2011-06-25
Explanation
This lengthy comic explores a thought experiment about time travel and democracy. A scientist visits the president ("Madam President") and reveals he has invented a tachyon receiver -- not a time machine for travel, but a device that can transmit information through time. The president seizes on a creative political exploitation: since democracy gives citizens one vote every four years, there is technically nothing stopping future citizens from casting their votes in current elections. She proposes allowing future people to vote now.
The scientist raises objections that create a wonderful logical spiral. He notes that future people, having lived through her presidency, would know not to vote for her since she "used science for evil." She counters that they have already cast their votes, so it is too late. The scientist then points out that if future people can vote, the people from four years in the future will be angry, and when they become the people from eight years in the future, they will vote against her in the current election. The president pauses to think, then concludes that the smart move is to court the population from the furthest possible future, since population keeps growing and the most distant future would have the most voters.
The comic ends with a news broadcast showing the absurd consequences: "President refuses all press meetings, refers to present as '''flyover era'''" while her "distant future constituency calls for lower taxes, more '''delicious human meats.'''" The votey shows a newspaper headline: "President to apologize for believing time machine hoax -- '''Sorry '''bout all the murder.'''" The comic is a delightful reductio ad absurdum of democratic theory, game theory, and political opportunism, showing how a perfectly logical chain of reasoning about time-travel voting leads to catastrophically absurd outcomes.