mobilize
Original: mobilize on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1: A man stands at a podium giving a speech to an audience.
Speaker (man at podium): "And thus it is clear that humans are unique. Only we can use complex language, and therefore only we can build complex cultural institutions that allow for large scale social mobilization, such as religion, statehood, and warmaking."
Panel 2: The audience applauds enthusiastically. Sound effects fill the air: "clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap"
Panel 3: Among the crowd, two dolphins disguised in coats/seats speak to each other.
A dolphin: "Fooled. We have utterly fooled them."
A dolphin: "The conquest shall be swift."
Votey:
Speaker (the man at the podium): "Now, let us all continue our sedentary distracted lives!" (Shown with a close-up of his face.)
Speaker (man at podium): "And thus it is clear that humans are unique. Only we can use complex language, and therefore only we can build complex cultural institutions that allow for large scale social mobilization, such as religion, statehood, and warmaking."
Panel 2: The audience applauds enthusiastically. Sound effects fill the air: "clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap"
Panel 3: Among the crowd, two dolphins disguised in coats/seats speak to each other.
A dolphin: "Fooled. We have utterly fooled them."
A dolphin: "The conquest shall be swift."
Votey:
Speaker (the man at the podium): "Now, let us all continue our sedentary distracted lives!" (Shown with a close-up of his face.)
Alt text
A four-panel SMBC comic. Panel 1: a man at a podium delivers a grand speech: "And thus it is clear that humans are unique. Only we can use complex language, and therefore only we can build complex cultural institutions that allow for large scale social mobilization, such as religion, statehood, and warmaking." Panel 2: a packed audience applauds wildly, the air filled with repeated "clap" sound effects. Panel 3: hidden among the human crowd, two dolphins disguised as audience members lean together and murmur conspiratorially: "Fooled. We have utterly fooled them," and "The conquest shall be swift" — revealing the humans' self-congratulation has blinded them to dolphins plotting to conquer humanity. Votey: a close-up of the oblivious speaker calling out cheerfully, "Now, let us all continue our sedentary distracted lives!"
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.