Editing 2002-09-05 (section)

==Explanation==

A recurring trope in media is the conceit that people with great intelligence are often depicted as having heads of greater-than-average size, the implication being that they have large brains and are thus smarter. (In reality, while brain size is ''to an extent'' correlated with intelligence, the truth is much more complicated; a more accurate predictor has been found to be the density of the neural tissue as well as the number of pathways between the neurons.) Additionally, the cerebrum, or the main body of the brain, consists of four lobes: The frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe.

As seen in the comic, the protagonist, Horton, has a grotesquely large head; thus, per the initial assertion where intelligence and brain size are directly correlated, he would be expected to be some sort of genius. However, this assumption is promptly subverted by him being unable to correctly calculate 2 x 2, an extremely elementary arithmetic problem with a solution of 4 (which is related to another common trope where stupid people are commonly shown to be unable to solve similar simple arithmetic problems, such as 1 + 1 = 2). According to the caption, this is due to him possessing a heretofore unknown lobe of the brain known as the 'stupid lobe', which presumably is responsible for his decreased intelligence.

(Why any organism would evolve a part of its brain that directly interferes with its primary function is left as an exercise to the reader.)

The votey adds a further dimension to the joke by showing that Horton, in spite of his lack of intellect, apparently went on to a successful career as the President of the United States, a reference to the common trope of politicians being depicted as rather stupid.