2010-01-08
Explanation
This comic features a scene in front of a chalkboard covered in mathematical equations. A woman (Shirley) is talking to a man, saying: "I told you two weeks ago to use a Simpson'''s approximation." She then adds: "Remember how you said men were better at math?" The man repeatedly pleads, "I know. Don'''t say it, Shirley." But Shirley delivers the punchline anyway: "You'''ve been..." followed by the large text below: "EMATHCULATED!" Below this, Shirley is shown wearing sunglasses in a classic "deal with it" pose. The word "emathculated" is a portmanteau of "emasculated" and "math," meaning she has undermined his masculinity specifically through her superior mathematical ability.
The comic plays on the sexist stereotype that men are better at math than women. In this scenario, the woman has proven herself to be the better mathematician by correctly recommending a Simpson'''s approximation (a numerical integration technique) that the man failed to use. Her retort turns his own sexist claim against him by coining the devastating pun "emathculated" -- he has been emasculated specifically in the domain he claimed male superiority. The man'''s desperate pleas of "Don'''t say it, Shirley" show he can see the pun coming and dreads it, which makes the delivery even more satisfying.
The votey panel is labeled "Solid Gold Math Humor" and presents a math joke: "Q: What did the mathematician give to the man who ogled his wife? A: i cubed." The answer i-cubed (where i is the imaginary unit, equal to the square root of negative one) computes to negative i, which sounds like "negative eye" or a black eye. This extends the theme of math-based wordplay and puns, doubling down on the comic'''s love of groan-worthy mathematical humor.