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| ==Explanation== | | ==Explanation== |
− | ''{{w|Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day}}'' is a philosophical comedy film from 1993. The main character Phil, portrayed by {{w|Bill Murray}}, finds himself in a {{w|time loop}}, which forces him to relive the same day (February 2) over and over again. This date is the titular {{w|Groundhog Day}}, which is celebrated in {{w|Punxsutawney}}, Pennsylvania, where the film is set. The folklore ritual consists in removing a {{w|groundhog}} from its burrow. If the sun is shining and the groundhog can see its own shadow, the winter is assumed to continue for six more weeks.
| + | {{w|Groundhog Day}} is celebrated on February 2 at some places in the United States and Canada. In this folklore, people remove a {{w|groundhog}} from its burrow, and if the animal can see its own shadow then the winter will continue for six more weeks. But when it's cloudy, the spring will come soon. "{{w|Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day}}" is also the name of an American film starring {{w|Bill Murray}}, in which Murray's character is somehow cursed to relive the events of February 2nd, 1993 for seemingly all eternity. No matter what Murray's character attempts, even suicide, he always wakes up at six AM on February 2nd. |
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− | During the course of the film, Phil makes more and more drastic attempts to end the time loop, but not even suicide can prevent his waking up every morning on February 2 with the clock radio on his nightstand invariably playing ''{{w|I Got You Babe}}'' by {{w|Sonny & Cher}}. Eventually, his character improves and he finds himself increasingly attached to his coworker Rita (portrayed by {{w|Andie MacDowell}}). The pair gets closer, and, in the end, they sleep together. This breaks the time loop, and Murray's character can finally wake up on February 3. However, whether they had sex before this final scene is disputed, as Phil is still wearing the same clothes as the night before and, when Phil starts kissing her in the morning, Rita comments that he wasn’t so affectionate the previous night. It is therefore left in doubt if they did anything more than literally sleep in the same bed. [[Randall]] was apparently not aware of this and [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/07/02/groundhog-day-correction/ apologized] for it.
| + | This comic is a mash-up of "Groundhog Day" and the work of {{w|James Ussher}}, who was a Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific scholar, who most famously published a chronology that purported to establish the time and date of the creation as the night preceding Sunday, 23 October 4004 BC, according to the proleptic Julian calendar. |
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− | The comic assumes that the loop was indeed not broken, and that Phil and Rita simply had sex night after night for all eternity. It is then stated that ''not even forever is forever''. This can be explained with the mathematical set theory developed by {{w|Georg Cantor}}. Cantor distinguished between {{w|transfinite numbers}}, which are larger than all finite numbers, yet not {{w|infinite}}, and the concept of {{w|Absolute Infinity}}, which he equaled with {{w|God}}. It was a common concern in Cantor's time to preserve the consistency between mathematics and Christian belief. Cantor's philosophical conception of infinity would allow the comic's scenario to eventually reach the transfinite date of February 3.
| + | This comic is purporting to say that unlike in the movie, Bill Murray and Rita ({{w|Andie MacDowell}}) never move on to February 3, but instead create our world with some sort of "sexual infinity". |
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− | The last panel references the {{w|Ussher chronology|chronology of the history of the world}} of Archbishop {{w|James Ussher}}. Ussher deduced the age of the world from the timeline of the {{w|Old Testament}} and calculated the date of {{w|Genesis creation myth|Creation}} to have been nightfall preceding 23 October, 4004 BC. The comic observes that October 23 is exactly 264 days after February 3, which corresponds to the average length of pregnancy. This calculation draws on Ussher's own methodology, which was basically to add the lifespans of the Old Testament genealogy. Although the universe is much older than 6000 years, chronologies like Ussher's can sometimes be found in the arguments of {{w|Young Earth Creationism}}. The comic might therefore be seen as a sideswipe to these theories by introducing ''Groundhog Day'' as a possible creation myth. The {{w|creation myth}}s of many cultures claim that Earth was born by some sort {{w|Mother goddess|primordial mother}}. Here, this role would be assumed by Rita. | + | The title text is a reference to the song "{{w|I Got You Babe}}" by {{w|Sonny & Cher}}, which is the song that Bill Murray's character wakes up to every morning of February 2 (and February 3 as well). The cosmic background reference is probably a reference to the {{w|Cosmic microwave background|Cosmic microwave background radiation}}, microwave radiation from space, the existence and structure of which is considered one of the best validations of the Big Bang model. |
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− | The title text refers to the {{w|Cosmic microwave background|cosmic microwave background radiation}}, which is often called the ''lingering sound'' of the {{w|Big Bang}} and regarded as a strong proof for it. If the universe were indeed the offspring of the film's protagonists, we might hear the faint echo of Murray's radio clock lingering in the cosmic background.
| + | In the movie Groundhog Day, the final scene has Bill Murray's character wearing the same clothes as the night before, implying he didn't sleep with Rita after all. Randall later noticed this error and [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/07/02/groundhog-day-correction/ apologized] for it on the blag. |
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| ==Transcript== | | ==Transcript== |
| :''Groundhog Day'' really didn't end that way. When Bill Murray finally slept with Rita, it '''didn't''' break the loop. | | :''Groundhog Day'' really didn't end that way. When Bill Murray finally slept with Rita, it '''didn't''' break the loop. |
− | :[Phil Connors and Rita getting busy under the covers of his bed.] | + | :[Phil Connors and Rita gettin' busy under the covers of his bed.] |
| :They just kept having sex, night after night, | | :They just kept having sex, night after night, |
| :[Bed containing Phil and Rita repeats.] | | :[Bed containing Phil and Rita repeats.] |
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| :[An enormous explosion in space.] | | :[An enormous explosion in space.] |
| :Bishop Ussher's date for the birth of our world. | | :Bishop Ussher's date for the birth of our world. |
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− | ==Trivia==
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− | *The comic mentions Bill Murray by his own name, and not by his character's (''Phil''), whereas Andie MacDowell is mentioned as ''Rita''.
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− | **This could be subconsciously done, since Murray is mostly remembered for his role in this film, although he has had many other successful ones.
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− | **Alternatively, the other way round, Bill Murray is famous enough from his various other works to be recognized as an actor, while Andie MacDowell is less known to a broad audience.
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− | **Most likely it is because Randall knew Bill as an actor and was thinking of him as the actor whereas he was thinking of Andie as her role Rita. Whether because of either the above reasons, it is something Randall did in a strange way. Also as mentioned above he did not really remember the movie, as the characters did not have sex with each other in the movie at all, at any time during that endless day.
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| {{comic discussion}} | | {{comic discussion}} |
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| [[Category:Sex]] | | [[Category:Sex]] |
| [[Category:Comics featuring real people]] | | [[Category:Comics featuring real people]] |
− | [[Category:Fiction]]
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− | [[Category:Cosmology]]
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