preferences
Original: preferences on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Caption (top): LEARNING ECONOMICS HAS RUINED MY ABILITY TO HAVE FRIENDS.
Panel 1: A woman with round glasses and dark hair, holding out a piece of paper (a check or note), speaks to another woman seen from behind.
Woman with glasses: "Here, I'm willing to pay $20 to achieve my preference to not have to hear about your breakup. Now everyone's better off!"
Votey:
Close-up of the woman with round glasses.
Woman with glasses: "I'll throw in another 5 if you agree this doesn't negatively impact our friendship."
Panel 1: A woman with round glasses and dark hair, holding out a piece of paper (a check or note), speaks to another woman seen from behind.
Woman with glasses: "Here, I'm willing to pay $20 to achieve my preference to not have to hear about your breakup. Now everyone's better off!"
Votey:
Close-up of the woman with round glasses.
Woman with glasses: "I'll throw in another 5 if you agree this doesn't negatively impact our friendship."
Alt text
A two-panel SMBC comic. Top caption reads: "Learning economics has ruined my ability to have friends." In the main panel, a woman with round glasses and dark hair holds out a slip of paper toward a friend shown from behind, saying: "Here, I'm willing to pay $20 to achieve my preference to not have to hear about your breakup. Now everyone's better off!" The votey is a black-and-white close-up of the bespectacled woman adding: "I'll throw in another 5 if you agree this doesn't negatively impact our friendship." The joke is treating friendship and emotional support as a market transaction with side-payments.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.