Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

pro

2024-06-25 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
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pro
Votey panel for pro
This explanation is incomplete or may contain errors. It was generated by AI and has not yet been reviewed by a human editor.

Explanation

In this comic, two people are watching TV. One says "Ugh, I don't see how you can enjoy pro wrestling." The other responds: "It's too realistic." They then explain: "People run around a tiny stage for a brief period enacting a fate that was allotted to them beforehand." The first person says "Wow. You've completely ruined it." Then asks: "I mean have you not been listening to Hulk Hogan this whole time?" Hulk Hogan appears on screen saying: "You better believe all things are impermanent, brother!"

The joke works by reframing pro wrestling as a metaphor for life itself, specifically through a philosophical or existential lens. The complaint that pro wrestling is "too realistic" inverts the usual criticism (that it is fake and scripted). Instead, the character argues that pro wrestling is a perfect mirror of the human condition: we all run around on a small stage (Earth) for a brief period (our lifespan) enacting a fate that was predetermined. This is essentially a summary of philosophical determinism or fatalism.

The punchline deepens the joke by putting Buddhist or Stoic philosophy into the mouth of Hulk Hogan, who declares "all things are impermanent, brother!" -- a core tenet of Buddhism (anicca/impermanence) delivered in Hogan's signature bombastic promo style. The humor lies in the incongruity of a pro wrestler delivering profound existential wisdom, and in the realization that the "scripted" nature of wrestling is exactly what makes it an honest depiction of the human experience.

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