1048: "Emotion"

[Sharon_Gaughan]

Love, Randall, always Love.

[danivon]

Well at least we have the stupid pink hippo to tell us why we should hate what we all thought was a touching and thought provoking comic (and no, a comic does not have to be 'funny', it's a cartoon so can idiots stop being all po-faced and offended when 'comic not designed to be funny' appears?).

I concur with the 'Fuck Cancer' sentiment, and I'll not say what I think of SirTrollapha further.

[kenevel]

Hi Randall, all the best to you and yours.

[The Moomin]

On second thoughts, I guess what the graph is saying is that all the things that he got worked up about before seem meaningless in comparison. As the shadow of cancer recedes, what will replace his thoughts?

That's when the velociraptors with ray guns learn to unlock doors. . .

[radtea]

Cancer is a remarkably heterogeneous dysfunction at the cellular level, and in humans in particular even individual tumors are like little ecosystems that contain a diversity of cell lines that have evolved over decades.

Humans are incredibly long lived--likely due to the differential reproductive value of having a few grandparents around to transmit culture and knowledge across generations--and as such are incredibly resistant to cancer. The cancerous cells that survive to grow have escaped a wide range of mechanisms evolved to kill them, and that process takes a long time. It is likely that the greater part of a tumor's genetic development happens long before it is clinically detectable.

All of this makes treatment of human cancers extremely difficult, which is why things that cause/treat cancer in rats or what-have-you are so frequently irrelevant to the human disease. Even successful treatment may mean that the surviving cell lines are just that much more bad-ass, although we're getting a lot better at managing this.

The good news is that the past 20 years have seen us learn more about cancer than the previous 200, from the roles of micro-RNAs to sequencing of cancer genomes. Every day we learn more, and while our emotional response looms large and can be highly motivating (or highly depressing) it isn't our emotional response that will find the cure. Science--which is the discipline of publicly testing ideas by systematic observation and controlled experiment--will.

[notaprpepie]

My mother is a breast cancer survivor. (I've also lost three dogs to various forms of cancer)

To me, what today's comic shows is the effect that life-threatening events have on priorities. Cancer replaced all of the inconsequential emotional triggers and the only one that remained is the only one that really matters.

Also, fuck cancer.

[EpicanicusStrikes]

Really, what's the purpose of his comic?

I believe it's to remotely alter the states of multiple pixels on various monitors around the world using the internet as a mode of transmission. The exact pixels and their target states being determined by some random event generator engineered within the author's head.

Though I could be wrong. We'll have to open the author's head to get confirmation on at least one part of this theory.

[lizerati]

My father was diagnosed with and passed away from cancer in 2010 and my mother was diagnosed with AML (type of leukemia) in 2011. As the primary caregiver helping her fight that battle and grieve for my father, this comic is a perfect summary of how it takes over everything and there's barely room for anything else. Thanks for writing it.

[J L]

I'm always astounded when comics like these show up. They always balance between exploitative and sympathy-whoring, and I suppose that kind of attitude only manages to resonate with the truly sycophantic. So the cancer case took up virtually all of Randall's emotions during half a year, and he still kept on making comics? And, heck, why didn't xkcd itself ever take up any of his emotions? Even when he did those desperate moves to keep up with his schedule unchanged? With this we could imply that Randall in fact never got invested into his own comic, which is very telling.

I would sympathise with Randall if he wasn't so exploitative. There are not "trying to cope with it" comics. He frankly seems to be cashing in on his wife's illness, making profit out of it -- otherwise he should have removed the link to the store on this comic, you know, out of respect. Really, what's the purpose of his comic? Is the graph supposed to be taken on the same "Oh, so clever" level of other xkcd graph comics? Or is this really the best way Randall can find to express his feelings? Why is he still churning out comics in spite of the turmoil? You could say that it's a form of therapy for him, but then "xkcd" or "making comics" would appear on the graph. But everything leads me to believe that this comic is the equivalent of Randall appearing on TV saying "My wife has cancer! Buy my shit!".

So he should quit his job and stop earning money out of respect. Right.

You, Sir, are trying very hard to be the yellow patch in the graph, aren't you?

[trogdorjack]

I've been a reader of the comics for a couple years now but I made a forum account just for this comic.

If I moved the time scale forward a year this would pretty much resemble my own feelings, though I would add a large blip on the graph for today for this comic. Late last year I was diagnosed with cancer and while I was successfully treated and still doing well, the whole experience has significantly altered my life....priorities changed and perspectives shifted...this comic expresses that situation so well its scary.

Best wishes to Randall and his wife for a speedy recovery.

/hugs

[soldstatic]

Randall,

I've been reading your comics for years. They always make me laugh (or at least chuckle) out loud (unless its a serious one). You have a talent beyond most. Today it made me cry.

My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer almost at the exact same time today's graph spikes up. It's scary how accurate that graph is actually. My sister is in hospice now, and i got a call from my mom a few minutes after reading your comic this morning with some more grim news.

I know you know this already, but there are many in this world that connect and empathize with you, and that you and your fiance have our prayers. I'm a survivor myself (although not of the breast variety). Cancer has really slammed my family hard, more than i've already mentioned and more than i care to mention.

One thing I want to mention is that our prayers go not only to your fiance, but to you and the rest of her support group. Support in a time like this is critical, and as life altering at cancer can be so can the support that one gives. Thank you, on her part and the part of cancer victims everywhere, for your support, help, and prayers. And thank you from me especially for publishing touching comics like this that spread awareness of the difficulties, stress, emotions, pain, that hit victims and supporters alike.

if you get the time, would you mind setting up some kind of donation link to american cancer society (or some other cancer associated charity of your choice)? Obviously some of us are already familiar with them and some of us donate what we can to them, but it would just be a great avenue for those who are moved by your work but maybe not as directly affected by cancer.

Anyway thank you so much for today's comic. I too am hoping for some normalcy once this is all over. Till then, i'll stifle my tears at work and try to get shit done. I know I don't know you, but much love your direction.

-Andy

[123man]

The cancer comics really hit home for me when they first started popping up a few years ago. I still go back to them every few months because they are so, so true.

As similar as cancer treatments and the accompanying turmoils in a family are, I can't pretend to know what one goes through when a significant other, a person's chosen partner in life, is going through that shit. My own graph would hugely follow the one in today's comic: My daughter, Julia, was diagnosed with stage 3 Wilm's tumor in November of 2010. Julia, her younger brother, my wife, and I had a hellish 8 months of radiation, chemo, and surgeries before she was deemed cancer-free this past June. My heart fills with anger without a target at what my six-year-old child had to go through. Since she's finished treatment I think I've done pretty well at pushing it aside and forgetting about it. The specter rears it's ugly head a few weeks before each of her three-month scans creep up on the calendar. I'll take the emotional hit gladly because I don't think she worries about it.

EDIT: I promise I'm not exploiting, but here are pictures of Julia through the years on each of her birthdays: http://kauthfamily.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-through-years.html
And in case it would help anyone, my thoughts on baldness during treatments:
http://kauthfamily.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-being-bald.html

[ECK138]

I'm always astounded when comics like these show up. They always balance between exploitative and sympathy-whoring, and I suppose that kind of attitude only manages to resonate with the truly sycophantic. So the cancer case took up virtually all of Randall's emotions during half a year, and he still kept on making comics? And, heck, why didn't xkcd itself ever take up any of his emotions? Even when he did those desperate moves to keep up with his schedule unchanged? With this we could imply that Randall in fact never got invested into his own comic, which is very telling.

I would sympathise with Randall if he wasn't so exploitative. There are not "trying to cope with it" comics. He frankly seems to be cashing in on his wife's illness, making profit out of it -- otherwise he should have removed the link to the store on this comic, you know, out of respect. Really, what's the purpose of his comic? Is the graph supposed to be taken on the same "Oh, so clever" level of other xkcd graph comics? Or is this really the best way Randall can find to express his feelings? Why is he still churning out comics in spite of the turmoil? You could say that it's a form of therapy for him, but then "xkcd" or "making comics" would appear on the graph. But everything leads me to believe that this comic is the equivalent of Randall appearing on TV saying "My wife has cancer! Buy my shit!".

Your logic, as best as I can follow it, is that because Randall hasn't done many comics dealing with cancer, he is therefore being exploitive when he does, whereas if he had done more comics about cancer, that wouldn't have been exploitive. Since he didn't do many, he therefore doesn't care about his comic.

Gee, I always assumed that it would work the other way around. And I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that if my wife had cancer, I wouldn't consider a comic strip as the most appropriate place to deal with it. And if Randall is more emotionally invested in his wife than his comic, you know, I'm OK with that.

[Stargazer71]

My own map would probably be a wall of yellow.

A growing, towering tsunami of yellow...

No. That's wrong. You are wrong.

[Cleis]

My grandmother died of cancer yesterday morning. I had to make an account to say thank you, Randall, on the off chance that you read this.

[soldstatic]

The cancer comics really hit home for me when they first started popping up a few years ago. I still go back to them every few months because they are so, so true.

As similar as cancer treatments and the accompanying turmoils in a family are, I can't pretend to know what one goes through when a significant other, a person's chosen partner in life, is going through that shit. My own graph would hugely follow the one in today's comic: My daughter, Julia, was diagnosed with stage 3 Wilm's tumor in November of 2010. Julia, her younger brother, my wife, and I had a hellish 8 months of radiation, chemo, and surgeries before she was deemed cancer-free this past June. My heart fills with anger without a target at what my six-year-old child had to go through. Since she's finished treatment I think I've done pretty well at pushing it aside and forgetting about it. The specter rears it's ugly head a few weeks before each of her three-month scans creep up on the calendar. I'll take the emotional hit gladly because I don't think she worries about it.

EDIT: I promise I'm not exploiting, but here are pictures of Julia through the years on each of her birthdays: http://kauthfamily.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-through-years.html
And in case it would help anyone, my thoughts on baldness during treatments:
http://kauthfamily.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-being-bald.html

It's been several years, but I survived a Wilm's tumor myself. It is rough and so hard on families. That's fantastic that she is cancer-free now, congratulations! That is fantastic.

You're right, she probably doesn't worry about, because as kids it is hard for them to understand how heart wrenching it can be. But rest assured, I survived and look back at it and the hell my family went through and we are much closer for it.

Please be sure to continue to always support cancer victims and their support, and if you are able now or in the future, please support cancer based charities as much as you can. You don't have to donate money, my business donates its time and services every year to the local fundraisers. Even if its volunteering at events, you can make a big impact that way.

[Dave]

I know he doesn't read the forums

Is that an established fact? I'm pretty sure he'd peak in every once in a while.

Errr. I don't have any evidence, other than hearsay, to back it up, so I can't claim it to be fact. Perhaps I should have said "I am under the impression he doesnt read these forums..." - but to be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting anyone to pull me up on that, so I didn't think too much on whether the claim was watertight.

[soldstatic]

The cancer comics really hit home for me when they first started popping up a few years ago. I still go back to them every few months because they are so, so true.

As similar as cancer treatments and the accompanying turmoils in a family are, I can't pretend to know what one goes through when a significant other, a person's chosen partner in life, is going through that shit. My own graph would hugely follow the one in today's comic: My daughter, Julia, was diagnosed with stage 3 Wilm's tumor in November of 2010. Julia, her younger brother, my wife, and I had a hellish 8 months of radiation, chemo, and surgeries before she was deemed cancer-free this past June. My heart fills with anger without a target at what my six-year-old child had to go through. Since she's finished treatment I think I've done pretty well at pushing it aside and forgetting about it. The specter rears it's ugly head a few weeks before each of her three-month scans creep up on the calendar. I'll take the emotional hit gladly because I don't think she worries about it.

EDIT: I promise I'm not exploiting, but here are pictures of Julia through the years on each of her birthdays: http://kauthfamily.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-through-years.html
And in case it would help anyone, my thoughts on baldness during treatments:
http://kauthfamily.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-being-bald.html

Oh hey and also, when it comes time, american cancer society offers scholarships to cancer survivors who go to college. Eventually when your daughter goes to college (if that's the route she takes) be sure to check it out. I got one that was 5,000. They had a volunteer requirement, which i had no problem fulfilling, and even though I've long since surpassed the requirement, I volunteer every year at their big things. It's just something that has touched me, in a positive way, as a result of having cancer. I guess what I"m trying to say is, it's not ALL bad.

[Steax]

I'm always astounded when comics like these show up. They always balance between exploitative and sympathy-whoring, and I suppose that kind of attitude only manages to resonate with the truly sycophantic. So the cancer case took up virtually all of Randall's emotions during half a year, and he still kept on making comics? And, heck, why didn't xkcd itself ever take up any of his emotions? Even when he did those desperate moves to keep up with his schedule unchanged? With this we could imply that Randall in fact never got invested into his own comic, which is very telling.

I would sympathise with Randall if he wasn't so exploitative. There are not "trying to cope with it" comics. He frankly seems to be cashing in on his wife's illness, making profit out of it -- otherwise he should have removed the link to the store on this comic, you know, out of respect. Really, what's the purpose of his comic? Is the graph supposed to be taken on the same "Oh, so clever" level of other xkcd graph comics? Or is this really the best way Randall can find to express his feelings? Why is he still churning out comics in spite of the turmoil? You could say that it's a form of therapy for him, but then "xkcd" or "making comics" would appear on the graph. But everything leads me to believe that this comic is the equivalent of Randall appearing on TV saying "My wife has cancer! Buy my shit!".

Yeah! These cancer comics - AND THERE ARE LIKE, TEN OF THEM IN A YEAR, HOLY SHIT - are just attempts to keep us hooked so we buy his merchandise.

I'm surprised he didn't put "making comics" on the graph just as Mustapha-bait, though.

[cellocgw]

Why is there an 'Other' section on the left of the cancer but a '??' on the right, surely they are the same?

I figure "other" is the usual pastiche of stuff too small or too boring to itemize, while "??" indicates, quite rightly, that none of us knows what's going to freak us out in the future.

Another great book on cancer is "The Emperor of All Maladies." Excellent history, including lots of dead ends and researchers who get completely blinded by their own hubris. Between thta book and "The Panic Virus" (not a cancer book) you'll learn all you really need to know about medicine and society.

[Fire Brns]

You think all these sympathetic posts will help him get his mind off of cancer?
No, find something to add to your list like that one guy and people being wrong on the internet.
Ex: My chart has a third reserved for egotistical jerks like Sir Mustapha.

P.S.
My Joss Whedon bar is still alive and kicking.

[Steax]

That's actually a good point. Doesn't that make him a good guy, since he's deliberately trying to widen the "people wrong on the internet" category? Oh wait, then he wouldn't be wrong. But then...

[SecondTalon]

That's actually a good point. Doesn't that make him a good guy, since he's deliberately trying to widen the "people wrong on the internet" category? Oh wait, then he wouldn't be wrong. But then...

It's a self-feeding loop that results in all of us realizing that we are all a single consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, the dream-universe them explodes in the sublime realization of true enlightenment, leaving nothing behind. Then it gets bored again, recreates the entire universe except it changes one tiny key detail that we now all remember wrong, just so it cannot achieve enlightenment yet because goddamn it, wants to see Avengers 2: Iron Man Boogaloo (In Space!).

[Trickster]

But everything leads me to believe that this comic is the equivalent of Randall appearing on TV saying "My wife has cancer! Buy my shit!".

I have yet to see an xkcd comic that failed to be really interesting because it covered a personal topic.

If anything, some of the cancer-related comics have been amazingly good. "Lanes" comes to mind.

Let me tell you a little secret. Everyone writes from what they know. Asimov once had a fellow sci-fi author comment on a short story of his, where one of the characters secretly represented Isaac himself, that he was "making money off of his own neuroses". To which he responded, "Well, whose neuroses should I make money off of?"

Randall isn't making impassioned pleas for monetary donations, and even if he did, that'd be his choice. There's nothing exploitative or lazy about self-reference.

(Also, I am fascinated that around this time last year, he apparently began battling The Riddler.)

[Red Hal]

You know, it has been a while since I have seen such a poorly thought-out, unsympathetic, vitriolic attempt at demagoguery. I came into ICT hoping to enjoy the Friday update and instead was presented with this odious piece of polemic! I can only assume that this is some half-assed attempt to win more people over to his side but I'm pretty sure it's going to drive people in the opposite direction and certainly reduce any sympathy he might have had before now. I mean, does he hope to profit from this kind of (what I can only call ) grandstanding or trolling? Does he think that this is going to earn him money!? A very poor effort all round. Here's hoping that SirMustapha can do better on Monday.

[Coyne]

I suspect his graph has a bias.

[Felstaff]

He frankly seems to be cashing in on his wife's illness, making profit out of it -- otherwise he should have removed the link to the store on this comic, you know, out of respect.

I would have gone further and asked him to stop selling all the pieces of merchandise that are to do with cancer full stop.

Also, he shouldn't sell the comic, you know, out of respect.

[justalurkr]

I am very glad to read that she's doing well.

Also, I can't stop running my eyes over the ebb and flow of what affects the artist's emotions, and how only Romance survives as a known quantity (not cancer related) for the future. Priorities get changed really hard by that experience.

[Steax]

Yeah, I demand a refund for the $20 subscriptions to xkcd. This is outrageous.

[gnoitall]

I wonder about the question marked section on the right hand side.

This is total speculation on my part, but maybe it represents baby anxiety? It does occur after a bump in romance...

I see what you did there.

Spoiler:

"Baby bump"... get it? Eh?

Geez, I'm lame.

[Red Hal]

Yeah, I demand a refund for the $20 subscriptions to xkcd. This is outrageous.

Wait up; when did xkcd start offering discounts? I paid full price!

[Nergye]

He frankly seems to be cashing in on his wife's illness, making profit out of it -- otherwise he should have removed the link to the store on this comic, you know, out of respect.

I would have gone further and asked him to stop selling all the pieces of merchandise that are to do with cancer full stop.

Also, he shouldn't sell the comic, you know, out of respect.

And after all, torsos can contain cancer, and T-shirts can cover torsos. Therefore, Randall, you heartless bastard, selling T-shirts is exploiting not only your wife, but all torso-related cancer victims.

Thank you, SirMustapha, for opening our eyes to this injustice.

[keithl]

And in case it would help anyone, my thoughts on baldness during treatments:
http://kauthfamily.blogspot.com/2011/09 ... -bald.html

Asimov once had a fellow sci-fi author comment on a short story of his, where one of the characters secretly represented Isaac himself, that he was "making money off of his own neuroses". To which he responded, "Well, whose neuroses should I make money off of?"

Portland science fiction author Jay Lake responded to cancer treatment hair loss with a tattoo:

[Dead_Moss]

As someone whose dad died of cancer a few years ago (way before his time, he was only 52), I'm so glad to hear she's doing ok.

Some advice: If she gets declared "cured", don't stop getting regular check-ups. And not just some quick palpation or a blood sample. Regular PET scans if possible seems the only way to be certain.
Sorry for being so pessimistic, but the damn thing about cancer is its tendency to come back =/

[Sevardin]

I found this comic to be especially poignant. One of my closest friends lost her brief battle with advanced biliary cancer yesterday morning. She was diagnosed less than two months ago and spent the last month of her life in the hospital and a hospice center. She was surrounded by a great many friends and family from the moment I brought her to the hospital, a testament to the number of lives she touched positively. My own graph would extend cancer farther back, to 2007, when my mother was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. She continues the fight today and is an inspiration to me and everyone she knows.

Thank you.

[Gear]

Best of wishes to Randall and his Wife*.

Also.

Dear Self,

You have SirMustapha foed for a reason. Stop clicking on his/her f*cking posts.

Much Love,
You

*Should that be capitalized? I feel like that should be capitalized. Dammit grammar...

[ShortChelsea]

Dear Self,

You have SirMustapha foed for a reason. Stop clicking on his/her f*cking posts.

Much Love,
You

We all make mistakes. *sympathetic hug*

[wacky_doodle]

This is me, except in my Mom's case replace "cancer" with cerebrovascular disease (aka mini-strokes leading to dementia). Anything other than a massive MI is torture in my book and any "god" can go eff himself as far as I'm concerned.

I hate watching my mom shrink from the person she once was.

[darkwombat]

Wait wait wait wait . . .

There's a way to hide Sir Pooflinger's posts? I must investigate this immediately. I suspect I owe you many thanks, Gear.

All the best to Randall and his wife and family. I've lost several dear ones to cancer, and a son and daughter to a different terminal disease. I can absolutely relate to the mountain of grey.

[Tobu]

Wait wait wait wait . . .

There's a way to hide Sir Pooflinger's posts? I must investigate this immediately. I suspect I owe you many thanks, Gear.

1. Click on his name to get the profile page
2. Add foe
3. Confirm