779: Anxiety

Anxiety

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Title text: Don't need any, thanks. I have a backscattering fetish.

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Explanation

This explanation was found to be incomplete after being nominated for This Week's Explanation for Improvement. Although it was not featured, the nomination process revealed issues that still need to be addressed to meet our quality standards. Before removing this notice, read the November 2026 nomination and the comic discussion to ensure the issues raised by the Explanation Improvement Project have been satisfactorily addressed:   Nowhere near today's standards. Improve at will. You can help by editing the explanation! If you are new to wiki editing, see our editing FAQ for guidance.

Some people are upset about airport security policies that mandate the use of backscatter X-ray machines, since the machines can create an image of the subject naked. In protest, the travellers in the lineup (or at least the male ones) are taking Viagra, sold to them by Black Hat; there is a heteronormative expectation that the male security guard will be disgusted at being forced to look at erect penises. (An expectation which is supported by the guard's thought bubble of "Oh God" in response to an unseen person, presumably sporting such an erection, already in the scanner.) Alternatively, the guard may just be worried by the fact that Black Hat is selling unidentified pills which might contain harmful ingredients.

Realistically, given the size of the line, there would be insufficient time between consuming the pills and entering the scanner for them to take effect.

Given Black Hat's personality, it is unlikely he is doing this in protest; rather he is monetizing the opportunity, a supposition reinforced by the inflated price ($20 for a single dose) at which he is selling the medication.

An alternate interpretation is that many men feel self-conscious (or anxious, as the title puts it) about their size when flaccid, and thus might wish to "put their best foot forward" and look their best.

In the title text, one of the people in the line explains he has a fetish with being X-ray scanned, and thus doesn't need Viagra to achieve the above effect.

Transcript

[There is an airport security checkpoint where a queue of ten passengers is waiting to go through a backscatter X-ray scanner. Near the back of the line, Black Hat is standing next to a stand and a sign which says "Viagra $20". One passenger next to him is drinking a glass of water; another is contemplating the sign.]

Security Guard (thinking): Oh God.

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Discussion

The explanation for comic 779: Anxiety was identified by Black Hat's Hat as being neglected and was nominated in August 2026 for This Week's Explanation for Improvement. It was considered as a candidate by the Explanation Improvement Project, but it was not successful. It remains open for any editor to expand, polish, and improve. (view the explanation at nomination time)

I don't think it's Black Hat saying the title text but someone else in line. However, I'm not sure so I'm hesitant to edit it.173.245.54.64 15:54, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

I think the point is not about offending the backscatter operator, but more about men not wanting others to view their genitals in the flaccid state. Many men have self-esteem issues about genital size, and would be eager to take a pill that would make them appear larger before exposing themselves in that way. 199.27.128.112 05:29, 2 May 2014 (UTC)

$20 a pill for a now-generic (Pfizer's patent expired in mid-2014) medication is a bit steep, yes? 108.162.250.223 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Not sure how that is in any way relevant, since the comic is from 2010. Are you suggesting that Randall on a regular basis should go back and adjust all his comics for inflation and other market developments? 141.101.104.163 22:35, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

Plus, Black Hat is probably not overmuch concerned with providing a fair price. It's like the vending machines at amusement parks that charge $5 for a bottle of water. --188.114.106.65 20:42, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

Backscattering fetish must be a subset of X-ray porn (which exists - no, really). 108.162.230.89 11:15, 16 October 2014 (UTC)

I don't know what I expected. I googled it. 173.245.50.89 18:11, 28 April 2015 (UTC)BK201

Explanation was convinced men would want to do this just to resist the system, I find there's a more obvious and definite reason so I put that in, and kept the previous as an alternate (while less likely) explanation. Maybe I just understand psychology better, maybe it's that I remember the night my brother and his buddy tried to fill in as strippers at a bachelorette party and had a certain form of stage fright. :) NiceGuy1 (talk) 04:08, 18 March 2018 (UTC)

Quick edit, the transcript says that the guy with the glass just took the pills and is washing them down, I changed it to say that he's about to take the pills now that there's some water in his mouth because A, the way his hand is positioned makes it look like he's still holding them and B, that's how I take pills. (Personal research, sorry)
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