2012-10-23
Explanation
This single-panel comic imagines the invention of bagpipes with a humorous origin story. Two Scottish-looking men with beards are discussing how to commemorate the death of their friend MacDonough. One suggests, "What say we tie ten cats together and squeeze them to commemorate his passing." The other responds, "The only flaw with that is it's inefficient." The caption below reads: "Before bagpipes."
The joke is built on the common humorous observation that bagpipes sound like cats being squeezed or tortured. By presenting the "before" scenario, the comic implies that bagpipes were invented as a more efficient way to produce the exact same sound as squeezing multiple cats simultaneously. The fact that the second man's only objection to the cat-squeezing plan is its inefficiency -- not its cruelty or absurdity -- suggests that the desired sound was never in question, only the logistics of producing it.
The votey panel has the second man elaborating on his critique: "Inefficient, and not shrill enough." This adds another layer to the joke by implying that bagpipes were specifically engineered to be even more ear-piercing than the sound of ten cats being squeezed, which is quite a feat. It playfully reinforces the stereotype that bagpipe music is an acquired taste that many people find grating.