Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones There She Goes Again

Explain xkcd: It'southward 'cause you lot're dumb.

Explanation [edit]

Sticks and Stones is a nursery rhyme, which goes as follows:

Sticks and stones may suspension my bones
But words will never hurt me.

The nursery rhyme oftentimes by parents and with some variation, to persuade an private, usually a child, to ignore whatsoever name calling or mean taunts that were said by others in an attempt to hurt the individual'due south feelings.

The comic challenges this sentiment when the kid responds that, although words can't harm yous physically, they can change how you experience, and isn't that the most important matter of all? Cueball obviously sees the simple truth in this, simply tries to deflect by challenge that the globe really isn't that bad. The kid refers again to the rhyme, observing that the concrete world tin can be harsh enough, because in that location are things like sticks and stones that break your bones and presumably people who use them as weapons to do so. Or yet worse, that someone would think up such a gruesome saying in the first place. Upon reflection, Cueball agrees that this epitome is actually horrific.

The title text is rather dark, and is probably a reference to the currently active bullying and shaming civilisation. None of us deserves to exist browbeaten or stoned, but words are powerful enough to make u.s. think that we do.

In the long tradition of the science of the obvious, recent studies (for example: Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain) have shown that, in fact, the brain's reactions to physical pain and emotional rejection are somewhat similar and even feed into each other.

Transcript [edit]

[A child, who looks like a miniature Cueball, is running with arms outstretched toward Cueball.]

Child: Did y'all hear what he said nearly me!?

Cueball: Well, think: sticks and stones may break my bones, only words—

Child: —tin make someone else feel happy or sad, which is literally the merely thing that matters in this stupid world?

[Brief intermission.]

Child: Right?

Cueball: The globe isn't that bad.

Child: Explain the line most sticks and stones?

Cueball: ...OK, peradventure it'southward kind of horrific.

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Discussion

Sticks and stones may suspension my bones, but words will hurt forever. --Buggz (talk) 06:04, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

Noone tin appreciate the divergence between cleaved bones and someone namecalling him without experience with the first. The things childs do to each other is basically the worst they always experienced - considering if those wouldn't, they would do worse. -- Hkmaly (talk) 09:31, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

No ane write 'no ane' as 'noone'. Beanie (talk) 13:32, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

Is it really a rhyme if it doesn't rhyme? --Dangerkeith3000 (talk) 15:02, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

The rhyming of "stones" and "bones" probably counts as the big feature, and then the 'uhr' sound of "words" and "hurt" echo this resonance, and I've never heard the "harm" version that wouldn't have this. Although information technology'south certainly a non-standard rhyming scheme (if it's AABC) and browse (seven+seven syllables, or (3+4)+(ii+5) or withal yous want to split information technology). Information technology's pithy, which probably trumps strict adherence to anything like iambic pentameter. Maybe there'southward an argument that it'southward more musical, with a rythm of 4 groups of 4 beats ("sticks" and "words" extending over ii of them, each, the mode I'd say information technology). But musical lyrics and spoken verse are easily interchangable, and as long equally information technology isn't totally 'bare' poesy I'd accept it as a rhyme. (Non an authority, though ->) 31.109.101.73 nineteen:56, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

Commendation: http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/27/in-the-encephalon-broken-hearts-hurt-like-broken-bones/ and http://www.pnas.org/content/108/15/6270.total?sid=758b38cc-b399-4d22-9c37-3c074cf321be Woliveirajr (talk) 16:58, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

My beloved departed mother-in-law put information technology much more memorably - Sticks and stones may break my bones, merely words will break my middle. 131.107.147.231 17:46, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

I can easily disregard words. Information technology's not every bit easy to condone a broken bone. After my fourth day at my new job, my knees are killing me, and that's non even close. 76.106.251.87 01:16, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

So was this comic copied from hither? http://thegentlemansarmchair.com/post/50907218931/sticks-and-stones-http-i-imgur-com-sowwlir-jpg Bryced (talk) 07:43, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

Squeamish find, looks like but the child doesn't talk. That'due south the signal here. --Dgbrt (talk) 20:xviii, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

I think the last panel isn't and then much implying that Cueball thinks THE Earth is horrific, only that the RHYME (and the fact that information technology's something regularly promoted to children) is horrific.--68.230.167.173 07:xiii, x August 2013 (UTC)

Definitely. The horrific function is that we accept a children'due south rhyme about a bone-breaking beating with clubs or rocks. That kind of matter curdles my stomach a footling when I even read it in the paper (lamentable, net), so yes it does seem out of place here! 108.162.219.223 xix:21, 22 January 2014 (UTC)

I disagree. Cueball'south outset line in that console is saying that the globe is peachy. When asked to explicate why the rhyme involves sticks and stones breaking bones, he concedes that (it) is horrific. If the it refers to the rhyme, then the child was naïvely request for an explanation. If the it refers to the globe, then the child was trying to press a bespeak, as he did in the second panel. 108.162.246.211 03:58, 10 July 2014 (UTC)

Or lack of words. It can be disappointing when someone is upset with you and won't talk to you and you simply desire them to open so you can facilitate advice again. 108.162.250.223 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

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Source: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1216:_Sticks_and_Stones

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