2009-10-07
Explanation
This comic shows a child talking to his father, saying: "Daddy, I have this... friend, and, he's real nice, but he spends half his time running around the playground, kicking kids in the shins and mashing dirt in their faces." The father, an older man with glasses, sits in a chair looking weary. The child uses the classic "I have this friend" framing, which is a well-known conversational device people use when they are actually talking about themselves but want to maintain plausible deniability.
Below the comic panel, two possible responses are listed. "Best Possible Fathering" gives the response: "Focus on your studies and don't make pals with kids like that." This is the wholesome, responsible answer that takes the child's question at face value -- advising him to avoid bad influences. "Worst Possible Fathering" gives the response: "I'm not your friend, son." This is the devastating punchline -- the father sees through the "I have this friend" ruse and realizes the child is describing himself, but instead of addressing the behavioral issue, he simply delivers a cold rejection by denying the premise of friendship.
The votey panel shows a large hand mashing dirt into the child's face while saying "BOOM!" and the child sputtering "Dirt!" This suggests the father has chosen an even worse option than either listed -- directly demonstrating the bullying behavior on his own son, implying this is where the child learned it in the first place.