jealousy
Original: jealousy on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Man with flame-like orange hair: Why is it that the people who impress me aren't the same people I'm jealous of?
Panel 2:
Orange-haired man: I'm impressed by artists and scientists and leaders who devote everything to something beautiful heedless of the cost in health, wealth, or reputation.
Panel 3:
Orange-haired man: But, when I feel jealousy, it's always toward people who are rich and important right this second.
Panel 4:
Orange-haired man: I guess, in my heart, I want to live an ascetic life driven by purpose, all the while knowing that billions of people are cheering me on for being so great.
Panel 5 (close-up of the orange-haired man looking concerned, the other person's profile at the edge):
(no dialogue)
Panel 6 (silhouettes of the two people facing each other against a black background):
First silhouette: Have you considered joining ANY charitable organization?
Second silhouette (the orange-haired man): Isn't that a bit pretentious?
Votey:
One silhouette asks: And how does that make "me" famous?
(An anguished close-up sketch of the orange-haired man's face accompanies this.)
Man with flame-like orange hair: Why is it that the people who impress me aren't the same people I'm jealous of?
Panel 2:
Orange-haired man: I'm impressed by artists and scientists and leaders who devote everything to something beautiful heedless of the cost in health, wealth, or reputation.
Panel 3:
Orange-haired man: But, when I feel jealousy, it's always toward people who are rich and important right this second.
Panel 4:
Orange-haired man: I guess, in my heart, I want to live an ascetic life driven by purpose, all the while knowing that billions of people are cheering me on for being so great.
Panel 5 (close-up of the orange-haired man looking concerned, the other person's profile at the edge):
(no dialogue)
Panel 6 (silhouettes of the two people facing each other against a black background):
First silhouette: Have you considered joining ANY charitable organization?
Second silhouette (the orange-haired man): Isn't that a bit pretentious?
Votey:
One silhouette asks: And how does that make "me" famous?
(An anguished close-up sketch of the orange-haired man's face accompanies this.)
Alt text
A six-panel SMBC comic. A man with flame-like orange hair confides in a companion. He says it's strange that the people who impress him aren't the same people he's jealous of: he's impressed by artists, scientists, and leaders who sacrifice their health, wealth, and reputation for something beautiful, but his jealousy is always aimed at people who are rich and important right now. He admits that in his heart he wants to live an ascetic, purpose-driven life while billions of people cheer him on for being great. The final panels show the two as white silhouettes against black; the companion asks, 'Have you considered joining ANY charitable organization?' and the orange-haired man replies, 'Isn't that a bit pretentious?' The joke: he craves the glory of selflessness without the actual selflessness. Votey (bonus panel): a silhouette asks, 'And how does that make "me" famous?' beside an anguished sketch of the man's face, driving home that his interest in charity is really about fame, not helping.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.