2009-12-23
Explanation
This comic imagines life in an ancient polytheistic society. A man and woman are in bed together in what appears to be a Greek or Roman setting, with columns and red curtains in the background. The man exclaims "Eugonia strikes again!" The woman responds "There's no goddess of ejaculation," to which the man asks "How do you know?" The caption below reads: "Life was better before monotheism."
The joke plays on the idea that in a polytheistic religion with gods and goddesses for nearly everything, there could plausibly be a deity for any bodily function -- including embarrassing ones. The man is trying to blame his premature ejaculation on a fictional goddess named "Eugonia" rather than taking personal responsibility, using the vast and specialized pantheon as a convenient excuse. The caption suggests, tongue-in-cheek, that life was better in polytheistic times because you could always blame a specific god for your personal failings.
The votey panel shows a note reading "Dear Internet: I know Abrahamic religion predates Roman religion. Please don't hate me!" This is a preemptive defense from the cartoonist Zach Weinersmith, acknowledging that the comic's caption ("life was better before monotheism") implies monotheism came after polytheism, when in fact the Abrahamic tradition (Judaism) is older than Rome's religious practices. It is a humorous nod to the pedantic corrections the author expects from his readership.