2013-01-30
Explanation
This comic jokes about the intersection of panhandling and scientific research funding. In the first row of panels, a bearded man on the street asks a woman for spare change. She responds with the common retort: "Are you just going to spend it on alcohol?" He honestly answers, "Yes, ma'''am!" and she replies, "Then forget it!"
The final panel reveals the twist: the scene cuts to a laboratory where the same bearded man is now shown as a scientist alongside a female colleague. She notes that they cannot run their ethanol DNA precipitation experiment today, and he mutters, "Stupid budget cuts." The joke is that the man was not a typical panhandler seeking alcohol for personal consumption -- he was a researcher who literally needed alcohol (ethanol) for a legitimate laboratory procedure. DNA precipitation with ethanol is a standard molecular biology technique.
The humor operates on the double meaning of "spending money on alcohol." The woman on the street assumed the worst about the man'''s intentions, but he was actually trying to fund his scientific work. The comic simultaneously satirizes public assumptions about homeless people, the dire state of scientific research funding, and the absurd image of a scientist being reduced to begging on the street because of budget cuts. The votey panel simply shows a banner reading "HEYOOOOOOO!" with stars, serving as an exuberant comedic punctuation mark to the punchline.