2014-02-18
Explanation
The Joke
The comic is titled "Every time I do vector calculus." A person imagines that in the future, kids will have manipulable holograms that will make abstract mathematical concepts much easier to understand. Rather than being inspired or hopeful about this, the person mutters "Fuck those kids" -- expressing pure resentment toward future students who will have it easier.
The Humor
The comedy captures a very relatable frustration among math and science students. Vector calculus is notoriously difficult to visualize because it deals with multidimensional fields, curls, divergences, and other abstract spatial concepts. The person correctly recognizes that future technology could make these concepts trivially easy to grasp through interactive 3D visualizations. But instead of being happy about the advancement of education, the person feels bitter jealousy that they had to suffer through learning it the hard way. It is a funny and honest depiction of the irrational resentment people feel when they realize future generations will not have to endure the same struggles they did.