2012-05-11
Explanation
This comic is a Venn diagram titled "Reasons for Invoking God." The left circle, in yellow, is labeled "Calling Damnation Upon Electronics" -- representing the common experience of cursing at malfunctioning technology (e.g., "God damn this computer!"). The right circle, in blue, is labeled "Sex Vocalizations" -- representing exclamations during intimate moments (e.g., "Oh God!"). The overlap between the two circles is labeled "Yelling at Vibrators," which would logically fall into both categories simultaneously. Off to the side, a tiny dot labeled "Prayer" represents the ostensibly primary reason for invoking God'''s name.
The humor lies in the observation that people invoke God'''s name far more frequently in moments of frustration with technology or during sex than they do in actual prayer. The Venn diagram format makes this observation feel quasi-scientific, lending a veneer of analytical rigor to what is essentially a joke about profanity and bedroom exclamations. The "yelling at vibrators" overlap is the comedic centerpiece, as it'''s the one scenario that genuinely combines both categories.
The votey panel shows a small sign reading "Joy at seeing graph jokes," which is a self-referential meta-joke about how SMBC readers (and nerdy audiences generally) get disproportionately excited whenever information is presented in chart or graph form.