flow

A five-panel SMBC comic in an office setting. An older man (a manager) tells a young brown-haired employee, "Henderson, H.R. has some concerns." Henderson asks, "About what?" The manager replies, "This flow chart." Henderson asks if any of his corporate information flow analysis is incorrect. The manager says, "No, it's just that when we zoom in on the lines between boxes, we find they're made up of the phrase 'None of this matters' written over and over in tiny letters." Henderson, startled, says, "Huh. Didn't realize I'd done that. That's... scary. You want me to see the office psychologist or-" The manager interrupts: "I need you to spend the weekend crossing out every 'None of' in this report." The joke is that the company cares only about scrubbing the visible nihilism, not the employee's distress. Votey (bonus panel): handwritten repeated affirmations read, "I am middle management. I can prevent the lines between boxes from having meaning. I am middle management. I can create truth and erase truth. I am middle management. I can destroy truth." Below is a drawing of a large unsettled face with curly hair and a downturned mouth.