I’m really tempted to just write “Wow, sometimes news people
use hyperbolic statements as headlines! This is a completely new fact to me!”
or something to that effect here. My sister got pinkeye and
I am not at all in the mood to dissect XKCD.
But you have to start somewhere.
Maybe it’s just because of the news sites I keep up with,
but when I was reading it, I didn’t read it to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas (it’s difficult to do anyway – look at
all those extra syllables). I imagined it being read like a broadcaster reading
it out on the air, slightly slowed and enunciated.
The presentation’s at least better than the last time he did
this joke. There’s actual art this
time, and there’s a specific thing being parodied here. It’s not just “News
Headlines Are Hyperbolic [Film At 11]”, it’s “Buzzfeed Has Weirdly Specific Headline
Formats [Film At 12]”.
Regarding the art, what is with the hair of that
probably-girl on the left? Is it supposed to be a ponytail? Why is it wrapped around
her neck like that? It just looks like Randy forgot to finish drawing a beard
or something.
The punchline is clumsy. The italicization of “actually got”
makes it seem like there are another 12 weird things they just lied about
getting. It would have made more sense if it was phrased differently, like “12 Mind-Blowing
Things I Got This Christmas”, which would be closer to the other
faux-headlines.
Honestly, it’s just not a very funny concept. Maybe it’d be
better in video form, but I doubt it. If the parody was pushed further and the
items given were changed to actually seem like gifts, maybe it would have gone
down better. Apparently some people in the forums didn’t even get that it was a
parody.
That sounds like something I’d say sarcastically. “Yeah,
thanks man. Now that you’ve explained what the joke was supposed to be I'm fucking rolling
in the aisles.”
I don’t understand why this even needs to be said: If you
have to explain what the joke is, you are
doing it wrong.
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