2014-08-24
Original: 2014-08-24 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1: A young woman with red hair speaks.
Woman: I was walking today with my baby sister and we went near a softball game.
Panel 2: The woman continues.
Woman: I realized I could lower the chance of us getting hit by a softball if I sped up and away from the game quicker.
Panel 3: The woman continues.
Woman: But then I realized that if I sped up and then got hit, the hit would be my fault.
Panel 4: The woman continues.
Woman: Even though speeding up was the rational choice, if I had sped up and she got struck, her pain would be the result of my choice.
Panel 5: The woman, looking troubled.
Woman: Somehow, change was a decision, but staying the same was a non-decision. So, I stayed the same. I took the wrong action, but I never risked feeling guilty or ashamed or foolish.
Panel 6: The woman, with a flat expression, addressing her father.
Woman: I guess what I'm saying, dad, is I understand why you won't go back to get your degree.
Panel 6 (right side): An off-panel speaker (the father) responds with a small caption.
Father: Low blow, kid. Low blow.
Votey:
A close-up of a grinning man's face.
Text: YOUR TEARS ARE MY SUSTENANCE
Woman: I was walking today with my baby sister and we went near a softball game.
Panel 2: The woman continues.
Woman: I realized I could lower the chance of us getting hit by a softball if I sped up and away from the game quicker.
Panel 3: The woman continues.
Woman: But then I realized that if I sped up and then got hit, the hit would be my fault.
Panel 4: The woman continues.
Woman: Even though speeding up was the rational choice, if I had sped up and she got struck, her pain would be the result of my choice.
Panel 5: The woman, looking troubled.
Woman: Somehow, change was a decision, but staying the same was a non-decision. So, I stayed the same. I took the wrong action, but I never risked feeling guilty or ashamed or foolish.
Panel 6: The woman, with a flat expression, addressing her father.
Woman: I guess what I'm saying, dad, is I understand why you won't go back to get your degree.
Panel 6 (right side): An off-panel speaker (the father) responds with a small caption.
Father: Low blow, kid. Low blow.
Votey:
A close-up of a grinning man's face.
Text: YOUR TEARS ARE MY SUSTENANCE
Alt text
A six-panel SMBC comic. A red-haired young woman delivers a long monologue to her father about a walk she took with her baby sister near a softball game. She explains that speeding up would have lowered the chance of being hit, but if they had been hit after speeding up, the harm would feel like the result of her choice, whereas not changing felt like a non-decision she couldn't be blamed for. She concludes that she stayed the same and took the wrong action specifically to avoid feeling guilty, ashamed, or foolish. In the final panel she flatly tells her dad this is why she understands why he won't go back to finish his degree. An off-panel reply reads 'Low blow, kid. Low blow.' Votey (aftercomic): a close-up of a grinning man's face with the caption 'YOUR TEARS ARE MY SUSTENANCE.'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.