Talk:2040: Sibling-in-Law

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Unless you want to go completely nuts on this topic, avoid reading Jane Austen, where the the term "X-in-law" is used to mean, roughly, "someone to whom you are related for legal reasons". It can be used to refer to, for example, what we today might refer to as step/half-siblings, adopted siblings, etc. Arcanechili (talk) 15:51, 31 August 2018 (UTC)

> The title text refers to incestual relationships, which are generally frowned upon in Western culture. How on earth this refers to incest if persons are only legally, not genetically related??? It's just that Randall doesn't know how to call new relatives but cannot stop their arrival. 162.158.91.251 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Yes, I also don't think it refers to incest. 172.68.94.40 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I'm not sure if that is right or not, but that was my interpretation of that text, based on the "a reason why these two should not be wed." Unless there is a different issue with this, also involving marriage? 162.158.59.190 16:44, 31 August 2018 (UTC)
I read the title text as... the reason he is objecting has nothing to do with the couple getting married, it's simply the selfish reason that Randall doesn't want the confusion of having to figure out what to call the new extended-family members. -boB (talk) 17:37, 31 August 2018 (UTC)

Somehow I don't have this problem whatsoever...as I'm a single child who married a single child. I have zero siblings-in-law. In fact, my future kids won't even have (regular) cousins... 162.158.74.231 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Am I the only one that thinks there's an error in this comic? Shouldn't spouse's sibling be the sibling-in-law of Cueball's *sibling*? But then, maybe I'm also making Randall's point... Sspenser (talk) 18:28, 31 August 2018 (UTC)

The Russian language actually has different words for both "types" of brothers in-law (spouse's brother vs. sister's husband), also for parents and children in-law on either side: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Свойство_(родство) . But all these in-law distinctions are based on the respective spouse's sex, so it won't work for same-sex marriages. 162.158.234.58 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

In German, they even have a word for "spouse of sibling in-law" and similar situations: "Schwippschwager" https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwippschwager Polyfier (talk) 23:41, 31 August 2018 (UTC)

The way this is defined, you and your spouse both have the same set of siblings and siblings-in-law. In other words, if someone is your spouse's sibling or sibling in law then that person is your sibling in law if that person is not your sibling. The relationship chains across a maximum of one sibling relationship. Probably not Douglas Hofstadter (talk) 18:56, 31 August 2018 (UTC)


Off topic but I can't resist:

DARK HELMET: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former room-mate.
LONE STARR: What's that make us?
DARK HELMET: Absolutely nothing....

Spaceballs (1987) parody Star Wars --Dgbrt (talk) 19:51, 31 August 2018 (UTC)

Anyone else think this comic is a form of "Wedding Gift" Randal is giving to a sibling who's getting married (presumably today)?


People actually complain cousins removed is hard to understand? When I first learned about it, my thought was actually: Wow, that is so much clearer than what we use in Dutch. In Dutch we use a prefix for each step its is removed so it can get wordy. A cousin would be "neef" a cousin once removed would be "achterneef" a 2nd cousin "achterachterneef". I think a 2nd cousin removed would then be "achterachterachterneef" and third cousins "achterachterachterachterneef". I'm not even sure that's how confusing it is. The English system is easy. Simply count up to the common ancestor (A), then down to the relative (R). Then you're (R-2)th cousins (A-R) times removed. Fun fact, your siblings are your zeroth cousins and you are your own negative first cousin. Tharkon (talk) 22:32, 31 August 2018 (UTC)