no-2
Explanation
The Joke
An alien arrives on Earth and delivers a devastating assessment: humanity's art is bad, its ideas are stale, its creations are worthless, and its very birth was a cosmic accident. The alien declares that humanity's existence is "widely considered a mistake across the cosmos." A human then asks, "Then why are you here?" The alien responds that it is hoping to get a selfie with the angel — and reveals it considers itself "of a different caliber" than humans. The final panel shows the alien posing for a selfie near what appears to be a celestial or angelic figure.
Humor Mechanism
The comic sets up a classic "cruel alien judgment" scenario where an advanced civilization passes harsh verdict on humanity, a well-worn science fiction trope. The reader expects either a defense of humanity or an even more devastating insult. Instead, the punchline deflates the alien's pretensions by revealing it is essentially a cosmic tourist — it did not come to judge or enlighten humanity but simply to take a selfie with something it considers interesting. This undercuts the alien's grandiose dismissal by revealing it to be as shallow and selfie-obsessed as the humans it criticizes. The phrase "we are of a different caliber" combined with tourist-like selfie behavior creates an ironic contrast.
Context
The trope of aliens visiting Earth and judging humanity harshly appears throughout science fiction, from The Day the Earth Stood Still to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (where Earth is described as "mostly harmless"). SMBC frequently plays with first-contact scenarios. This comic subverts the trope by making the aliens not wise judges or terrifying conquerors but vapid tourists, suggesting that even a cosmically advanced species might share humanity's most trivial impulses.