2014-01-03
Explanation
The Joke
The comic is titled "At Least Once a Month." A person opens what appears to be a bank statement and sees something alarming -- the statement reveals "everything is FUCKED." They panic: "Oh God Oh God Oh God Oh God." In the final panel, it is revealed that the terrifying letter was actually a marketing tactic from a credit card company, reading: "That's what you'll say if you don't sign up for our low APR credit card!"
The Humor
The joke captures the universal experience of financial anxiety -- that moment of dread when opening mail from your bank, not knowing what bad news might be inside. The comic first plays this completely straight, showing genuine panic. Then it subverts the expectation by revealing the alarming message was just an aggressive fear-based marketing tactic from a credit card company. The humor works on two levels: first, it mocks the manipulative scare tactics that financial companies use in their advertising; second, it acknowledges the dark truth that the fake scary message is not that far from reality for many people, making the credit card company's tactic both absurdly over-the-top and uncomfortably effective. The title "At Least Once a Month" adds to the joke by suggesting this kind of financial anxiety is a recurring experience.