2013-02-06
Explanation
This comic takes the goals of public health advocacy to their dystopian extreme. It shows a news anchor-like presenter cheerfully announcing: "We'''ve encased everyone in a vat of gelatin, with nutrition fed directly into their mouths once a day. The gelatin is electrically excited so as to stimulate their bodies to aerobic exercise! They all live to at least 150." Behind him, a person is shown suspended in a vat of gelatin, being forcibly exercised.
The humor comes from the disconnect between the stated goal (long life, good health) and the horrifying means of achieving it. Public health advocates generally promote exercise, good nutrition, and longevity, but this comic imagines what happens if you pursue those goals with absolutely no regard for quality of life, autonomy, or human dignity. The people live to 150, but they are essentially imprisoned in gelatin pods. The caption below reads: "Fortunately, public health advocates have no legislative power," which is both a joke about the powerlessness of public health officials and a dark suggestion that this is what might happen if they did have power.
The votey panel shows someone pointing at the person encased in gelatin and saying "Look how happy he is!" -- adding to the dark comedy by having the authorities interpret the forced grimace of a person trapped in electrified gelatin as happiness, a final satirical jab at paternalistic justifications for authoritarian health measures.