Editing 1325: Rejection

Jump to: navigation, search

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==
−
This strip portrays [[Cueball]]'s (and likely [[Randall]]'s) reaction to a very specific male complaint: that of self-proclaimed "nice guy" complaining about his lack of romantic success.  
+
{{incomplete|Incomplete.}}
  
−
There's a stereotype, in popular culture, of women claiming they want to date nice guys, but actually dating men who are rude and/or treat them badly. This has given rise to a cliche about men who assume themselves to be nice guys, insisting that women reject them for being ''too nice''. In reality, there are many reasons why a person might experience a lack of romantic success, but the notion that it happens as a result of being too nice is ridiculously simplistic and self-serving.  
+
In popular culture women are sometimes said to not be interested in {{w|nice guys}}, as in common interpretations of the phrase {{w|Nice_guy#The_.22nice_guys_finish_last.22_view|nice guys finish last}} (which was originally about baseball). The guy on the left in this picture is presumably frustrated and complaining because he has been rejected by a woman, and thinks it's because he's the "nice guy" type. Cueball's sarcastic remark implies that saying "women don't like nice guys" and presuming to know what women "really want" is actually showing a rejection of that woman's agency, which might be the real reason she rejected him.  It fits with one of the negative connotations of "nice guy": one who does not express his true feelings and/or is {{w|Passive-aggressive behavior|passive-aggressive}}.
  
−
The [[Cueball]]-like guy on the left in this picture is complaining (presumably because he has been romantically rejected) that women, as a group, are either lying or self-deluded about what they really want. Cueball's sarcastic interjection is that this very response to the situation shows a) an inability to accept rejection and b) a disrespect for both the judgment and self-awareness of any woman who isn't interested in him. This behavor is {{w|Passive-aggressive behavior|passive-aggressive}} at minimum, and arguably both arrogant and misogynistic.
+
The title text continues the "conversation", with Cueball implying that he believes that the first guy is bad at taking hints.  He offers a "crash course" in hint taking by saying outright that he is trying to end the conversation while the first guy continues to follow him.
  
−
The thesis of the strip appears to be that the men who complain most loudly about being rejected for being 'too nice' are generally displaying that they're less nice than they imagine. While they may not be as overtly aggressive as other guys, responding to rejection by assuming there's something wrong with the person who rejected you (or with their entire gender, as in this case), is in fact both rude and condescending. The joke is that the guy is likely not nearly as nice as he imagines, and if being impolite were truly attractive to women, he'd be much more successful romantically.  
+
Though this guy might indeed be a jerk, there are also many other reasons why a woman might reject a guy who isn't a jerk.
  
−
The title text continues the "conversation", with Cueball implying that he believes that the first guy is bad at taking hints. He offers a "crash course" in hint taking by clarifying outright that he is trying to end the conversation while the first guy continues to follow him.
+
See also the concept of "negging" as used in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1027 xkcd: Pickup Artist]: <em>you belittle chicks to undermine their self-confidence so they'll be more vulnerable and seek your approval</em>.
−
 
 
−
The concept of the self-identifying "nice guy" who actually may have less than admirable motives is also explored in [[513: Friends]]. See also the concept of "negging" as used in [[1027: Pickup Artist]]: ''you belittle chicks to undermine their self-confidence so they'll be more vulnerable and seek your approval''.
 
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
−
:[Cueball is walking, and a Cueball-like guy follows him.]
+
:[Cueball is walking, and a guy is following him.]
 
:Guy: Women ''say'' they want nice guys, but what they ''really'' want are—
 
:Guy: Women ''say'' they want nice guys, but what they ''really'' want are—
−
:Cueball: —Guys who respond to rejection by belittling their judgment and self-awareness?
+
:Cueball: —Guys who respond to rejection by belittling their judgment and self-awareness? If so, don't worry— you'll be ''fine.''
−
:Cueball: If so, don't worry — you'll be ''fine.''
 
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
−
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
 

Please note that all contributions to explain xkcd may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see explain xkcd:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

To protect the wiki against automated edit spam, we kindly ask you to solve the following CAPTCHA:

Cancel | Editing help (opens in new window)

Templates used on this page:

Retrieved from "https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1325:_Rejection"