2012-06-21
Explanation
The comic depicts a phone call between a pollster and an elderly woman. The caller introduces themselves as being from the "American Polling Foundation" and asks if the woman believes humans evolved from simpler organisms. She says she does not. The caller then asks her to define natural selection, and she admits she's not sure. The caller notes this as "declining to answer." Then the caller shifts tone dramatically, asking: "Are you aware that disbelieving evolution but not knowing what natural selection means is like disbelieving gravity but not knowing what motion is?" When the confused woman asks who this is, the caller insists "It's a yes or no question, ma'am." The final panel reveals the caller is "push polling" -- spending their entire weekend doing this.
The comic satirizes both sides of the evolution debate in America. It highlights a genuine frustration among science advocates: many people who reject evolution cannot actually articulate what the theory claims, specifically the mechanism of natural selection. The analogy to rejecting gravity without understanding motion underscores how fundamental natural selection is to the theory. However, the comic also pokes fun at the overzealous science advocate who has turned their frustration into an obnoxious hobby. "Push polling" is a real political tactic where questions are designed not to gather information but to influence the respondent's opinion, and the caller has essentially weaponized the polling format for science education -- or harassment, depending on your perspective.