poets
Original: poets on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
A man with graying hair in a blue suit stands at a podium, gesturing dramatically with one arm outstretched, his expression indignant.
Man at podium: "ENGINEERS ARE CREATIVE TOO! I DEMAND THAT WE BE TREATED LIKE ARTISTS! LIKE POETS! THAT'S WHAT WE ARE!"
Panel 2:
Banner header: "EVER AFTER:"
The same man now stands glumly among a crowd of unimpressed-looking people, his eyes downcast. An off-panel speaker addresses him.
Off-panel speaker: "WOW, A MASTER'S DEGREE IN... 'SOLID STATE PHYSICS?' SOUNDS LIKE POSTMODERN GIBBERISH. GUESS THERE'S A DEGREE FOR ANYTHING NOW. HOPE YOU'RE GOOD AT SERVING COFFEE."
Votey:
A black-and-white line drawing of a person holding up a smartphone in front of their face, taking a selfie or filming themselves, with their other arm extended.
A man with graying hair in a blue suit stands at a podium, gesturing dramatically with one arm outstretched, his expression indignant.
Man at podium: "ENGINEERS ARE CREATIVE TOO! I DEMAND THAT WE BE TREATED LIKE ARTISTS! LIKE POETS! THAT'S WHAT WE ARE!"
Panel 2:
Banner header: "EVER AFTER:"
The same man now stands glumly among a crowd of unimpressed-looking people, his eyes downcast. An off-panel speaker addresses him.
Off-panel speaker: "WOW, A MASTER'S DEGREE IN... 'SOLID STATE PHYSICS?' SOUNDS LIKE POSTMODERN GIBBERISH. GUESS THERE'S A DEGREE FOR ANYTHING NOW. HOPE YOU'RE GOOD AT SERVING COFFEE."
Votey:
A black-and-white line drawing of a person holding up a smartphone in front of their face, taking a selfie or filming themselves, with their other arm extended.
Alt text
A two-panel SMBC comic. Panel 1: A graying man in a blue suit stands at a podium, arm flung out, demanding indignantly, "Engineers are creative too! I demand that we be treated like artists! Like poets! That's what we are!" Panel 2, labeled "Ever After": The same man now stands glumly in a crowd of unimpressed people while an off-panel voice condescends, "Wow, a master's degree in... 'Solid State Physics?' Sounds like postmodern gibberish. Guess there's a degree for anything now. Hope you're good at serving coffee." The joke: the engineer gets his wish to be treated like an artist, which means his serious technical credential is dismissed as meaningless and his job prospects mocked. Votey (bonus panel): A simple black-and-white drawing of a person holding a smartphone up to their face, taking a selfie.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.