natal
Explanation
This comic explores the philosophical concept of antinatalism -- the view that it is morally wrong to bring new people into existence. A character announces they have "decided to become a pro-natalist," and another character challenges them: "Why? Something about the role of interconnectedness? A utilitarian view that increasing the number of good lives is best?"
The pro-natalist responds with a more cynical motivation: "Polarized humans have a mental quirk where being socially above a person makes them feel better than being below some other person." In other words, people want to have children partly so they have someone "below" them in the social hierarchy. The comic continues: "The more humans there are, the more people are likely to be ranked lower than me. I just need too many humans to properly react to them."
The final panel has the character saying this revelation puts them "at the top of the social rankings," to which someone replies, "I will, hatchet-style, end you" -- a darkly comedic threat.
The humor comes from taking the philosophical debate about natalism (which usually involves high-minded ethical arguments about suffering, happiness, and consent) and reducing it to a nakedly selfish and absurd motivation: wanting more people to exist simply so you can feel superior to a larger number of them. It parodies how philosophical positions that sound sophisticated can sometimes mask petty or self-serving motivations. The violent response in the final panel punctuates the joke by showing that this reasoning is so obnoxious it provokes an immediate, visceral reaction.