2012-03-02
Explanation
This single-panel comic shows two elderly Jehovah'''s Witnesses sitting on a couch drinking tea, while a man brings them more tea on a tray. The man says, "Oh, I probably should'''ve mentioned this before you started in on that tea -- I don'''t believe in objective morality." The caption below reads, "The Jehovah'''s Witnesses don'''t visit my house any more."
The joke works on multiple levels. On the surface, it plays on the common trope of people trying to get rid of persistent Jehovah'''s Witnesses who come to their door for religious outreach. Rather than being rude or slamming the door, this man has taken the opposite approach: he has invited them in and made them comfortable with tea, only to reveal a philosophical position (moral relativism) that would be deeply troubling to devout religious people. The timing of the revelation -- after they'''ve already settled in and started drinking -- makes it funnier because they'''ve already accepted his hospitality.
The deeper humor comes from the implication that his rejection of objective morality is itself a veiled threat. If he doesn'''t believe in objective morality, then there are no absolute moral rules governing his behavior -- including what he might have put in the tea. The votey reinforces this reading, with the man saying "The tea is herbal" in a way that emphasizes the word "herbal," suggesting the tea might contain something questionable. This transforms the comic from a simple philosophy joke into a darker gag about the Witnesses having good reason never to return.