything the media has actually done to expose it to ridicule. it is just making an assertion and passing it off as a joke.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-36663686429538743022010-06-24T07:31:17.588-07:002010-06-24T07:31:17.588-07:00Yeah, not such a bad assumption if you've actu...Yeah, not such a bad assumption if you've actually watched any news lately.athoristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070678263796650684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-68071760665249660672010-06-24T06:41:45.448-07:002010-06-24T06:41:45.448-07:00if it's a joke, it's a joke which relies o...if it's a joke, it's a joke which relies on your assumption that this is the sort of thing that actually happens in order for it to be funny.<br /><br />which is why it's funny when the Daily Show does it--because they are actual clips of people saying actual stupid things--and why Randy isn't--because he's just making up something stupid for someone to say.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-86382186756494783782010-06-24T05:53:28.167-07:002010-06-24T05:53:28.167-07:00Yes, the fictional character represents a class of...Yes, the fictional character represents a class of people, and said something that may or may not have been said by real people of that class. But the comic doesn't say claim that it happened, and it's - a joke?<br /><br />I'm just objecting to 'it would be funnier if the newsguy was saying something that was actually said, even though that would be less funny, because it would be Funny Because It's True (TM).'athoristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070678263796650684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-55834198678229455332010-06-24T05:46:05.362-07:002010-06-24T05:46:05.362-07:00Awesome, now the xkcd thread have turned into &quo...Awesome, now the xkcd thread have turned into "mmmmmm, 'vuvuzela' sounds like 'vulva'... mmm."Fernie Cantohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01753446688169468457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-37352371570833840142010-06-24T05:43:20.197-07:002010-06-24T05:43:20.197-07:00Am I a bad person for liking 757? The alt-text is...Am I a bad person for liking 757? The alt-text is overly topical, but the essential conceit -- it'd be fun to airhorn the kind of person who couches their bragging in humble terms -- is pretty funny.<br /><br />For example, if someone said to me, "not like it's a big deal, but I <em>do</em> draw a very popular webcomic on the internets." I'd airhorn the fuck out of that guy.<br /><br />I'm sure, of course, that there's some integral element to the comedic construction that I've missed. But you have to consider that <strong>BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZBZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ<br /><br />BZZZZZZZZZZ<br /><br />BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ</strong>Simon Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17656417618699122533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-80522088000108734542010-06-24T05:28:50.456-07:002010-06-24T05:28:50.456-07:00"Oh, and if its not ok to put words into the ..."Oh, and if its not ok to put words into the mouth of a FICTIONAL CHARACTER"<br /><br />Especially a fictional character that is NOT supposed to be representing a class of people from real life-- ... oh, wait, he IS! Duh, silly me, folks.Fernie Cantohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01753446688169468457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-87259724845767363652010-06-24T04:28:36.993-07:002010-06-24T04:28:36.993-07:00Oh, and if you don't believe how retarded the ...Oh, and if you don't believe how retarded the news is when it snows, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68mkgir5fbwathoristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070678263796650684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-54518371357138758972010-06-24T04:23:32.322-07:002010-06-24T04:23:32.322-07:00Oh, and if its not ok to put words into the mouth ...Oh, and if its not ok to put words into the mouth of a FICTIONAL CHARACTER, then narrative fiction will have to be written. (incidentally, lucky guess!)athoristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070678263796650684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-79058910711801866702010-06-24T04:21:28.239-07:002010-06-24T04:21:28.239-07:00Fred, Donald CunderThunts - all the time. We have ...Fred, Donald CunderThunts - all the time. We have 24 hour news, they have to fill it with somethingathoristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070678263796650684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-78007310087217557312010-06-24T03:00:19.692-07:002010-06-24T03:00:19.692-07:00SIXTY NINTH!SIXTY NINTH!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com