Editing 2437: Post-Vaccine Party

{{comic
| number    = 2437
| date      = March 15, 2021
| title     = Post-Vaccine Party
| image     = post_vaccine_party.png
| titletext = [Future update] Well, someone accidentally dropped an M&M in their cup of ice water, and we all panicked and scattered.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

As more and more people are getting [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|vaccinated]] against the Covid-19 virus, and as the CDC released guidelines suggesting vaccinated people can start gathering in larger groups, including some groups of unvaccinated people, there is increasing excitement about the possibility to resume get-togethers, and have a party. However, being very cautious, [[Randall]] is detailing the plans for his first "post-pandemic" party by cutting it down from the scope of a normal party. Some of the cut-downs may make sense from a health safety standpoint, others are less likely to be health-based and may be just to deliberately make the party boring, thus limiting attendance, with the effect of it being safer for the few who do come.

* Drinks
Instead of soda and various alcoholic beverages, he's opting for small glasses of water. Alcoholic beverages could encourage a lowering of inhibitions, help some participants to make bad social decisions, to the detriment of hygiene and reasonable social distancing. Soda would have less of that problem, though some might argue the sugar or caffeine might have some similar effect. Drinking alcohol immediately after vaccination may "accelerate" allergic reaction according to [https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210127/covid-19-vaccine-how-best-to-prepare an article] on WebMD.

* Food
Instead of traditional party foods like pizza, nachos, and snacks, only three individual pieces of candy ({{w|M&Ms}}) and one cracker will be provided. Pizza could be a health issue as people reach into a common pizza box to grab their slice, and likewise snacks if they are in communal bowls. Another possible motive for such meager offerings is the concern that people may have gained weight due to more sedentary lifestyles while staying home a lot more during the pandemic, so he didn't want them eating a lot of fattening snacks and drinks at his party.

* Entertainment
Instead of music and {{w|karaoke}} singing and watching sports, the only music allowed will be {{w|ambient music}}, such that it would be hardly noticeable, and the only entertainment being displayed will be {{w|Bob Ross}}, who was famous for his very calm, low-key, painting lessons. (Painting could be followed by watching paint dry, one of the few activities even more boring than this party.){{Citation needed}} Music, singing, and reacting to exciting sports games can cause a lot more movement and airborne particles with the potential of spreading the virus.

* Activities
Board games, video games, {{w|ping pong}}, and good conversation are already relatively low-key activities, but apparently not low-key enough. The only two games allowed will be 3-card pickup (trimmed down from {{w|52-card pickup}}, which would typically use a full deck of 52 cards), and a single video game, the ancient {{w|Pong}} game. Also, while conversation will be allowed, it will not be "good conversation", presumably preferring the conversation to be boring or uninteresting, or even repulsing. It might also be that Randall anticipates the pandemic [[2424|will have worsened peoples' ability to converse normally]], and so is saying that people won't be held to any 'standards' regarding the quality of their conversation.

The title text mentions that in the end, despite Randall's efforts, even the incredibly mild disruption of an M&M falling into a cup of water caused the party-goers to panic and flee, much as Cueball and Ponytail panicked at a meeting in spite of their precautions due to their highly-strung natures in [[2330: Acceptable Risk]].

==Transcript==
:[The comic consists of four underlined headings, two by two grid, with three times four and one time three lines of text beneath each. Almost all of the original lines of text has been crossed out with red, sometimes only partial. And five new items have been added in red, plus some brackets and one arrow. Even one of the red texts have been crossed out]
:<u>Drinks</u>
:<s>Soda
:Wine</s> <font color="red">Small cups</font>
:<s>Beer</s> <font color="red">of ice water</font>
:<s>Cocktails</s>

:<u>Food</u> <font color="red">Three M&Ms</font>
:<s>Pizza</s> <font color="red">and a saltine</font>
:<s>Nachos</s> <font color="red">per person</font>
:<s>Various snacks</s>

:<u>Entertainment</u>
:Music <font color="red">(Ambient)</font>
:<s>Karaoke
:Big screen</s> TV
:showing <s>sports</s>
:::<font color="red">Bob Ross</font>

:<u>Activities</u> 
:<s>Board games</s> <font color="red"><s>52</s> 3-card pickup</font>
:[3 is above 52]
:Video Games
:<s>Ping</s> <font color="red">(</font>Pong<font color="red">)</font>
:[A red arrow points from Video Games to Pong]
:<s>Good</s> conversation

:[Caption below the panel:]
:We're planning our first post-vaccine party, but we want to start slow.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Video games]]
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.
+This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.
-As more and more people are getting [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|vaccinated]] against COVID-19, and as the CDC has released guidelines suggesting vaccinated people can start gathering in larger groups, there is increasing excitement about the possibility to resume get-togethers, and have a party. However, being very cautious, [[Randall]] is cutting down the scope for his first "post-pandemic" party from that of a normal party. Not all of the scope reductions make sense. {{Citation needed}}
+As more and more people are getting [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|vaccinated]] against the Covid-19 virus, and as the CDC released guidelines suggesting vaccinated people can start gathering in larger groups, including some groups of unvaccinated people, there is increasing excitement about the possibility to resume get-togethers, and have a party. However, being very cautious, [[Randall]] is detailing the plans for his first "post-pandemic" party by cutting it down from the scope of a normal party. Some of the cut-downs may make sense from a health safety standpoint, others are less likely to be health-based and may be just to deliberately make the party boring, thus limiting attendance, with the effect of it being safer for the few who do come.
-===Drinks===
+* Drinks
-* Instead of interesting alcoholic and sugary beverages, he's reducing scope by serving plain ice water.
+Instead of soda and various alcoholic beverages, he's opting for small glasses of water. Alcoholic beverages could encourage a lowering of inhibitions, help some participants to make bad social decisions, to the detriment of hygiene and reasonable social distancing. Soda would have less of that problem, though some might argue the sugar or caffeine might have some similar effect. Drinking alcohol immediately after vaccination may "accelerate" allergic reaction according to [https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210127/covid-19-vaccine-how-best-to-prepare an article] on WebMD.
-* Instead of serving the ice water in ordinary-sized cups, he's further reducing scope by serving it in small cups.
-===Food===
+* Food
-* A person holding an ordinary party might provide large quantities of foods of various sorts. Randall is reducing scope by serving only two types of food, {{w|M&M's}} and {{w|saltine cracker}}s.
+Instead of traditional party foods like pizza, nachos, and snacks, only three individual pieces of candy ({{w|M&Ms}}) and one cracker will be provided. Pizza could be a health issue as people reach into a common pizza box to grab their slice, and likewise snacks if they are in communal bowls. Another possible motive for such meager offerings is the concern that people may have gained weight due to more sedentary lifestyles while staying home a lot more during the pandemic, so he didn't want them eating a lot of fattening snacks and drinks at his party.
-* He is further reducing scope by limiting the quantities: each guest will be provided with three individual pieces of candy and one single cracker.
-===Entertainment===
+* Entertainment
-* Instead of regular music, Randall's party has less-exciting {{w|ambient music}}.
+Instead of music and {{w|karaoke}} singing and watching sports, the only music allowed will be {{w|ambient music}}, such that it would be hardly noticeable, and the only entertainment being displayed will be {{w|Bob Ross}}, who was famous for his very calm, low-key, painting lessons. (Painting could be followed by watching paint dry, one of the few activities even more boring than this party.){{Citation needed}} Music, singing, and reacting to exciting sports games can cause a lot more movement and airborne particles with the potential of spreading the virus.
-* {{w|Karaoke}} has been eliminated completely.
-* The big-screen TV has been reduced to a standard TV, and instead of showing active and exciting sports games, it will show mellow painting lessons by {{w|Bob Ross}}.
-===Activities===
+* Activities
-* Board games require strategy and could be exciting, so Randall has replaced them with {{w|52 pickup}}, a game with neither quality. Having already downsized to a single game, he further reduces the scope by reducing the number of cards involved from 52 to 3.
+Board games, video games, {{w|ping pong}}, and good conversation are already relatively low-key activities, but apparently not low-key enough. The only two games allowed will be 3-card pickup (trimmed down from {{w|52-card pickup}}, which would typically use a full deck of 52 cards), and a single video game, the ancient {{w|Pong}} game. Also, while conversation will be allowed, it will not be "good conversation", presumably preferring the conversation to be boring or uninteresting, or even repulsing. It might also be that Randall anticipates the pandemic [[2424|will have worsened peoples' ability to converse normally]], and so is saying that people won't be held to any 'standards' regarding the quality of their conversation.
-* His original notes indicate that the party might include both video games and ping pong, but he has reduced scope here as well by merging these activities and offering only a single video game, the ancient {{w|Pong}} game.
-* Finally, while conversation will be allowed, Randall is reducing scope by reducing quality. This element of the party plan is qualitatively different from the others because it's generally the guests themselves that provide the majority of the conversation at a party, so it's possible that Randall is simply acknowledging [[2424|the effect]] that the pandemic has had on peoples' ability to converse normally.
-The title text mentions that in the end, despite Randall's efforts, even the incredibly mild disruption of an M&M's falling into a cup of water caused the party-goers to panic and flee, much as Cueball and Ponytail did in [[2330: Acceptable Risk|a similar situation]].
+The title text mentions that in the end, despite Randall's efforts, even the incredibly mild disruption of an M&M falling into a cup of water caused the party-goers to panic and flee, much as Cueball and Ponytail panicked at a meeting in spite of their precautions due to their highly-strung natures in [[2330: Acceptable Risk]].
 ==Transcript==
-:[The comic consists of four underlined headings, two by two grid, with three or four lines of text beneath each. Almost all of the original lines of text have been fully or partially crossed out (marked with &lt;del> below), and five new items have been added (marked with &lt;ins> below), plus some brackets and one arrow. Even one of the added items has been modified.]
+:[The comic consists of four underlined headings, two by two grid, with three times four and one time three lines of text beneath each. Almost all of the original lines of text has been crossed out with red, sometimes only partial. And five new items have been added in red, plus some brackets and one arrow. Even one of the red texts have been crossed out]
 :<u>Drinks</u>
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Soda</del>
+:<s>Soda
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Wine</del>
+:Wine</s> <font color="red">Small cups</font>
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Beer</del>
+:<s>Beer</s> <font color="red">of ice water</font>
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Cocktails</del>
+:<s>Cocktails</s>
-:* <ins style="color: red">Small cups of ice water</ins>
-:<u>Food</u>
+:<u>Food</u> <font color="red">Three M&Ms</font>
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Pizza</del>
+:<s>Pizza</s> <font color="red">and a saltine</font>
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Nachos</del>
+:<s>Nachos</s> <font color="red">per person</font>
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Various snacks</del>
+:<s>Various snacks</s>
-:* <ins style="color: red">Three M&Ms and a saltine per person</ins>
 :<u>Entertainment</u>
-:* Music <ins style="color: red">(ambient)</ins>
+:Music <font color="red">(Ambient)</font>
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Karaoke</del>
+:<s>Karaoke
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Big screen</del> TV showing <del style="text-decoration-color: red">sports</del> <ins style="color: red">Bob Ross</ins>
+:Big screen</s> TV
+:showing <s>sports</s>
+:::<font color="red">Bob Ross</font>
 :<u>Activities</u>
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Board games</del> <ins style="color: red"><del>52</del></ins> <ins style="color: red">3-card pickup</ins>
+:<s>Board games</s> <font color="red"><s>52</s> 3-card pickup</font>
-:* Video Games
+:[3 is above 52]
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Ping</del> <ins style="color: red">(</ins>Pong<ins style="color: red">)</ins> [A red arrow points from "Video Games" to "(Pong)"]
+:Video Games
-:* <del style="text-decoration-color: red">Good</del> conversation
+:<s>Ping</s> <font color="red">(</font>Pong<font color="red">)</font>
+:[A red arrow points from Video Games to Pong]
+:<s>Good</s> conversation
 :[Caption below the panel:]