2011-01-06
Original: 2011-01-06 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1: A grasshopper plays a violin while an ant walks past carrying a load.
Narration: Come winter, the grasshopper was cold and hungry while the ant was warm and full.
Panel 2: The ant sits at a desk in front of a computer.
Narration: Next spring, the ant was informed that his job was outsourced to a more efficient ant in India.
Panel 3: The ant lies on the ground, dejected, while a cat-like figure on a pink computer/device looks on.
Narration: Later, the ant cried to learn the value of his savings is at risk, but they didn't believe him since he was a pensionless laborer in a deflated retailer.
Panel 4: A figure with green/flame-like hair sits at a glowing computer monitor.
Narration: The grasshopper got rich because a video of him getting stepped on in a celebrity became an internet meme.
Panel 5: A figure sits on a couch in a darkened room lit by a screen.
Narration: The ant still works hard, but his money goes to his shiftless adult children who play video games all day.
Panel 6: Two figures recline on a couch in front of a TV.
Narration: His main form of amusement is telling at cable news shows and being acutely aware of how right his side was to leave him.
Panel 7: A plain panel reading: THE END.
Panel 8: A woman sits with a man.
Man: It's a little bleak, no?
Woman: Reality in this version was more dire.
Votey: A boxed caption reads: EPILOGUE: THE ASIAN ANT LOST HIS JOB TO AN AFRICAN ANT, WHO LOST HIS JOB TO A ROBOT.
Narration: Come winter, the grasshopper was cold and hungry while the ant was warm and full.
Panel 2: The ant sits at a desk in front of a computer.
Narration: Next spring, the ant was informed that his job was outsourced to a more efficient ant in India.
Panel 3: The ant lies on the ground, dejected, while a cat-like figure on a pink computer/device looks on.
Narration: Later, the ant cried to learn the value of his savings is at risk, but they didn't believe him since he was a pensionless laborer in a deflated retailer.
Panel 4: A figure with green/flame-like hair sits at a glowing computer monitor.
Narration: The grasshopper got rich because a video of him getting stepped on in a celebrity became an internet meme.
Panel 5: A figure sits on a couch in a darkened room lit by a screen.
Narration: The ant still works hard, but his money goes to his shiftless adult children who play video games all day.
Panel 6: Two figures recline on a couch in front of a TV.
Narration: His main form of amusement is telling at cable news shows and being acutely aware of how right his side was to leave him.
Panel 7: A plain panel reading: THE END.
Panel 8: A woman sits with a man.
Man: It's a little bleak, no?
Woman: Reality in this version was more dire.
Votey: A boxed caption reads: EPILOGUE: THE ASIAN ANT LOST HIS JOB TO AN AFRICAN ANT, WHO LOST HIS JOB TO A ROBOT.
Alt text
A tall multi-panel SMBC comic retelling the fable of the ant and the grasshopper as bleak modern economics. A grasshopper plays violin while an ant works hard; come winter the ant is warm and the grasshopper cold. But next spring the ant's job is outsourced to a more efficient ant in India, his savings collapse, and he ends up dejected and pensionless. Meanwhile the grasshopper gets rich because a video of him became an internet meme. The ant keeps working only to support shiftless adult children who play video games all day, and his main amusement is yelling at cable news. A panel reads THE END. A final two-character panel: one says 'It's a little bleak, no?' and the other replies that reality in this version was more dire. Votey: a black-on-white caption box reads 'EPILOGUE: THE ASIAN ANT LOST HIS JOB TO AN AFRICAN ANT, WHO LOST HIS JOB TO A ROBOT.'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.