I agree with this image, and I'm quite curious to see what "rich" tastes like... But I feel like the mechanics of this picture took me a second or two longer than it should to understand.
Edit: like are they balancing their unicycles on the larger cylinder? They must have really good balance to manage that for more than a second. And if that is true, what happens if they fall forwards? I see the danger if them falling backwards, but does that mean they just can't fall forwards?
it's illustrating how they have to work really hard in a very precarious conditions to keep the system running. Falling off is equivalent to losing your job/savings and ending up on the street.
I think ultimately it is just that they are working to turn the cylinder that moves the cog that elevates the resources upward and then they're hoping they get some overspill.
I do get that ultimately that is what the picture is coveying, and I agree with the message, but if the physics of it make me pause, it detracts from the message.
I feel like it just paints an absurd situation. They're in a precarious situation and can lose their balance and fall forward or backward. I don't think there's anything weird with the physics if you accept it's supposed to be an absurd situation.