2014-01-23
Explanation
The Joke
The comic is titled "Revolution: A Guide" and follows the progression of a revolution in five stages. The first four stages reference the famous quote often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." But the comic adds a cynical fifth stage: "Then you ignore them" — showing the revolutionary leaders, now in power, ignoring the common people just as the old regime once ignored them.
The Humor
The comic takes the inspirational Gandhi quote about perseverance in the face of oppression and extends it to its cynical conclusion: that revolutionaries, once victorious, inevitably become the new oppressors. The visual progression shows the revolutionaries going from ragged protesters being ignored by the ruling class, through being mocked, fighting, and finally winning — only to end up in the exact same position as the original rulers, dismissively ignoring the common people. This cyclical view of revolution echoes the theme of George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and satirizes the idealism of revolutionary movements.
References
The first four stages reference a quote commonly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." The cyclical nature of revolution depicted here is a common theme in political philosophy and literature, most famously explored in George Orwell's Animal Farm (1945).