shame-2
Explanation
The Joke
The comic is set in a Puritan-era community. A woman opens by exclaiming "For goodness' sake, why has Brother David become so popular?" -- expressing bewilderment at someone's rising social status. Another Puritan responds with the community's ethos: "He's beyond good sense! Once his public shaming is done, he should be shunned by the community!" A third chimes in: "Another public shaming ought to follow him!" These are all classic Puritan social enforcement mechanisms -- public humiliation and community ostracism as punishments.
The final panel reveals the punchline: Brother David is standing on a stage in front of a crowd, and the sign reads "Comedian" (or similar performance context). What the Puritans interpreted as shameful public spectacle is actually a stand-up comedy show. Brother David has become "popular" not despite the public shaming but because he has reframed it as entertainment.
The Humor
The comic draws a parallel between Puritan public shaming and modern stand-up comedy. Both involve a person standing before a crowd, being the center of attention for behavior that deviates from social norms. The Puritans cannot comprehend why someone subjected to public humiliation would become more popular rather than less -- because they do not realize that in a different cultural frame, public self-deprecation and norm-violation is literally the job description of a comedian. The joke works as a commentary on how shame and celebrity are closely intertwined: what one era considers punishment, another considers entertainment. It also pokes fun at the idea that comedians are essentially volunteering for the kind of public scrutiny that earlier societies imposed as a penalty.