2011-06-03
Explanation
This comic depicts what Weinersmith labels "The Agreement Inflection" -- the social phenomenon where a coworker's complaints start out relatable but gradually veer into territory you absolutely cannot endorse. In the first panel, a man complains that his boss is stingy with paper, and his female coworker agrees with an enthusiastic "Yeah!" In the second panel, he escalates to admitting he made thousands of copies for personal use, justifying it because they are "company property" and he works for a company. She responds with a tepid "Okay..."
The third panel goes completely off the rails: the man reveals the copies were of his testicles, though he insists he always wipes down the copier afterward. The coworker can only manage an "Uhhh..." A graph in the fourth panel illustrates "The Agreement Inflection" (also called the "Uhhh...rabola"), showing agreement with the coworker rising, peaking, and then plummeting over time. The final panel delivers the coup de grace: the man admits he sent those pictures to his boss's teenage daughter, rationalizing that "she has the internet" and "was gonna see my balls eventually."
The votey panel shows the man at his computer muttering "Buncha fascists," presumably after facing consequences for his behavior. This is the classic final stage of such people: reframing any accountability as oppression. The comic brilliantly captures the experience of initially sympathizing with someone's workplace complaint only to discover they are, in fact, the actual problem.