2014-06-27
Explanation
The Joke
Aliens arrive on Earth and demand to meet "the wisest species on Earth." A human woman assumes they mean humans, but the aliens correct her -- they consider humans the worst species, the ones who make war and pollute the skies. They actually want to meet dolphins, blue whales, or perhaps "the enigmatic eusocial termite."
The woman protests that dolphins could not pollute the skies even if their lives depended on it, but this only reinforces the aliens' point. The aliens then reveal they are actually here for "the mega-brain that lives in the center of Earth." The woman is confused, and the mega-brain (apparently the sentient Earth itself) is shown enjoying the presence of carbon-based organisms scampering on its skin, describing it as "erotic" -- it took four billion years to make them and the sensation is like a constant tickle. The alien hastily tells the mega-brain to get in the ship.
The final panel shows the humans left standing, bewildered.
The Humor
The comic subverts human exceptionalism on multiple levels. First, the aliens rank humans as the worst species rather than the wisest, which is humbling enough. Then they express interest in dolphins and termites instead. But the final twist goes even further: they are not even interested in any surface species at all, but rather a giant sentient brain at Earth's core that views all life on its surface the way a person might view a pleasant skin sensation. The mega-brain's description of surface life as "erotic" adds an uncomfortable and absurd layer. Humanity is reduced from "masters of the planet" to an involuntary skin-tickle for a being they never even knew existed.
References
- The idea of dolphins being smarter or wiser than humans is a recurring theme in science fiction and comedy, most notably in Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
- Eusocial termites are insects with complex colony structures, often studied for their sophisticated collective behavior.