Editing 1932: The True Meaning of Christmas
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This is the | + | {{incomplete|Created by a REINDEER. Anything missing?. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | This comic is making fun of the common trope in popular media that the {{tvtropes|TrueMeaningOfChristmas|true meaning of Christmas}} is about family, friends, and sharing the Christmas Spirit. It subverts the trope by suggesting that once the stories of the "True Meaning of Christmas" become sufficiently common, the real true meaning becomes to spread those stories. Thus the search for the "True Meaning of Christmas" is itself the meaning of Christmas, in a sort of "the journey is the reward" discovery. | ||
− | + | In the last panel and title text, "Autometalogolex" can be broken down to its various prefixes and the root: | |
− | |||
− | In the last panel and title text, "Autometalogolex" | ||
:"Auto-" - Greek meaning "self." | :"Auto-" - Greek meaning "self." | ||
:"Meta-" - Greek meaning "after," "beyond," or "in reference to." | :"Meta-" - Greek meaning "after," "beyond," or "in reference to." | ||
:"Logo-" - Greek meaning "word" or "speech." | :"Logo-" - Greek meaning "word" or "speech." | ||
:"Lex" - "lexis" is another Greek word meaning "word"; but in this case it is more likely to be a shortening of "lexicon" (another word for dictionary), or perhaps a reference to the process of "lexing" (lexical analysis), part of the process of computer analysis of text. | :"Lex" - "lexis" is another Greek word meaning "word"; but in this case it is more likely to be a shortening of "lexicon" (another word for dictionary), or perhaps a reference to the process of "lexing" (lexical analysis), part of the process of computer analysis of text. | ||
− | Thus, "Autometalogolex" | + | Thus, "Autometalogolex" literally means "A word that refers to itself in the dictionary." Or more precise it is "the act of looking up the definition of autometalogolex" which leads to a recursion as all ''meaning of Christmas'' stories do. |
− | The term Autometalogolex might also refer to autological words, words that refer to a property of the word itself. ("noun" is a noun, "pentasyllabic" is pentasyllabic [has 5 syllables]). "Autometalogolex" is a 'meta' version of the looking up (lex) of an autological word. | + | The term Autometalogolex might also refer to autological words, words that refer to a property of the word itself. ("noun" is a noun, "pentasyllabic" is pentasyllabic [has 5 syllables]). "Autometalogolex" is a a 'meta' version of the looking up (lex) of an autological word. |
− | [[Cueball]] finally states that Autometalogolex is his least favorite | + | [[Cueball]] finally states that Autometalogolex is his least favorite {{w|Santa Claus's reindeer}} in addition to the common eight names ''Dasher'', ''Dancer'', ''Prancer'', ''Vixen'', ''Comet'', ''Cupid'', ''Donner'', and ''Blitzen''. |
+ | |||
+ | As the title text reveals this ninth reindeer could be a reference to {{w|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer}} which was not accepted by the others until Santa had problems and asked it to lead the other reindeer pulling the sleigh. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The title text may also imply the only effective outcome of Autometalogolex (or the newly defined Christmas) is giving headaches as with many self-referential concepts. As headaches generally are bad, Autometalogolex is not accepted, but - as in a typical Christmas story, here driven into the absurd realm - Santa needed a headache, and Autometalogolex was there to save the day. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Cueball | + | :[Cueball and a person wearing a Santa hat are standing together.] |
− | :Cueball: | + | :Cueball: You're looking festive. |
:Santa Hat: I love Christmas! | :Santa Hat: I love Christmas! | ||
− | :Cueball: Really? | + | :Cueball: Really? Doesn't seem like your kind of thing. |
− | :Santa Hat: | + | :Santa Hat: It's our most meta holiday! |
− | |||
:Cueball: How so? | :Cueball: How so? | ||
− | :Santa Hat: All our Christmas stories now are about discovering the | + | :Santa Hat: All our Christmas stories now are about discovering the "true meaning of Christmas." |
− | |||
:Cueball: Huh, yeah. And then sharing it with others. | :Cueball: Huh, yeah. And then sharing it with others. | ||
− | :Santa Hat: At some point, that quest itself ''became'' the true meaning. | + | :[Santa Hat shrugs.] |
+ | :Santa Hat: At some point, that quest itself '''''became''''' the true meaning. | ||
− | + | :Cueball: Like a word who's definition is "the act of looking up the definition of this word." | |
− | :Cueball: Like a word | + | :[Santa Hat thinks.] |
− | :Santa Hat: | + | :Santa Hat: "Autometalogolex"? |
− | :Cueball: My least favorite of | + | :Cueball: My least favorite of Santa's reindeer. |
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
*At the time this comic was released the expression ''Autometalogolex'' did not exist. But only a few hours later at {{w|Urban Dictionary}} this phrase got its first entries: [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Autometalogolex Urbandictionary Autometalogolex]. | *At the time this comic was released the expression ''Autometalogolex'' did not exist. But only a few hours later at {{w|Urban Dictionary}} this phrase got its first entries: [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Autometalogolex Urbandictionary Autometalogolex]. | ||
− | + | *Some believe that the Santa Hat character is actually [[Black Hat]], owing to the Santa hat in question being black (the character's behavior, and [[Cueball]]'s comment that Santa Hat doesn't seem to be the type to enjoy Christmas match Black Hat's personality perfectly). However, the Santa hat may actually be meant to be red but rendered as black because the comic is in black-and-white. Santa Hat's identity is therefore unclear. | |
− | *Some believe that the Santa Hat character is actually [[Black Hat]], owing to the Santa hat in question being black (the character's behavior, and [[Cueball]]'s comment that Santa Hat doesn't seem to be the type to enjoy Christmas match Black Hat's personality perfectly). However, the Santa hat may actually be meant to be red but rendered as black because the comic is in black-and-white | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
+ | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] | ||
[[Category:Christmas]] | [[Category:Christmas]] | ||
− | + | [[Category:Characters with Hats]] | |
− | [[Category:Characters with | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− |