2010-08-12
Explanation
In this comic, a doctor asks a colleague what the most positive way to say "98%" is. Later, the doctor is seen telling a dying patient who asks "What are the odds I don't survive another week?" the answer: "A+!"
The joke hinges on a grim reframing. The patient has a 98% chance of dying, which is terrible news. But by using the academic grading scale, the doctor technically answers the question with enthusiasm -- 98% is indeed an "A+" grade. The doctor has found the "most positive" way to deliver horrific news by stripping the number of its medical context and repackaging it as an academic achievement. The comic plays on the dark humor of doctor-patient communication and the absurdity of trying to spin genuinely bad news into something upbeat.