sword-of-democracy
Original: sword-of-democracy on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Wizard (to a young blond person): PULL THE SWORD FROM THE STONE AND YOU SHALL BE KING!
Panel 2:
Wizard (gesturing to a second sword in a stone): PULL THE SWORD FROM THIS OTHER STONE AND YOU SHALL BE A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCH.
Panel 3:
Wizard: NOW, THIS OTHER SWORD-
Panel 4:
Young person: IS THERE A SWORD FOR DEMOCRACY?
Panel 5:
Wizard: ARTHUR... ASK THAT PEASANT HIS VOTE.
Panel 6:
Wizard waits.
Panel 7:
Young person (to the wizard, with a peasant looking on): EXCUSE ME, SIR. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN AN ELECTED LEADER?
Panel 8:
Peasant: HMM.
Peasant: WHOEVER CAN PULL THE BIGGEST SWORD FROM THE BIGGEST STONE.
Panel 9:
Wizard: AND THAT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL PARADOX OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT.
Panel 10:
Young person: WHAT IF WE EDUCATED THEM?
Wizard (now wearing a crown): SHUTUP AND PUT ON YOUR GOLD HAT!
Votey:
A bespectacled person stands behind a seated person who is reclining/lounging. A small child peeks in at the bottom.
Reclining person: It's time I came out of the closet as a Monarchist
Wizard (to a young blond person): PULL THE SWORD FROM THE STONE AND YOU SHALL BE KING!
Panel 2:
Wizard (gesturing to a second sword in a stone): PULL THE SWORD FROM THIS OTHER STONE AND YOU SHALL BE A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCH.
Panel 3:
Wizard: NOW, THIS OTHER SWORD-
Panel 4:
Young person: IS THERE A SWORD FOR DEMOCRACY?
Panel 5:
Wizard: ARTHUR... ASK THAT PEASANT HIS VOTE.
Panel 6:
Wizard waits.
Panel 7:
Young person (to the wizard, with a peasant looking on): EXCUSE ME, SIR. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN AN ELECTED LEADER?
Panel 8:
Peasant: HMM.
Peasant: WHOEVER CAN PULL THE BIGGEST SWORD FROM THE BIGGEST STONE.
Panel 9:
Wizard: AND THAT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL PARADOX OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT.
Panel 10:
Young person: WHAT IF WE EDUCATED THEM?
Wizard (now wearing a crown): SHUTUP AND PUT ON YOUR GOLD HAT!
Votey:
A bespectacled person stands behind a seated person who is reclining/lounging. A small child peeks in at the bottom.
Reclining person: It's time I came out of the closet as a Monarchist
Alt text
A ten-panel SMBC comic parodying the Arthurian sword-in-the-stone legend as a metaphor for forms of government. A purple-robed wizard (resembling Merlin) tells a young blond squire: 'Pull the sword from the stone and you shall be king!' He points to a second embedded sword: 'Pull the sword from this other stone and you shall be a constitutional monarch.' He begins to introduce yet another sword, but the squire interrupts: 'Is there a sword for democracy?' The wizard says, 'Arthur... ask that peasant his vote.' The squire politely asks a scruffy peasant, 'Excuse me, sir. What would you like to see in an elected leader?' The peasant thinks, then answers: 'Whoever can pull the biggest sword from the biggest stone.' The wizard concludes, 'And that is the fundamental paradox of human government.' When the squire asks, 'What if we educated them?', the wizard, now wearing a gold crown, snaps: 'Shutup and put on your gold hat!' Votey (bonus panel): a loose sketch of a bespectacled person standing behind someone lounging in a chair, with a small child peeking in from the bottom; the lounging person declares, 'It's time I came out of the closet as a Monarchist.'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.