ohyesrobot.ordoliberal.com

2011-06-23

Original: 2011-06-23 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Transcript

Main comic:

Three people in white lab coats stand watching a one-way observation window into a room where a person sits in an armchair watching a television.

First observer (woman with gray hair and glasses): "I can't believe he's still going..."

Second observer (woman with dark hair): "I thought for sure he'd realize it was a psychological experiment within weeks!"

Third observer (man with dark hair and glasses, holding a folder): "He must actually think other people LIKE this stuff."

Caption below the panel:
"Fun fact:
There is no such thing as reality TV."

"You sick bastard."

Votey:

A wide-eyed, worried-looking person speaks.
Person: "That reminds me. How's the "webcomics" experiment going?"

Alt text

Three scientists in white lab coats stand with their backs to us, watching through a large observation window. On the other side, a lone person sits in an armchair watching a TV. The scientists comment that they can't believe "he's still going" and thought he'd realize within weeks that it was a psychological experiment, concluding "He must actually think other people LIKE this stuff." A caption reads: "Fun fact: There is no such thing as reality TV." followed by "You sick bastard." The joke: reality TV is framed as a cruel psychological experiment run on an unwitting subject. Votey: a wide-eyed, nervous-looking person turns and asks, "That reminds me. How's the 'webcomics' experiment going?" — extending the gag to suggest webcomics are another such experiment.

Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.