2011-08-16
Explanation
This comic presents a graph titled "Why I Won't Join Your Movement." The x-axis represents the number of members in a group, while two lines track different variables as group size increases. The blue line, labeled "Average IQ," starts high and steadily declines as the group grows. The red line, labeled "Percent Assholes," starts near zero and climbs steeply as membership increases.
The comic is a cynical commentary on the dynamics of social and political movements. Weiner suggests that as any movement grows in popularity and membership, two unfortunate trends emerge simultaneously: the average intellectual quality of the members decreases (as a wider, less discerning audience joins), and the proportion of unpleasant, aggressive people increases. The implication is that small, niche groups attract thoughtful, dedicated people, but as movements become mainstream, they inevitably attract people who are less informed and more abrasive. This creates a catch-22 for the narrator: by the time a movement is large enough to matter, it has become too intellectually diluted and filled with unpleasant people for a discerning person to want to be part of it.