Editing 2368: Bigger Problem

{{comic
| number    = 2368
| date      = October 5, 2020
| title     = Bigger Problem
| image     = bigger_problem.png
| titletext = Your point that the world contains multiple problems is a real slam-dunk argument against fixing any of them.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LOW-PRIORITY PROBLEM<joke>, PLEASE FIX ALL HIGHER-PRIORITY PROBLEMS FIRST</joke>. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] is asking [[White Hat]] to help fix an unspecified problem with the world. Presumably, he is working for some form of charity, and asking for donations or signatures. White Hat responds by saying that Cueball doesn't care about the issue, and that he would be working to fix an unspecified larger issue if he ''really'' cared. Cueball then asks if White Hat would rather be working to solve that problem. However, White Hat says that he doesn't want to, but that he also hasn't come up with an excuse not to yet.

The claim that someone is not working towards an important issue, [https://what-if.xkcd.com/imgs/a/146/dontcare.png while not always completely invalid], is commonly used as a cheap tactic to ignore a solution to a problem, even when the person using it does want to help out with either cause. In the last panel of this comic, White Hat admits that he does not actually care about either problem, therefore proving that he only brought up the larger issue as an excuse to not support Cueball's cause.

The alt-text furthers this point. While the argument used by White Hat is supposed to imply that the person giving the argument cares about an issue that matters more, it's often used, as seen in this comic, as an excuse to not work to fix any problem, making it "a real slam-dunk argument against fixing any of them."

Both causes in the comic are referred to ambiguously and surrounded with less than and greater than signs to imply that they can be filled it with any two problems. This shows that the comic is supposed to describe a common situation that happens with many different causes.

The high-resolution version of the comic may be found [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bigger_problem_2x.png here].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball and White Hat are having a conversation. Cueball is holding a clipboard in his left hand.]
:Cueball: I'm trying to fix <problem with the world>. Can you help?

:White Hat: It's obvious you don't actually care. If you did, you'd be trying to fix <bigger problem> instead.

:Cueball: Okay, want to help fix <bigger problem>?
:White Hat: No, for another reason I'll think of later.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]