Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

cross

2018-11-26 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
cross
Votey panel for cross
This explanation is incomplete or may contain errors. It was generated by AI and has not yet been reviewed by a human editor.

Explanation

The Joke

The comic presents a "Life Pro Tip" at the top: "Whenever someone tries to make you do something, use the phrase 'I will not be crucified on this cross of [relevant object].'" The illustration shows a mother telling her child to eat their vegetables, and the child dramatically responds, "I will not be crucified on this cross of okra!"

The joke is about taking a grandly rhetorical phrase -- one that invokes religious martyrdom and righteous suffering -- and applying it to the most trivial, mundane situations imaginable, like being asked to eat vegetables.

The Humor

The comedy comes from the absurd mismatch between the gravity of the rhetorical device and the pettiness of the situation. The phrase "I will not be crucified on this cross of..." is the kind of dramatic declaration someone might use when taking a principled stand on an important issue. Applying it to okra is inherently funny because it elevates a child's dinner-table stubbornness to the level of religious persecution. The "Life Pro Tip" framing adds another layer, presenting this ridiculous overreaction as genuinely useful life advice. It also satirizes how people in everyday arguments often adopt the language of oppression and martyrdom for completely trivial grievances.

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