behavior-2
Original: behavior-2 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1 (title card):
A GUIDE TO DISCUSSING BEHAVIORAL GENETICS:
Panel 2:
STYLE 1:
Man (hand cupped to mouth): BEHAVIORAL GENETICS IS JUNK SCIENCE BECAUSE THE HUMAN PSYCHE IS INSCRUTABLE AND MYSTERIOUS.
Panel 3:
STYLE 2:
Man (gesturing dramatically): THIS WEEK'S DISCOVERY CHANGES EVERYTHING BECAUSE WE HAVE UNLOCKED... THE GENIUS GENE.
Panel 4:
STYLE 3:
First person (holding a paper): WOW! A SINGLE GENE POLYMORPHISM EXPLAINS 0.2% OF VARIANCE IN MEASURED INTELLIGENCE SCORES IN THE POPULATION STUDIED!
Second person: WE'RE GOING TO BE SO FAMOUS AMONG A TINY GROUP OF SPECIALISTS!
Votey:
An off-panel voice (large speech bubble): ARE YOU IN THERE MAKING AN UN-NUANCED JOKE ABOUT HOW PEOPLE NEED MORE NUANCE?!
(A person sits hunched over at a desk, looking caught.)
A GUIDE TO DISCUSSING BEHAVIORAL GENETICS:
Panel 2:
STYLE 1:
Man (hand cupped to mouth): BEHAVIORAL GENETICS IS JUNK SCIENCE BECAUSE THE HUMAN PSYCHE IS INSCRUTABLE AND MYSTERIOUS.
Panel 3:
STYLE 2:
Man (gesturing dramatically): THIS WEEK'S DISCOVERY CHANGES EVERYTHING BECAUSE WE HAVE UNLOCKED... THE GENIUS GENE.
Panel 4:
STYLE 3:
First person (holding a paper): WOW! A SINGLE GENE POLYMORPHISM EXPLAINS 0.2% OF VARIANCE IN MEASURED INTELLIGENCE SCORES IN THE POPULATION STUDIED!
Second person: WE'RE GOING TO BE SO FAMOUS AMONG A TINY GROUP OF SPECIALISTS!
Votey:
An off-panel voice (large speech bubble): ARE YOU IN THERE MAKING AN UN-NUANCED JOKE ABOUT HOW PEOPLE NEED MORE NUANCE?!
(A person sits hunched over at a desk, looking caught.)
Alt text
A four-panel SMBC comic titled "A GUIDE TO DISCUSSING BEHAVIORAL GENETICS:" presenting three exaggerated styles of discussing the topic. Panel 1 is a yellow title card with that text. Panel 2, labeled "STYLE 1," shows a man cupping his hand to his mouth declaring that behavioral genetics is junk science because the human psyche is inscrutable and mysterious. Panel 3, labeled "STYLE 2," shows a man gesturing dramatically, announcing that this week's discovery changes everything because they have unlocked "THE GENIUS GENE." Panel 4, labeled "STYLE 3," shows two scientists: one holding a paper exclaims that a single gene polymorphism explains 0.2% of variance in measured intelligence scores in the population studied, and the other says they're going to be so famous among a tiny group of specialists. The joke contrasts dismissive, hype-driven, and dryly accurate over-modest ways of framing the same science. Votey: a person sits hunched at a desk looking caught as an off-panel voice asks in a large speech bubble, "ARE YOU IN THERE MAKING AN UN-NUANCED JOKE ABOUT HOW PEOPLE NEED MORE NUANCE?!"
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.