the-pleasure-button
Original: the-pleasure-button on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
(No dialogue. A rat with a wire implanted in its skull leans forward, paw pressing a red button on a small base in its cage bedding.)
Panel 2:
Woman scientist (in lab coat, gesturing toward a glass tank): ISN'T IT AMAZING? IT JUST SITS THERE MOTIONLESS, PRESSING THE PLEASURE BUTTON.
(A male scientist in a lab coat stands beside the tank holding a clipboard.)
Panel 3:
Male scientist (now looking down at his tablet): IT'S CRAZY. I'M GONNA POST ABOUT IT ON FACEBOOK. FIRST, LET ME SEE HOW MY PEERS ARE DOING.
Panel 4:
(Two green aliens in purple outfits stand over a white pedestal; a small glowing humanoid figure stands motionless on top of it.)
Alien (gesturing toward the pedestal): ISN'T IT AMAZING? IT JUST SITS THERE MOTIONLESS, PRESSING THE PAIN BUTTON.
Votey:
(Close-up of a man holding a phone/tablet, smiling.)
Man: Now for some depressing comics.
(No dialogue. A rat with a wire implanted in its skull leans forward, paw pressing a red button on a small base in its cage bedding.)
Panel 2:
Woman scientist (in lab coat, gesturing toward a glass tank): ISN'T IT AMAZING? IT JUST SITS THERE MOTIONLESS, PRESSING THE PLEASURE BUTTON.
(A male scientist in a lab coat stands beside the tank holding a clipboard.)
Panel 3:
Male scientist (now looking down at his tablet): IT'S CRAZY. I'M GONNA POST ABOUT IT ON FACEBOOK. FIRST, LET ME SEE HOW MY PEERS ARE DOING.
Panel 4:
(Two green aliens in purple outfits stand over a white pedestal; a small glowing humanoid figure stands motionless on top of it.)
Alien (gesturing toward the pedestal): ISN'T IT AMAZING? IT JUST SITS THERE MOTIONLESS, PRESSING THE PAIN BUTTON.
Votey:
(Close-up of a man holding a phone/tablet, smiling.)
Man: Now for some depressing comics.
Alt text
A four-panel SMBC comic. Panel 1: a lab rat with an electrode wire running into its skull leans forward in its bedding, pressing a red button with its paw. Panel 2: a woman scientist gestures at a glass tank and says, 'Isn't it amazing? It just sits there motionless, pressing the pleasure button,' while a male colleague stands by with a clipboard. Panel 3: the male scientist looks at his tablet and says, 'It's crazy. I'm gonna post about it on Facebook. First, let me see how my peers are doing.' Panel 4: the scene shifts to two green aliens in purple outfits standing over a white pedestal on which a tiny glowing human figure stands motionless. One alien gestures and says, 'Isn't it amazing? It just sits there motionless, pressing the PAIN button.' The joke: the aliens find their captive human's compulsive misery as fascinating as the scientists find their rat's compulsive pleasure. Votey: a smiling man holds a phone and says, 'Now for some depressing comics.'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.