I know exactly zero people outside of academia who are even passingly familiar with PhD Comics. I have certainly never met anyone who has no experience with academia and has approached me thinking that a humorous comic is a reflection of my every day life. I’d think they were quite off in the head if they did.
I have the same problem with @cosmicfish about BBT. At least PhD Comics (at least, in my experience) is an extensive inside joke that’s mostly only read by people within academia who actually “get it.” BBT is supposed to be a popular interest television show, but it portrays scientists as socially inept nerds who don’t know how to interact with other people - particularly other people without PhDs. Not to mention that a minor irritation I have is Sheldon’s possession of 2 PhDs. I have heard many non-academics hold up 2 PhDs as some kind of ultimate sign of nerdishness and genius, wheres having one myself I always think that having 2 PhDs - especially in two closely related fields is 1) virtually impossible, since most programs would never let you do that, and 2) pointless and stupid, and really more a sign of how much a person doesn’t want to move on than intelligence. I am similarly baffled at how someone can think BBT is a more realistic portrayal of science and the every day life of academics than PhD Comics.
I’m a current postdoc and I certainly don’t take that comic personally. Number one, because again, PhD Comics is supposed to be an exaggeration in order to be funny. Secondly, though, because it’s partially true. That comic is also part of a series - you have to take it in context. Mike is a new postdoc, and the more experienced postdocs are making the point that postdocs are often “invisible” on campus, as they have no official status - they’re not student, but not quite faculty. (Fortunately my university has recognized postdocs as staff, so we don’t have that issue, but that IS a significant problem at many campuses!) [url=<a href=“http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1103%5DThis%5B/url”>http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1103]This[/url] one is a particularly good one in that series.