2014-11-23
Explanation
The Joke
The comic presents three different philosophical approaches to the problem of people believing in astrology (and similar pseudoscience):
- The Optimist says: "If we educate people enough, they'll stop believing in stupid things like astrology."
- The Pessimist says: "People will always believe in stupid things. It's just a burden of existence."
- The Opportunist says: "And for just ten thousand dollars, our proprietary blend of foil and aluminum will deflect the harmful 'Zodiac Waves' discovered by Quantum Science."
The opportunist is shown selling a bogus product -- a pyramid-shaped hat made of foil -- that exploits the very gullibility the optimist hopes to fix and the pessimist laments.
The Humor
The joke works on multiple levels. First, it subverts the classic optimist/pessimist dichotomy by introducing a third category that reframes the debate entirely. While the optimist and pessimist argue about whether human credulity can be fixed, the opportunist simply profits from it. Second, the opportunist's sales pitch is a masterful parody of pseudoscientific scams: it uses sciency-sounding buzzwords ("Zodiac Waves," "Quantum Science") and a ridiculously overpriced product ($10,000 for foil and aluminum). The product itself -- a tinfoil hat-like pyramid -- is an iconic symbol of conspiracy thinking, making the satire even sharper. The comic suggests that as long as gullible people exist, there will always be someone ready to exploit them.