2011-11-11
Explanation
This three-panel comic plays with the cliche of "I can'''t sleep with you because you'''d lose respect for me." In the first panel, a man tells a woman, "I can'''t sleep with you... I'''m concerned you'''d lose too much respect for me." This is an inversion of the traditional gendered version of this line (usually said by women), which already makes it humorous.
In the second panel, the woman fires back with her own twist: "Well, I can'''t sleep with YOU... I'''m concerned you'''d gain too much respect for me." This is a boastful counter-move, implying that she is so good in bed that his respect for her would only increase -- essentially a humblebrag disguised as reluctance.
The third panel reveals that they'''ve gone ahead and slept together anyway, lying in bed, with one of them saying "Concern averted" -- meaning neither the loss nor the gain of respect materialized, or perhaps both concerns cancelled each other out. The votey continues the running gag, with one partner asking "Do you still respect me--" only to find the other already asleep, snoring "Zzz..." -- the classic post-coital indifference undercutting all the earlier posturing about respect.