Comic 322: Not Being Ironic

Comic title: Pix Plz

Alt text: But one of the regulars in the channel is a girl!

So I don't see the problem this comic. It all depends on how you interpret it. With one interpretation, it's nothing more than a good example of Black Hat being Black Hat. It would be weird if he wasn't behaving this way. Allow me to explain:

Panel 1 sets up a situation where Black Hat is enacting a disproportionate response to a seemingly minor incident. He has already caused property damage. What will the maniac do next?

2nd panel, and Black Hat delivers a tirade about something that he pretends to care about. It's all part of the troll's masquerade. Black Hat doesn't really care about sexism. After all, this is the same guy who was shown just 52 strips later to alienate shy girls with his fake journal. This man has no moral compass. He just wants to troll people.

In panel 3, Black Hat forces the computer user to make a decision that he'll regret, and think that it's his own fault. He must stay off the internet for a year (a most unlikely proposal) and refrain from saying anything remotely sexist (whilst being near-constantly taunted by a hot girl), or else be vilified as a sexist asshole. Check and mate.

Notice how Black Hat finishes him off quickly, rather than playing with his prey a for bit longer. This is obviously not his first victim, or his last.

This is another interpretation however, which casts this comic in a much less favourable light. What if Randall was actually sincere about this comic?

But he wouldn't do that, would he?

If it was coming from any other cartoonist, I'd give it the benefit of the doubt, but this is Randall Patrick Munroe we are talking about. He has a hardon for gender politics (consider the implications of that sentence). If he is saying something about gender equality, of course he bloody well means it.

Allow me to introduce: Randall's submissive-male power fantasy, with nerdy girls.

You rarely see Black Hat as the mouthpiece. That would be bad enough. But Munroe has opted for something even worse. His mouthpiece is actually the 'asshole' in the office chair. Notice how he is sitting and the other two are standing? Clearly he sees himself as the sub here.

If you are familiar with what Randall's 'progressive' opinions, he obviously sees himself as the 'bad' gender, and women as morally superior in every way. It is obvious too how Randall projected all his own insecurities and self-perceived flaws onto the straw man in the computer chair. Notice how the punishment is administered not by Black Hat himself, but be a hot woman, the very object of Randall's derision. Notice how she has a name but never says anything. She is there to be described, not to describe. Notice the somewhat phallic weapon, which she carries at groin height.

The clue is in the alt text. It makes no fucking sense. Why would one of the regulars being a girl even be a problem unless Black Hat told him to stay away from girls on the internet? Black Hat didn't do that. He told him to stay away from the entire internet. This can mean only one thing: there was an earlier version of this comic where Black Hat only banned the guy from speaking to girls on the internet. He later changed this to include a much more harsh punishment, (because damn men to hell, amirite?) but he forgot to change the alt text.

Think about it. Aside from the comedy explanation, it's the only way to rationalise the hypocrisy of: "As someone who likes nerdy girls, I've hired this blonde chick to do my bidding." (in the words of Manacing Banjo)

Also, because I have to give grades: A for the first (unintended) interpretation. F*----- for the real meaning of this comic. I hope I have opened your eyes.