2011-03-23
Original: 2011-03-23 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Title (above the comic): IMAGINE TRUTH IS A SPHERE:
Panel 1 (red caption bar): THIS IS WHAT I USED TO THINK CAUSED ARGUMENTS
A sphere sits in the center, lit so its left side is black and its right side is white. A figure on the left, angrily gesturing toward the sphere, shouts: "THE SPHERE IS ALL BLACK!" A figure on the right, also angrily gesturing toward the sphere, shouts: "THE SPHERE IS ALL WHITE!"
Panel 2 (red caption bar): THIS IS WHAT I THINK NOW.
The same scene, but now both figures have turned their backs to the sphere, facing away from it. The figure on the left still shouts: "THE SPHERE IS ALL BLACK!" The figure on the right still shouts: "THE SPHERE IS ALL WHITE!"
Votey:
Caption bar: AND THE OTHER PROBLEM
The black-and-white sphere sits to the left. A smiling figure stands beside it, completely ignoring it, holding and looking down at a handheld game device. A speech bubble from the device reads: "HIGH SCORE!"
Panel 1 (red caption bar): THIS IS WHAT I USED TO THINK CAUSED ARGUMENTS
A sphere sits in the center, lit so its left side is black and its right side is white. A figure on the left, angrily gesturing toward the sphere, shouts: "THE SPHERE IS ALL BLACK!" A figure on the right, also angrily gesturing toward the sphere, shouts: "THE SPHERE IS ALL WHITE!"
Panel 2 (red caption bar): THIS IS WHAT I THINK NOW.
The same scene, but now both figures have turned their backs to the sphere, facing away from it. The figure on the left still shouts: "THE SPHERE IS ALL BLACK!" The figure on the right still shouts: "THE SPHERE IS ALL WHITE!"
Votey:
Caption bar: AND THE OTHER PROBLEM
The black-and-white sphere sits to the left. A smiling figure stands beside it, completely ignoring it, holding and looking down at a handheld game device. A speech bubble from the device reads: "HIGH SCORE!"
Alt text
A four-panel SMBC comic titled "IMAGINE TRUTH IS A SPHERE:". A sphere is shown lit so one half appears black and the other half white. First panel, captioned "THIS IS WHAT I USED TO THINK CAUSED ARGUMENTS": two figures stand on either side of the sphere, both looking at it and arguing; the one on the left yells "THE SPHERE IS ALL BLACK!" and the one on the right yells "THE SPHERE IS ALL WHITE!" Second panel, captioned "THIS IS WHAT I THINK NOW.": the same two figures still shout the same opposing claims, but now both have turned their backs on the sphere and aren't even looking at it. The joke: people argue from fixed positions without actually examining the thing in question. Votey (a black-and-white bonus panel) captioned "AND THE OTHER PROBLEM": the black-and-white sphere sits to the side while a smiling figure ignores it entirely, absorbed in a handheld video game whose screen says "HIGH SCORE!" — the extra problem being people too distracted to care about truth at all.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.