2014-04-08
Explanation
The Joke
An alien is presenting to "Madame President" about the dangers of a species that "lies, murders, enslaves other species, and is so cheap every human can have one." When the president asks what it is, the alien reveals it is a smartphone. The alien explains that the word "smart" applied to phones is misleading, because by a "law of sociology," any object smaller than a breadbox will eventually be used to "erotically stimulate a woman." The aliens marvel at the phone's pocket-fitting design, its texture, and conclude it needs "our full resistance." The president asks "We can do that?" to which someone replies, "I'm sitting on one."
The Humor
The comic works on multiple levels. First, the dramatic alien threat briefing -- describing something that "lies, murders, and enslaves" -- is a bait-and-switch, as the terrifying threat turns out to be a smartphone. The humor then escalates with the absurd pseudo-scientific "law of sociology" claiming any small object will inevitably be used as a sex toy. The aliens are supposedly an advanced civilization conducting a serious strategic analysis, but their entire concern about smartphones boils down to their suitability as vibrators. The final punchline -- "I'm sitting on one" -- reveals that even the aliens making the warning have already succumbed to the very phenomenon they are trying to resist, undermining the entire briefing.
References
The comic satirizes both the tendency to overdramatize technology and the common trope of alien species studying humanity. The "breadbox" is a classic unit of size comparison in American culture (as in "Is it bigger than a breadbox?").