2012-09-25

A three-panel SMBC comic titled "HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE:". Panel 1: A man with flame-like red hair in a blue suit strokes his chin and asks, "Say, what do you think is the dollar value of a leaky sack of monkey foetuses in the Bering Strait circa 1979." The comic then shows two reactions to the same bizarre question. Under a red header reading "NORMAL PERSON:", a woman in a yellow shirt looks alarmed and says, "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Under a red header reading "ECONOMIST:", the same woman looks perfectly calm and simply asks, "Real dollars or nominal dollars?" The joke is that an economist responds to an absurd premise with a routine clarifying question instead of shock. Votey (aftercomic): A close-up of the red-haired man who replies "Nominal." and a speech bubble answers "$37.52" — deadpan confirmation that the economist actually has a precise number ready.