2013-04-05
Explanation
This comic presents a mathematical equation as something scarier than global warming models. The setup has two people talking: one says "Jeez... global warming models are the scariest equations in the universe," and the other responds "Oh yeah?" The punchline panel shows a chalkboard with a formula for calculating the number of sexy texts you will accidentally send to a parent this year. The variables are: P (probability of sending a sexy text to the wrong person), C (number of contacts you have), N (number of parents you have), and X (number of texts you'll send this year). The formula PX(N/C) gives you the expected number of sexy texts sent to a parent.
The humor lies in the contrast between existential dread (climate change) and personal embarrassment (accidentally sexting your mom or dad). The comic implies that while global warming is terrifying on a macro scale, the mathematical certainty that you will eventually send an intimate message to the wrong person -- specifically a parent -- is a more viscerally horrifying prospect. It plays on the universal anxiety of the smartphone age.
The votey shows the red-haired man thinking "Note to self: Never send personal messages to anyone" -- the only truly safe solution to the equation, and a joke about how the logical response to this probability is to simply never communicate anything personal electronically.