Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

invention

2018-09-16 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
invention
Votey panel for invention
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 shows a person (likely an inventor or scientist) excitedly describing their greatest invention. They explain that by constantly spraying a fine mist of goo onto their body, they can continuously bypass their skin, meaning they can do anything they want -- no matter how dangerous or extreme -- because the goo provides protection or regeneration. They declare there is "literally no limit" and that "it's all on the table for ever."

The final panel, labeled "Some time later," shows the inventor standing outside in a snowy landscape with their goo-spraying machine, looking dejected. The machine is described as doing exactly what was promised. Another observer stands nearby. The inventor says "Dammit!" -- apparently realizing that having unlimited invincibility does not actually make life interesting or meaningful. The grand invention works perfectly but turns out to be pointless or unsatisfying in practice.

The Humor

The comedy comes from the gap between the grandiose promise and the anticlimactic reality. The inventor speaks with the breathless excitement of someone who has solved all of humanity's problems, but the "later" panel reveals that the invention, whatever its technical merits, has not led to anything impressive or fulfilling. It is a satire of techno-utopianism -- the belief that the right invention will transform everything -- when in practice, even miraculous technology runs up against the mundane limitations of human motivation and imagination.

View History (1) Original Comic
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