Editing 1682: Bun
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | In this comic, [[Ponytail]] is teaching a class about an animal referred to as a "bun". The word "bun" is short for {{w|bunny}}, | + | In this comic, [[Ponytail]] is teaching a class about an animal referred to as a "bun". The word "bun" is short for {{w|bunny}}, an informal term used for a {{w|rabbit}}. The comic depicts a childish response to seeing a cute animal, except coming from an adult. The humor in the comic comes from a tone of absurdity in a classroom situation where lectures are expected to be serious. |
− | The lecture opens with the | + | The lecture opens with the fact that smaller buns are superior in rank, which is plainly false. Instead, the teacher clearly thinks that smaller bunnies are just cuter. She mentions that "king buns" may be seen around this time of year, which refers to rabbit kittens being born in the spring. Kittens would be smaller and cuter than any other rabbits because of their age. There is no mention of a "queen bun", but the gender of the kitten can be difficult to determine without a close examination. A prime example of a king bun can be seen [https://imgur.com/gallery/HicMr/ here]. |
− | [[Megan]], who attends this biology class, expected to learn about rabbits and hares which are both {{w|Lagomorpha|lagomorphs}}, a mammalian {{w|Order (biology)|order}} that also includes {{w|pika}}s. Megan thus clearly has the correct understanding of what a "bun" is. Ponytail then claims that the word ''bun'' is the scientific term, and states that rabbit, hare, and lagomorph are informal ways to describe these animals, again being completely wrong as in reality ''bun'' is the most contracted and informal name for a rabbit. | + | [[Megan]], who attends this biology class, expected to learn about rabbits and hares which are both {{w|Lagomorpha|lagomorphs}}, a mammalian {{w|Order (biology)|order}} that also includes the {{w|pika}}s. Megan thus clearly has the correct understanding of what a "bun" is. Ponytail then claims that the word ''bun'' is the scientific term, and states that rabbit, hare, and lagomorph are informal ways to describe these animals, again being completely wrong as in reality ''bun'' is the most contracted and informal name for a rabbit. |
− | Two students are then legitimately doubting that they're in the correct class and decide to check online (either the crude theories that Ponytail expressed, or their course schedule). A third student however appears to believe the lecturer uncritically, reminding the fellow students that they're looking upon the image of a king (i.e. a | + | Two students are then legitimately doubting that they're in the correct class and decide to check online (either the crude theories that Ponytail expressed, or their course schedule). A third student however appears to believe the lecturer uncritically, reminding the fellow students that they're looking upon the image of a king (i.e. a cute bunny). |
− | The title text refers to photographing a rabbit and, for example, posting it on social media | + | The title text refers to photographing a rabbit and, for example, posting it on social media - something which would typically be done today if someone sees a cute rabbit in the wild. If the poster had failed to photograph the rabbit before it ran away, they may typically post a message saying something like "I saw a really cute bunny today!" with an {{w|emoji}} depiction of a rabbit (probably 🐇 or [http://www.amazon.com/WEP-Emoticon-Cushion-Stuffed-Colorful/dp/B01EMBET4A 🐰]). This is especially common in the area where [[Randall]] lives, as the urban rabbit population in the Cambridge/Somerville area has exploded, putting a large human population with relatively little previous experience with rabbit-sightings suddenly in the position of encountering them very frequently.{{Citation needed}} |
− | Ponytail tells that buns have a hierarchy in which the smaller the bun, the higher its ranking is | + | Ponytail tells that buns have a hierarchy in which the smaller the bun, the higher its ranking is - a rank-size distribution. A "king bun" can be seen as an instance of the king effect, the phenomenon where the top one or two members of a ranked set show up as outliers. An interesting linguistic note is that in several Slavic languages (including Russian, Czech and Polish), the word for Rabbit literally means "Little King". |
+ | |||
+ | [[231: Cat Proximity]] also shows an adult human reacting childishly to cute animals, though in a casual setting. A teacher teaching complete nonsense is depicted in [[1519: Venus]], though intentionally false. Another educator who is excited about their field is in [[1644: Stargazing]], but there the facts are true while being presented absurdly. These comics also show someone who should be acting maturely but fail to, and can be considered to be funny in the same way because of that. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
Line 24: | Line 26: | ||
:Ponytail: Good morning class! Today, we will be learning about the bun. | :Ponytail: Good morning class! Today, we will be learning about the bun. | ||
− | :[Two rabbits are shown, | + | :[Two rabbits are shown, one slightly smaller, and a greater than symbol indicates that the smaller one is "greater than" the larger one. Ponytail is talking off panel to the left.] |
:Ponytail (off panel): Buns have a hierarchy. | :Ponytail (off panel): Buns have a hierarchy. | ||
:Ponytail (off panel): A bun's rank is determined by its size. Smaller buns are higher-ranking. | :Ponytail (off panel): A bun's rank is determined by its size. Smaller buns are higher-ranking. | ||
− | :[ | + | :[Two normal sized rabbits are sitting left and right of a very small rabbit. The smaller rabbit appears to give off a radiant light indicated with gray and white alternating rays going through the image. It is indicated that is shines on the larger rabbits as they are gray on the side turned away from the smaller rabbit and white on the front turned towards it. Ponytail narrates above the frame of this half sized panel:] |
:Ponytail (narrating): Most buns you see are relatively low-ranking. | :Ponytail (narrating): Most buns you see are relatively low-ranking. | ||
:Ponytail (narrating): But this time of year, a lucky few may catch a glimpse of a ''king bun''. | :Ponytail (narrating): But this time of year, a lucky few may catch a glimpse of a ''king bun''. | ||
:[A student represented by Megan is sitting at a desk with a few books on it, pencil in hand.] | :[A student represented by Megan is sitting at a desk with a few books on it, pencil in hand.] | ||
− | :Megan: | + | :Megan: Ok, hang on. |
:Megan: We're talking about rabbits and hares, right? Lagomorphs? | :Megan: We're talking about rabbits and hares, right? Lagomorphs? | ||
Line 39: | Line 41: | ||
:Ponytail: Informally, yes. But in this course, we use the ''scientific'' term, "bun". | :Ponytail: Informally, yes. But in this course, we use the ''scientific'' term, "bun". | ||
:Student #1 (off-panel): Are we sure this is the right room for ''introductory mammalogy?'' | :Student #1 (off-panel): Are we sure this is the right room for ''introductory mammalogy?'' | ||
− | :Student #2 (off-panel): I'll check online. | + | :Student #2 (off-panel) : I'll check online. |
− | :Student #3 (off-panel): ''Shh!'' Show respect! We look upon the image of a king! | + | :Student #3 (off-panel): ''Shh!'' Show respect! We look upon the image of a king! |
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
*In the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/2/2c/20160518175345!bun.png original version] the word "hierarchy" in the 2nd panel was misspelled as "h'''ei'''rarchy". This led to speculation regarding the near-homonyms "heir" and "hare", but the spelling was later corrected. | *In the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/2/2c/20160518175345!bun.png original version] the word "hierarchy" in the 2nd panel was misspelled as "h'''ei'''rarchy". This led to speculation regarding the near-homonyms "heir" and "hare", but the spelling was later corrected. | ||
− | *In [[1663: Garden]], | + | *In [[1663: Garden]], the rabbit image had the filename "[http://xkcd.com/1663/art/2x-important-bun.png important-bun.png]": |
− | + | ::[[File:Garden Important bun.png]] | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
Line 56: | Line 54: | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
[[Category:Animals]] | [[Category:Animals]] | ||
− | |||
− |