command
Original: command on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Boy (curly-haired kid in a yellow shirt): DAD, THE COMMAND-ECONOMY STRUCTURE OF THE HOUSEHOLD IS LIMITING PRODUCTIVITY.
Boy: I DO CHORES, DAY IN DAY OUT, BUT PRODUCTIVITY IS COMPLETELY UNCORRELATED TO EITHER MY ALLOWANCE OR THE QUANTITY OF FOOD I RECEIVE.
Panel 2:
Dad (man in a red shirt reading a book): WE MUST IMPLEMENT ECONOMIC SHOCK THERAPY! VAST DEREGULATION. PUT PARENT-CONTROLLED ASSETS INTO WHATEVER INDIVIDUALS EMERGE VICTORIOUS IN FREE COMPETITION.
LATER...
Panel 3:
Boy (walking with another kid, both carrying lunchboxes): AND THEN MOM TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAOS TO SEIZE THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION.
Other kid: CLASSIC MOM BEHAVIOR.
Votey:
A crudely drawn, frightened-looking face with the hand-lettered caption: ALL FOR MOM
Boy (curly-haired kid in a yellow shirt): DAD, THE COMMAND-ECONOMY STRUCTURE OF THE HOUSEHOLD IS LIMITING PRODUCTIVITY.
Boy: I DO CHORES, DAY IN DAY OUT, BUT PRODUCTIVITY IS COMPLETELY UNCORRELATED TO EITHER MY ALLOWANCE OR THE QUANTITY OF FOOD I RECEIVE.
Panel 2:
Dad (man in a red shirt reading a book): WE MUST IMPLEMENT ECONOMIC SHOCK THERAPY! VAST DEREGULATION. PUT PARENT-CONTROLLED ASSETS INTO WHATEVER INDIVIDUALS EMERGE VICTORIOUS IN FREE COMPETITION.
LATER...
Panel 3:
Boy (walking with another kid, both carrying lunchboxes): AND THEN MOM TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAOS TO SEIZE THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION.
Other kid: CLASSIC MOM BEHAVIOR.
Votey:
A crudely drawn, frightened-looking face with the hand-lettered caption: ALL FOR MOM
Alt text
A four-panel SMBC comic. Panel 1: A curly-haired boy in a yellow shirt raises a finger and tells his dad, 'Dad, the command-economy structure of the household is limiting productivity. I do chores, day in day out, but productivity is completely uncorrelated to either my allowance or the quantity of food I receive.' Panel 2: The dad, a man in a red shirt reading a book with blank white eyes, replies, 'We must implement economic shock therapy! Vast deregulation. Put parent-controlled assets into whatever individuals emerge victorious in free competition.' A caption reads 'LATER...' Panel 3: The boy walks down a street with another kid, both holding lunchboxes, saying, 'And then mom took advantage of the chaos to seize the means of production.' The other kid responds, 'Classic mom behavior.' The joke maps free-market shock-therapy deregulation onto household chores, with mom playing the role of an opportunist seizing control. Votey (aftercomic): A scratchy, wide-eyed, alarmed face below the hand-lettered words 'ALL FOR MOM,' an ominous propaganda-poster riff.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.