2012-08-13
Explanation
This comic imagines a "political science translation of the Bible," specifically the story of Passover and the tenth plague of Egypt. The Angel of Death appears at an Egyptian household, and the Egyptian cries out, "Why must my first-born die?!" Instead of the traditional biblical framing, the angel responds in dry, clinical political science language: "The monarchy of Egypt wishes to maintain an ethno-religious slave class against the will of that slave class''' deity."
The humor comes from the jarring contrast between the dramatic, emotionally charged biblical narrative and the detached, academic language of political science. The caption at the bottom reads, "The political science translation of the Bible was not a popular one," which is the understated punchline -- of course such a translation would strip all the drama and meaning from the stories, making them feel cold and bureaucratic.
The votey panel extends the joke with someone telling the Egyptian, "If I were you, I'''d change my nationality just for the one day," referencing the Passover tradition where the Angel of Death passed over the houses of the Israelites. This adds a darkly pragmatic suggestion that completely misses the theological point of the story.