2011-07-22
Explanation
This comic takes the common dismissive advice "Stop being unhappy! There are people who have it worse than you!" and follows it to its absurd logical conclusion. The phrase is passed from person to person, each one telling someone worse off to stop complaining because others have it even worse. This chain continues, depicted through a cascading series of figures stretching into the distance, until it reaches the single most unfortunate person on Earth -- a man who appears to be on fire, surrounded by destruction.
The punchline subverts expectations: rather than being miserable, this worst-off person realizes that being the least fortunate man on Earth means he automatically wins every "pissing contest" (any competition over who has it worse). He declares, "This is the happiest day of my life." The comic satirizes both the dismissive nature of the original platitude and the human tendency to find perverse satisfaction in competitive suffering, suggesting that even rock-bottom has its silver lining if you are competitive enough.