The Author and his female partner prepare for sex in an unusual ritual: preparing a “homeopathic” contraceptive. While preparing this homeopathic contraceptive, they aim a joke squarely at doubters. “We will be sure to get pregnant now,” the female partner says with ironic glee as she prepares for her upcoming momentary sexual encounter safe in the knowledge that unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are blocked by the remedy.
The caption then reminds the Reader how effective and easy homeopathic medicine is. So effective that it can completely halt conception; something not even the best modern (and risk-laden) birth control medications and awkward latex sheaths can do. Were the Author and his partner to continue the regimen they would be unable to conceive, effectively removing them from the gene pool and the evolutionary process.
This comic is a change of pace from the usual science-focused theme, instead focusing on humanist activism. The Author wants to remind us that science, while it has its place in many human endeavors, can in fact be misguided sometimes. There is a wealth of alternative medical treatment that is more effective, more safe, and more accessible to the average person. Many so-called skeptics deny the efficacy of these practices because of methodological differences, doing much more harm than good with their legalism. The Author wants us to remember that human suffering should be addressed even if that means skipping tiresome rigamarole like the expensive (and usually pointless) “double-blind placebo controlled trial.”
Scrolling through the “XKCD Explained” archives and stumbled on this serious misfire. Normally the blog is pretty good at poking fun at an otherwise humorous strip, but they completely misread the point of this one.
XKCD was poking fun at homeopathy, not endorsing it. The couple is using homeopathy (the dilution) in an effort to get pregnant, instead of the traditional non-diluted method of insemination. The author’s point: this couple’s method, like all homeopathy, doesn’t work. If people relied on this method, they would die out, because reproduction would be impossible, hence the reference to evolutionary selection.
How the author(s) of XKCD Explained missed this, I don’t know. If you’re going to sarcastically belittle an otherwise intelligent author, at least get your facts straight.
