2011-10-06
Explanation
This single-panel comic takes place on an airplane and satirizes the pre-flight safety announcement about turning off electronic devices. The captain announces over the intercom: "Before we get underway on behalf of myself and the crew, I want to remind you that there is a non-zero chance we will all go into the darkness together, screaming and soiling ourselves in a flaming metal hellbox, speeding inexorably toward oblivion." He then adds that the odds of this "diminish slightly if the passenger in 14B would comply with our request to TURN OFF HIS GODDAMN PHONE!"
The humor comes from the contrast between the horrifyingly honest description of what a plane crash would actually entail and the mundane request to turn off a cell phone. In reality, the risk posed by a cell phone on an airplane is negligible, but the captain frames it as if the phone is a meaningful contributor to their chances of fiery death. The escalating dramatic language builds up what seems like an existential crisis, only to deflate into a petty complaint about one annoying passenger.
The votey panel shows the passenger in 14B responding "Fascists!" -- the classic overreaction of someone who feels their personal freedom is being infringed by a minor safety rule, adding another layer of satire about people who refuse to follow simple instructions on flights.