Talk:1565: Back Seat

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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The backseats of some cars are really messy. I have yet to see any dead animals though, unless you count hamburgers. 173.245.54.163 04:30, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

I wrote a very quick first draft of the explanation. This is my first time writing from scratch, so feel free to take it all down and start over. Also, my first time posting a comment, so sorry for inevitable formatting errors. 162.158.255.84 04:33, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

Welcome! I would say that to me this is not a comic about how raccoons always end up in the back seat of cars, but more a comic about how the phrase "clear a few things out of the back" is always an understatement/euphemism for disgusting stuff that's back there. In my opinion he just chose dead raccoon because of how gross that is. Bbruzzo (talk) 04:36, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
The raccoon is on purpose. They like to rummage through trash. Unless you mean, 'why was it dead'? If that, then because of how bad keeping trash and never cleaning it is like that of how hoarders live (where dead animals are often found). Azule (talk) 07:36, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
I don't think the explanation addresses the "understatement" aspect, that you mention, directly enough. Someone, please integrate it. Azule (talk) 07:41, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
Hello. I'm sorry, I rewrote the explanation. It appears to be about raccoons being attracted to trash and therefore how the person's car is basically a trashcan on wheels. Azule (talk) 07:36, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

I for one am mildly offended by this comic; while I am lazy about when I throw out bags of trash that often find their way to the back seat--mostly stuff like "trays that used to contain pecan twirls" or soda bottles--I do at least keep it wrapped up in ready-to-throw-out plastic bags to hide the smell, and under no circumstances do I leave enough food for a raccoon to go hunting in my back seat. (Please note *mildly* offended; I get it's just a comic.) Also, I hope it's okay to fix obvious typos in other people's comments, because I just did that.PsyMar (talk) 07:20, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

I fixed the formatting in the comments section a bit, so I'm sure that fixing typos is fine, too (as long as it actually is a typo). Azule (talk) 07:36, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
Speaking of typos, the hovertext should read "Hang on, let me scare the live raccoon over to the same side as the dead one." (not "of", as it is/was at the time of this comment). Cosmogoblin (talk) 08:09, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
To be clear, that's an official typo. A "[sic]" could be added to the transcript, if you prefer, until it is fixed, if that ever happens. Azule (talk) 08:36, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
I was wondering if that was not just American grammar, conflicting with my British education. (There's plenty of other instances. e.g. it's "I'll write to you", for me; not "I'll write you", which just sounds wrong in my ears but obviously not to Leftpondians where their use of the lone transitive verb is expanded. Although I'll gladly say "I'll've writ summat for ya...", in the right context, so 'go figure'.) Anyway, if it's not a 'merkinism, what's the original intention in the phrase? "..the same side that the dead one is currently (possessed/in possession) of"...? That sounds unwieldy but, as before, there's possibly something in some dialect or other that works. 141.101.98.159 11:58, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

Added my very first transcript. If there are errors in formatting etc. please fix them 05:37, 17 August 2015 (UTC)