2014-01-12
Explanation
The Joke
A politician at a podium announces that since girls commit crimes at a much lower rate than boys, and most people from their teenage years do not grow up to commit "any sort of incident," the government has created a new police division: the "Bad Decision Corps." The next panels show this corps in action -- officers intervening not in crimes but in bad personal decisions. One officer tells a teenager, "This is a violation of my rights!" to which the officer responds by asking, "Do you think that doorknob is attractive?" When the teen says "Yeah, I think I look dangerous," the officer says "Come with me, son." In the final panel, an officer tells a young woman, "Let me guess... you think you'''re edgy?" and she responds something about being paroled.
The Humor
The comic takes the real statistical observation that most crime is committed by young males and extends it to an absurd logical conclusion: if police resources are meant to prevent harm, why not redirect them toward stopping bad decisions rather than crimes? The "Bad Decision Corps" does not arrest people for breaking the law but for making embarrassing choices -- like teenagers thinking they look tough or edgy. The humor lies in the absurdity of policing poor taste and youthful awkwardness as though they were criminal offenses, and in the recognition that most people'''s teenage decisions, while not illegal, are deeply regrettable in hindsight. It satirizes both overreaching government intervention and the universal cringe of adolescent self-expression.