2013-07-12
Original: 2013-07-12 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Title: A SIMPLE PROPOSAL TO STOP GERRYMANDERING
RULE 1: ALL DISTRICTS IN A STATE MUST HAVE EQUAL AREA
A_district = A_state / #districts
RULE 2: 1/3 OF EACH DISTRICT MUST BE SHAPED LIKE THE WORD "GERRYMANDERING!"
A_district / 3 = A_word
IF THE DISTRICTS AREN'T VERY GERRYMANDERED THE WORD WILL BE SUBSUMED IN THE LARGER SHAPE
(A district shape contains the readable word "GERRY MANDER ING!")
IF IT IS GERRYMANDERED CITIZENS WILL BE ABLE TO TELL AT A GLANCE
(A wildly contorted, snaky district shape with the word "gerrymandering" written in matching distorted form across it)
THIS WON'T MAKE GERRYMANDERING IMPOSSIBLE
Politician (bald man in suit at a podium): "I REPRESENT THE PROUD PEOPLE OF ILLINOIS DISTRICT 4!"
BUT IT MIGHT CHANGE THE INCENTIVES A BIT.
Blond man (off to the side): "WHICH ONE IS THAT?"
Politician: "THE MIDDLE ONE."
(Final panel: the red "oh yes" / votey button graphic)
Votey:
The politician (bald man in suit), continuing his speech in a large speech bubble: "WE HAVE BEEN A PROUD PEOPLE EVER SINCE WE WERE UNIFIED 20 MINUTES AGO."
RULE 1: ALL DISTRICTS IN A STATE MUST HAVE EQUAL AREA
A_district = A_state / #districts
RULE 2: 1/3 OF EACH DISTRICT MUST BE SHAPED LIKE THE WORD "GERRYMANDERING!"
A_district / 3 = A_word
IF THE DISTRICTS AREN'T VERY GERRYMANDERED THE WORD WILL BE SUBSUMED IN THE LARGER SHAPE
(A district shape contains the readable word "GERRY MANDER ING!")
IF IT IS GERRYMANDERED CITIZENS WILL BE ABLE TO TELL AT A GLANCE
(A wildly contorted, snaky district shape with the word "gerrymandering" written in matching distorted form across it)
THIS WON'T MAKE GERRYMANDERING IMPOSSIBLE
Politician (bald man in suit at a podium): "I REPRESENT THE PROUD PEOPLE OF ILLINOIS DISTRICT 4!"
BUT IT MIGHT CHANGE THE INCENTIVES A BIT.
Blond man (off to the side): "WHICH ONE IS THAT?"
Politician: "THE MIDDLE ONE."
(Final panel: the red "oh yes" / votey button graphic)
Votey:
The politician (bald man in suit), continuing his speech in a large speech bubble: "WE HAVE BEEN A PROUD PEOPLE EVER SINCE WE WERE UNIFIED 20 MINUTES AGO."
Alt text
A tall black-and-white SMBC comic titled "A Simple Proposal to Stop Gerrymandering." It lays out two mock rules: Rule 1, all districts in a state must have equal area (shown as the equation A_district = A_state divided by number of districts). Rule 2, one third of each district must be shaped like the word "GERRYMANDERING!" (shown as A_district / 3 = A_word). Two illustrative colored panels follow: the first shows a compact district with the word "GERRY MANDER ING!" neatly fitting inside, captioned that if districts aren't very gerrymandered the word will be subsumed in the larger shape; the second shows a wildly snaking, contorted district with the word "gerrymandering" stretched and distorted across it, captioned that if it is gerrymandered citizens will be able to tell at a glance. The next panel admits this won't make gerrymandering impossible: a bald politician in a suit at a podium declares, "I represent the proud people of Illinois District 4!" The final panel says it might change the incentives a bit, as a blond man asks "Which one is that?" and the politician answers "The middle one." Votey: a close-up of the same bald politician, still speaking, saying, "We have been a proud people ever since we were unified 20 minutes ago."
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.