Original artwork, not a still
xkcd #386, "Duty Calls" (2008)
Someone is wrong on the internet.
— xkcd · 2005
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It named a feeling everyone online already had: the itch to correct a stranger at any cost, even sleep. The joke is the mismatch between a title that sounds like a firefighter answering a call and a cause that is a comment thread. People still quote it, usually about themselves, whenever they are about to type a long reply they know they shouldn't.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for xkcdShow the scene
In xkcd strip 386, "Duty Calls", posted on 20 February 2008, Cueball sits typing at his computer when a voice from outside the frame asks if he is coming to bed. He can't, he says, because this is important. Asked what could be so important, he answers that someone is wrong on the Internet, with "wrong" underlined and in capitals. The title text takes it one step further: if he leaves, they will only keep being wrong.
Sources (1)
- explain xkcd: 386: Duty CallsComic header, Transcript and Explanation sectionsReference checked
Context reviewed
