physical-analysis
Explanation
The Joke
The comic observes that political analysts often borrow terms from physics: "There's a lot of energy and momentum in the base this year." A nerdy character is outraged by this loose usage of scientific terminology: "I refuse to understand the plainly intended meaning and that makes me angry!" The comic then proposes escalating this phenomenon to deliberately torment pedantic nerds -- taking physics terminology into absurd new territory for political commentary: "Her specific impulse is off the voltmeter. We haven't seen this many Newton-pounds of magnetic flux density since a young JFK!"
The final panel shows the nerd screaming in anguish at this mangled physics jargon being applied to politics, which is presented as a "desirable effect."
The Humor
The comic works on two levels. First, it gently mocks the type of pedantic science nerd who gets upset when common English words like "energy" and "momentum" are used in their colloquial rather than their precise scientific meanings. The nerd's anger is self-aware -- he admits he is "refusing to understand the plainly intended meaning" -- but he can't help himself. Second, the comic imagines what it would look like to deliberately weaponize this annoyance by escalating the misuse of physics terms to increasingly absurd levels. "Newton-pounds of magnetic flux density" is a gloriously nonsensical mashup of units and concepts that would make any physicist's eye twitch.
References
- "Specific impulse" is a measure of rocket engine efficiency, "voltmeter" measures electrical potential, and "magnetic flux density" is measured in teslas -- none of these terms have any meaningful political application, which is exactly the point.
- This is a bonus comic from the SMBC Love Collection Kickstarter campaign.