https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.69.130.10&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T13:34:34ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2306:_Common_Cold&diff=191995Talk:2306: Common Cold2020-05-14T11:36:10Z<p>172.69.130.10: </p>
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WHEN COVID19 IS DONE KEEP UP WITH THE HAND WASHING![[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.122|108.162.216.122]] 23:16, 13 May 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I saw a thing reshared some time last month claiming that after the hand-sanitizer-and-masks outbreak in Japan, some regions were recording record low numbers of influenza hospitalisations for this time of year. Thought that would be nice; but could only find unsourced claims. Would be nice to think there really was that kind of silver lining. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 23:30, 13 May 2020 (UTC)<br />
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According to Taiwan National Infectious Disease Statistics System, the [https://nidss.cdc.gov.tw/en/SingleDisease.aspx?dc=1&dt=4&disease=487a&position=1 number of severe influenza cases in Taiwan] was 109 on week 1 of 2020, then drop to zero since March. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.58|172.69.34.58]] 04:54, 14 May 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Based on the railroad's Twitter feed which announces when service is suspended because someone got hit by a train, it seems that deaths from being hit by trains are down where I live. I'd expect some reduction in accidental deaths due to fewer trains per day running. However, the reduction in deaths is greater than the reduction in train service, so that's not the full explanation, especially since most of the deaths were suicides.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.250|108.162.215.250]] 05:27, 14 May 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Was this comic posted a day late? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.130.10|172.69.130.10]] 11:36, 14 May 2020 (UTC)</div>172.69.130.10https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2146:_Waiting_for_the_But&diff=1736712146: Waiting for the But2019-05-07T06:15:06Z<p>172.69.130.10: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2146<br />
| date = May 6, 2019<br />
| title = Waiting for the But<br />
| image = waiting_for_the_but.png<br />
| titletext = Listen, I'm not a fan of the Spanish Inquisition OR predatory multi-level marketing schemes...<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BUT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
Often arguments are made in the form of "I think X, but Y", where Y is almost but not quite contradictory to X. More specifically, the argument would go "I am not [something generally considered distasteful], but [a more specific statement most people consider part of that general statement]". The first part of such a statement can sometimes be viewed as an apology or an excuse because the person talking knows that the second part might upset people. A common example would be "I'm not a racist, but I don't think we should let refugees from Africa into Europe." The idea of denying help to people from Africa will be seen as racist by many people, so the speaker tries to preempt that opinion of themself.<br />
In this comic, [[Randall]] suggests that the longer the first part is, the worse the expectations of the post-adversative clause will be. Since [[Ponytail]] lists several seemingly unrelated but agreeable positions, it would seem likely that her statement following the adversative conjunction will be outrageous and upsetting to many; for example, she could be about to claim that car crashes could be beneficial if the sparks from the explosion were used to cook animals for food.<br />
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In the title text, Randall gives another example of a sentence that will probably be followed by a but. It would appear that the person speaking in the title text is about to say that there is something involving predatory multi-level marketing schemes and the Spanish Inquisition BUT, unlike a but, no one expects either.<br />
<br />
Another possible explanation would be that when people hear a sentence that starts with "Listen, I'm" they tend to wait for the "but", and the longer it takes the more tension it may cause them, while the speaker may never intend to say "but". A similar idea was used for [[559:_No_Pun_Intended]]<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Ponytail is talking to Cueball, while holding her hands up with both palms up. Cueball is thinking as shown with a thought bubble.]<br />
:Ponytail: Listen, I'm all in favor of reducing car accidents, I think arson is a serious crime, and I'm a big fan of those "No Animals Were Harmed" disclaimers at the end of movies...<br />
:Cueball (thinking): Uh-oh.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:The longer you have to wait for the "but", the worse whatever comes after it is going to be.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>172.69.130.10https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2146:_Waiting_for_the_But&diff=1736702146: Waiting for the But2019-05-07T06:14:26Z<p>172.69.130.10: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2146<br />
| date = May 6, 2019<br />
| title = Waiting for the But<br />
| image = waiting_for_the_but.png<br />
| titletext = Listen, I'm not a fan of the Spanish Inquisition OR predatory multi-level marketing schemes...<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BUT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
Often arguments are made in the form of "I think X, but Y", where Y is almost but not quite contradictory to X. More specifically, the argument would go "I am not [something generally considered distasteful], but [a more specific statement most people consider part of that general statement]". The first part of such a statement can sometimes be viewed as an apology or an excuse because the person talking knows that the second part might upset people. A common example would be "I'm not a racist, but I don't think we should let refugees from Africa into Europe." The idea of denying help to people from Africa will be seen as racist by many people, so the speaker tries to preempt that opinion of themself.<br />
In this comic, [[Randall]] suggests that the longer the first part is, the worse the expectations of the post-adversative clause will be. Since [[Ponytail]] lists several seemingly unrelated but agreeable positions, it would seem likely that her statement following the adversative conjunction will be outrageous and upsetting to many; for example, she could be about to claim that car crashes could be beneficial if the sparks from the explosion were used to cook animals for food.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Randall gives another example of a sentence that will probably be followed by a but. It would appear that the person speaking in the title text is about to say that there is something involving predatory multi-level marketing schemes and the Spanish Inquisition BUT, unlike a but, no one expects either.<br />
<br />
Another possible explanation would be that when people hear a sentence that starts with "Listen," they tend to wait for the "but", and the longer it takes the more tension it may cause them, while the speaker may never intend to say "but". A similar idea was used for [[559:_No_Pun_Intended]]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Ponytail is talking to Cueball, while holding her hands up with both palms up. Cueball is thinking as shown with a thought bubble.]<br />
:Ponytail: Listen, I'm all in favor of reducing car accidents, I think arson is a serious crime, and I'm a big fan of those "No Animals Were Harmed" disclaimers at the end of movies...<br />
:Cueball (thinking): Uh-oh.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:The longer you have to wait for the "but", the worse whatever comes after it is going to be.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>172.69.130.10