2013-03-30
Explanation
This comic plays on the classic relationship phrase "I'''d like to see other people." A bespectacled man in a pink shirt tells his red-haired girlfriend that he'''d like to see other people, but then clarifies that he'''d still like to be exclusive. When she looks confused, he elaborates: "Just, when I look at you, I'''d like to see other people." He'''s twisting the breakup cliche into a cruel insult -- he doesn'''t want an open relationship, he just doesn'''t want to look at her.
The woman, rather than being hurt, delivers a sharp analytical comeback. She deduces that he actually wants to break up but can'''t bring himself to do it, so he'''s trying to provoke her into ending things by insulting her. This turns the tables entirely, making him the emotionally weak one in the exchange.
In the final panel, undeterred, the man fires back: "I'''d like the other people I see to not say dumb stuff." He refuses to accept her perceptive analysis and doubles down on the insult strategy, confirming exactly what she just diagnosed. The votey panel shows the man resorting to the childish insult "Smellyhead," further emphasizing how his strategy has devolved into pure pettiness.