Difference between revisions of "3217: Home Remedies"
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
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Many household problems have a range of commonly-circulated supposed solutions using easily available items and ingredients, such as using salt to lift a stain out of a carpet. Sometimes, when one of these problems presents itself, several competing remedies may be offered by those present. This comic imagines this as a competitive sport, in which the final test is to combine several of these problems into one grand challenge to be solved. Specifically, the contestants in this case are presented with: | Many household problems have a range of commonly-circulated supposed solutions using easily available items and ingredients, such as using salt to lift a stain out of a carpet. Sometimes, when one of these problems presents itself, several competing remedies may be offered by those present. This comic imagines this as a competitive sport, in which the final test is to combine several of these problems into one grand challenge to be solved. Specifically, the contestants in this case are presented with: | ||
* removing unpleasant odours (in this case, that of a {{w|skunk}}) | * removing unpleasant odours (in this case, that of a {{w|skunk}}) | ||
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* removing a wild animal from the premises | * removing a wild animal from the premises | ||
| − | The contest appears to be set up such that strategy plays a role. While a hungover skunk is highly likely to spray when chewing gum is being removed from its fur (thus forcing the contestant to fix all 3 problems), a hangover cure that makes use of a restorative deep sleep could, if administered properly, completely remove the need to remedy the smell of skunk spray. Offering contestants a longer yet easier path versus a quicker yet riskier path is a common trope in {{w|reality television}}. Putting the skunk to sleep could be seen as risky due to the complexity of the remedy, the risk of disqualification (killing the skunk) and the risk of failure (getting sprayed anyway | + | The contest appears to be set up such that strategy plays a role. While a hungover skunk is highly likely to spray when chewing gum is being removed from its fur (thus forcing the contestant to fix all 3 problems), a hangover cure that makes use of a restorative deep sleep could, if administered properly, completely remove the need to remedy the smell of skunk spray. Offering contestants a longer yet easier path versus a quicker yet riskier path is a common trope in {{w|reality television}}. Putting the skunk to sleep could be seen as risky due to the complexity of the remedy, the risk of disqualification (killing the skunk) and the risk of failure (getting sprayed anyway, not actually curing the hangover, or running out of time). White Hat may be at an unfair advantage in implementing a strategy that prevents the skunk from spraying since the other two contestants' boxes are vibrating, indicating their skunks are agitated and thus liable to spray as soon as the box is opened, and his is not. |
The title text's requirement that any assistance must come from a grandparent may reference the fact that such treatments are often described as "something my (granpappy/grandmaw/etc) told me", perhaps having reportedly been something that they themselves learnt from their own grandparent (and possibly even further back), deferring to the implied {{w|Wise old man|authority and experience}} behind them. These tidbits of information are rarely used enough to be among any of the life lessons that direct parents may teach to an individual, but still useful knowledge to {{w|Grandmother hypothesis#The grandmother effect|pass down the generations}}. | The title text's requirement that any assistance must come from a grandparent may reference the fact that such treatments are often described as "something my (granpappy/grandmaw/etc) told me", perhaps having reportedly been something that they themselves learnt from their own grandparent (and possibly even further back), deferring to the implied {{w|Wise old man|authority and experience}} behind them. These tidbits of information are rarely used enough to be among any of the life lessons that direct parents may teach to an individual, but still useful knowledge to {{w|Grandmother hypothesis#The grandmother effect|pass down the generations}}. | ||
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
| − | + | :[Cueball, holding a microphone, is addressing 3 contestants (Megan, White Hat & Hairbun), each standing at desks. Each desk has a lidded box on top and two drawers below. Megan and Hairbun's boxes are shaking, with their lids slightly open, due to containing (while not seen in the image) skunks.] | |
| − | [Cueball, holding a microphone, is addressing 3 contestants (Megan, White Hat & Hairbun), each standing at desks. Each desk has a lidded box on top and two drawers below. Megan and Hairbun's boxes are shaking, with their lids slightly open.] | + | :Cueball: And now, for the final round, you have each been given a skunk with a hangover and chewing gum stuck to its fur. |
| − | + | :Cueball: You have 30 minutes. Good luck. | |
| − | Cueball: And now, for the final round, you have each been given a skunk with a hangover and chewing gum stuck to its fur. | ||
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| − | Cueball: You have 30 minutes. Good luck. | ||
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| − | The Home Remedy World Championships | + | :[Caption below the image:] |
| + | :The Home Remedy World Championships | ||
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude> | {{comic discussion}}<noinclude> | ||
| + | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Animals]] | ||
Latest revision as of 12:27, 11 March 2026
| Home Remedies |
 Title text: As always, you are permitted to call one person for guidance, but that person must be a grandparent. |
Explanation[edit]
Many household problems have a range of commonly-circulated supposed solutions using easily available items and ingredients, such as using salt to lift a stain out of a carpet. Sometimes, when one of these problems presents itself, several competing remedies may be offered by those present. This comic imagines this as a competitive sport, in which the final test is to combine several of these problems into one grand challenge to be solved. Specifically, the contestants in this case are presented with:
- removing unpleasant odours (in this case, that of a skunk)
- curing a hangover
- removing chewing gum stuck in hair
and possibly
- removing a wild animal from the premises
The contest appears to be set up such that strategy plays a role. While a hungover skunk is highly likely to spray when chewing gum is being removed from its fur (thus forcing the contestant to fix all 3 problems), a hangover cure that makes use of a restorative deep sleep could, if administered properly, completely remove the need to remedy the smell of skunk spray. Offering contestants a longer yet easier path versus a quicker yet riskier path is a common trope in reality television. Putting the skunk to sleep could be seen as risky due to the complexity of the remedy, the risk of disqualification (killing the skunk) and the risk of failure (getting sprayed anyway, not actually curing the hangover, or running out of time). White Hat may be at an unfair advantage in implementing a strategy that prevents the skunk from spraying since the other two contestants' boxes are vibrating, indicating their skunks are agitated and thus liable to spray as soon as the box is opened, and his is not.
The title text's requirement that any assistance must come from a grandparent may reference the fact that such treatments are often described as "something my (granpappy/grandmaw/etc) told me", perhaps having reportedly been something that they themselves learnt from their own grandparent (and possibly even further back), deferring to the implied authority and experience behind them. These tidbits of information are rarely used enough to be among any of the life lessons that direct parents may teach to an individual, but still useful knowledge to pass down the generations.
Other people, not so emotionally invested in the ramblings of someone else's grandparent, may be more skeptically considering such 'advice' as more of an old wives' tale that isn't being passed on (or even remembered) entirely reliably, but then this is at least partly what the featured competition seems to be testing, and presumably those who have reached this final stage have already proven themselves as being more aptly critical than most of the various home remedies that they've potentially been told by their various (especially more elder) family members.
Transcript[edit]
- [Cueball, holding a microphone, is addressing 3 contestants (Megan, White Hat & Hairbun), each standing at desks. Each desk has a lidded box on top and two drawers below. Megan and Hairbun's boxes are shaking, with their lids slightly open, due to containing (while not seen in the image) skunks.]
- Cueball: And now, for the final round, you have each been given a skunk with a hangover and chewing gum stuck to its fur.
- Cueball: You have 30 minutes. Good luck.
- [Caption below the image:]
- The Home Remedy World Championships
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Wow that came out late. I guess it is still technically Monday in California? Or at least was when it came up on explain xkcd half an hour ago? --Kynde (talk) 08:03, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
- Randall lives in Boston. I suppose that there's some lag between xkcd and the explain xkcd upload, as TheusafBOT takes some time to transfer it. tori :3talk to me! 16:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
Very late comic Broseph (talk) 08:13, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
- Even later explanation. 82.13.184.33 09:30, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
For anyone perhaps wondering how you get a skunk with a hangover, all you need to do is find one of them that is famously inebriated, then wait. The chewing gum bit probably 'just happens' at some point during this whole process... 82.132.231.180 10:40, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
Unrelated but I had a dream that I checked this website and it was Randall announcing he was going to quit, just text on a white panel as the final comic, not too dissimilar to Schultz quitting Peanuts. It felt shockingly realistic 168.8.230.58 12:59, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
- Charles Schultz died on February 12, 2000, the day before his last Sunday strip was published. He might have realized his health was failing and decided to retire while he still had a choice in the matter. The weekday/Saturday edition of Peanuts had its last original strip on January 3, 2000.[1][2] 64.201.132.210 18:29, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
The set-up with the competitor stations and the hidden 'ingredients' is very similar to the mystery challenge in the Great British Bake-off (though they seem to have drawers where the ovens would be) - not sure whether it's specific enough to include in the explanation though. 82.13.184.33 15:35, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
It looks like White Hat's skunk either hasn't woken up yet or has a much less nasty hangover than the other two. 2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:D9C6:625B:47D6:8BE3 15:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
- Or it has a much worse hangover, to the point where it can't contemplate moving. 82.13.184.33 17:17, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
- Or something to do with gender/hormones as the other 2 skunks are agitated near females (coincidence in an XKCD strip? I don't think so.) OTOH a much more likely explanation in the context of XKCD is simply White Hat's natural unorthodox luck and/or behavior. Ralfoide (talk) 17:43, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
"[…], but that person must be a grandparent" does not imply the contestants may not call anyone else but their grandparents. And since many people are grandparents, this means they may call any of them. 2001:4C4E:1C05:F300:5825:EE15:4B0B:B964 17:39, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
We don't know the rules of the game, and the host did not state clear instructions on what's to do. Thus _my_ "home remedy" would simply be to take the box as-is and move it out of the premises, whereever that be (e.g. the game show place). Problem solved. Ralfoide (talk) 17:47, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
- I wouldn't even take the box. Just leave it there and step away. Not my problem. Martin (talk) 21:22, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
- Hmm. Maybe it is my unorthodox worldview, but I felt that the goal was to somehow pacify the hungover skunk additionally upset by the chewing gum. Finish with a photo-worthy stance of the contestant smiling at the camera, with the skunk under one arm. The idea of calling a grandparent felt like it was related to that species having life experience already in dealing with stinky, drunk, chewing-gum-affected badly-domesticated beings.Yamaplos (talk) 03:21, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
- Call the grandparent and get them to take care of it. 82.13.184.33 09:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
Peanut butter. Skunks love the stuff, and it's a reliable "solvent" for chewing gum. Carefully offer the skunk a bit of peanut butter, from a distance so as not to alarm it any more than can be avoided. Give more peanut butter, a bit at a time, so the skunk comes to accept you. Then get the peanut butter into the hair that has chewing gum in it. Wait the customary 12-15 minutes until the chewing gum has softened, then see if you can get the gum out. The timing is tight but it might be manageable. BunsenH (talk) 14:03, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
- Sorry - you are disqualified - you failed to first check whether anyone in the vicinity has a peanut allergy. 82.13.184.33 15:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
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