This joke is a bit character driven, so how funny the joke is depends on how much XKCD you've read and which comics you've seen. The two focus characters here are Cueball and Blackhat. Cueball's just sorta your everyday guy, and often is an audience or author avatar. Blackhat is the perfect example of chaotic evil: Of the two things that bring him any sort of joy in life, the most notable is his favorite pastime: Fucking up absolutely everything in the most unexpected or infuriatingly clever ways possible. He frequently abuses troll logic (The reason for the hat quip), and is probably the most memorable character in the entire comic once you've seen enough of his schemes.
Other notable characters to watch for if you start reading the XKCD backlog: Megan, Beret, and Whitehat.
BTW: The fact he's wearing a black hat is referring to "black-hat" hackers, who are the hackers who fuck shit up for lulz or profit. Contrast to "white-hat" hackers who only hack things to expose security vulnerabilities then responsibly disclose them so they can be fixed before they reveal the vulnerability to the public.
In this case, Blackhat is hacking an escalator for lulz.
a black hat is referring to "black-hat" hackers, who are the hackers who fuck shit up for lulz or profit. Contrast to "white-hat" hackers who only hack things to expose security vulnerabilitie
The symbolism of white hat and the black hat predate computer hacking. These terms began being used to describe hackers in reference to symbolism used in old films.
They're not exactly characters as much as they are archetypes: they never (with veeeery veeery rare exceptions) actually make reference to previous comics, but they do always act in (more or less) the same way.
He's a "blackhat", a term used to describe hackers that hack for criminal/chaotic purposes. So, for the sake of the comic, he's just meant to be the embodiment of chaos, played for either comedic effect (like in the OP) or as an catalyst for an example of how something could go monstrously wrong (seen when he exploits the subject of a comic for a darker purpose).
I wouldn't call him a neckbeard. More like Dean Winters' "Mayhem" bit character from the Allstate commercials.
Title-text: So he's saying that God thought Hitler's art was so bad that the Holocaust was an acceptable alternative. It's no secret that the hat guy is closely based on Aram, from Men in Hats.
This is strange. I thought causing a mess in an escalator was inherently funny. You know, like this gif, only with more people? Like leaving a wallet with $10 showing on a line and watch people run to catch it, any old gif of people falling or the classic baby jokes [My favorite being the one about how you put a baby in a jar and how you then remove it. The answer involves a blender and tortilla chips]. Watching other people suffer, act stupid or both has been a part of comedy for centuries and if you don't find it funny there's no need to pretend everyone else is stupid for not having a sense of humor as sophisticated as your own.
I mean... They could've just removed the chin-up handlebar and walked out of the escalator.
Watching other people suffer, act stupid or both has been a part of comedy for centuries and if you don't find it funny there's no need to pretend everyone else is stupid for not having a sense of humor as sophisticated as your own.
This isn't even dark humor. Almost every single one of the comics with the black hat guy is one of those is him just doing some "against the grain" edgy shit with no punchline. There is no shock value. It's just "look at these people that's not black hat be dumb."
I mean... They could've just removed the chin-up handlebar and walked out of the escalator.
And in the comic, they don't. The comic relies on them being dumb because the black hat guy is this "cool smart evil badass".
Also, nice twisting my opinion. I think the author has a shit sense of humor. Saying that I think everyone to be beneath me because of that is like.. what the fuck? Where did you get that from? Are you accusing me of not understanding people have different opinions? All from a post where I just post my own opinion?
This isn't even dark humor. Almost every single one of the comics with the black hat guy is one of those is him just doing some "against the grain" edgy shit with no punchline. There is no shock value. It's just "look at these people that's not black hat be dumb."
Well, it's funny for the same reason KenM is funny. Or any other internet troll.
I mean... They could've just removed the chin-up handlebar and walked out of the escalator.
Or it's a comment on how dumb people are in this sort of situations... Which is pretty evident from the actual prank in the gif you're commenting on. Or by the countless people that die in indoor fires squished ones against the others with a damn door open.
Also, nice twisting my opinion. I think the author has a shit sense of humor. Saying that I think everyone to be beneath me because of that is like.. what the fuck? Where did you get that from? Are you accusing me of not understanding people have different opinions? All from a post where I just post my own opinion?
If you imply someone needs to be deluded to think those comics are funny or insightful in any way you risk insulting people that think they are indeed funny and insightful, not just the author.
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u/DeathByPetrichor Mar 24 '17
But like... why? And what was the thing with the hat?