Comic #3543: 2015-01-28

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Description

Here’s the text transcribed from the comic:

Panel 1:
Early reality TV was complicated and expensive.
We put twenty people on an island and make them compete in physical challenges to win BIG MONEY!

Panel 2:
Writers and philosophers predicted a dystopic future.
Soon, we'll be watching fights to the death for prizes! That's where this inevitably goes.

Panel 3:
They were wrong.
According to this survey, people liked when normal went to challenge-winners, but loved when Heather and Rob squabbled over a single Oreo.

Panel 4:
We thought it was a coincidence.
Surely people want high drama, not petty squabbling.

Panel 5:
We were probably wrong.
Think about it! Most people don’t remember who killed Hamlet after he achieved a measure of clarity, but everyone remembers how he had a big fight with his mom over who she was screaming!

Panel 6:
Reality shows were pared down more and more.
In this episode of “Amusing Humans”, we watch two children argue over a sack of gummy worms.

Panel 7:
People always spent tons of time on pointless nonsense. It’s now that video edition is cheap that we can condense. You see? This is the mental equivalent to the discovery of refined sugar.

Panel 8:
This led to a new problem.
It used to be that you could film ten hours of footage and get thirty minutes of amazing behavior. But people are spending more time watching reality TV alone, so you only get about five minutes of amazing behavior for the same work.

Panel 9:
A sociological law was discovered.
The more reality TV you make, the harder it is to make reality TV.

Panel 10:
Ever more resources were spent on video production.
We have three chairs for filming all the time. We can still produce a *whole meal! Who'll make the food?*

Panel 11:
Argument: Cameras! Are you recording?

Panel 12:
Just before things reached a dystopic climax, technology saved the day.
This chip applies electricity directly to the amygdala!

Panel 13:
Now we just watch each other watching.
The chip makes us feel like we’re fighting, just a bit.

Panel 14:
This is exhilarating.

Panel 15:
It’s better this way.

Panel 16:
(Image of a skeleton watching TV.)

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