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Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:07:07 AM

ParappaTheDapper

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So this story has been developing for some time, but it's recently exploded into an unsavory little denouement! Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, has been skirting the line between a very real ability to glibly skewer the sorts of schmucks many of us grow to despise in the workplace and what seems to be a delusional honking self-image as a sort of modern Kafka serving as a prophet for the white oppressed white collar white white males of the 21st century.

Here is a nice summation of his descent all the way down to creating a sockpuppet account to defend his own honor on Metafilter.

The story speaks for itself but a couple of comments so you know where my own biases are:

First, I find it entertaining that I know a couple of hardcore Dilbert fans who buy into Scott's explanation that he was "trolling" as a sort of social commentary when he created the sockpuppet account. My response to this is that if he'd been more over the top, Louis-CK-drunk-on-Twitter-style, I might find this more compelling! Instead he was a boring dude who made a boring dude persona as a sockpuppet solely to call himself a genius. Lame, Scott, lame. Sin more that grace may abound more but half-steppers get shredded.

Second, my opinion of Dilbert as a comic is basically that Adams was really good at taking facile cheap shots and created a kind of Beavis and Butthead for second tier math dorks (first tier math dorks are usually cool people who enjoyed the real Beavis and Butthead) who find themselves feeling persecuted because they have to accept large paychecks in exchange for taking orders from guys with better social skills who probably don't even know the quadratic formula! I enjoyed him immensely when I was a whiny 14 year old passive aggressive nerd with a "nice-guy-who-always-gets-friend-zoned" chip on his shoulders. When I outgrew that phase, I took a kind of patronizing view of Dilbert strips that people were always forwarding around via email (this sure was the late 90s!) and thought "He's kind of funny sometimes but man it's sad a guy with all that money can't get over high school." Then I ignored the strip for ten years or so until recently when Adams ended up in the news and outed himself as a pretty gross misogynist glibertarian without a scrap of dignity remaining and now it's funny and sad to me at the same time.

_____________________________

You can't say A is made of B, or vice versa. All mass is interaction--Feynman

...and if you missed it, I'm the one who said "Just grab 'em in the biscuit"--either Feynman or Humpty Hump, I forget

Post #: 1

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:14:49 AM

Back2theFuture

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I would suggest reading "Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!: Cartoonist Ignores Helpful Advice" It really shows who Scott Adams truly is and that none of this crap is remotely accurate.

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RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:17:53 AM

RapierFugue

Posts: 4740
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From: London, England
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quote:

ORIGINAL: ParappaTheDapper

So this story has been developing for some time, but it's recently exploded into an unsavory little denouement!

Ah, so it's not just his strip that's boring - he is too.

The only thing more boring than that boring little mini-drama would be someone being interested enough in such boring events to post about said boring mini-drama. In a boring way.

Thank god that hasn't happened.

(in reply to ParappaTheDapper)

Post #: 3

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:23:33 AM

ParappaTheDapper

Posts: 190
Joined: 4/28/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Back2theFuture

I would suggest reading "Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!: Cartoonist Ignores Helpful Advice" It really shows who Scott Adams truly is and that none of this crap is remotely accurate.

Which part isn't accurate though? He did write a blog post in which he said that women were "treated differently for the same reason children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently." He did go on Feministe to defend his own honor (and to be honest I give him props for his chutzpah on that one). And he did create a sockpuppet on Metafilter! And the punchline of his comics, even the funny ones, in my experience really is "I'm smarter than everyone else here but I'm too much of a nebbish to do anything but think mean thoughts!"

I'm not being patronizing when I ask this! I haven't been following events closely at all! I mean this story is from April and I just bothered to post about it, so maybe there are key elements I've totally missed or there have been developments since. I'm honesty pretty fascinated by this so if you have new information I'm dying to hear it. That said, at the moment I'm pretty unlikely to give Scott Adams money to buy one of his books because I think he's been behaving like an icky poo and I don't want to reward his behavior with more money that I could just as easily use to treat myself to an awesome pair of socks or something!

_____________________________

You can't say A is made of B, or vice versa. All mass is interaction--Feynman

...and if you missed it, I'm the one who said "Just grab 'em in the biscuit"--either Feynman or Humpty Hump, I forget

(in reply to Back2theFuture)

Post #: 4

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:25:02 AM

ParappaTheDapper

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Joined: 4/28/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: RapierFugue

quote:

ORIGINAL: ParappaTheDapper

So this story has been developing for some time, but it's recently exploded into an unsavory little denouement!

Ah, so it's not just his strip that's boring - he is too.

The only thing more boring than that boring little mini-drama would be someone being interested enough in such boring events to post about said boring mini-drama. In a boring way.

Thank god that hasn't happened.

Well crafted. Touche'! :D

_____________________________

You can't say A is made of B, or vice versa. All mass is interaction--Feynman

...and if you missed it, I'm the one who said "Just grab 'em in the biscuit"--either Feynman or Humpty Hump, I forget

(in reply to RapierFugue)

Post #: 5

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:28:46 AM

RapierFugue

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From: London, England
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quote:

ORIGINAL: ParappaTheDapper

Well crafted. Touche'! :D

De rien ;)

(in reply to ParappaTheDapper)

Post #: 6

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:29:55 AM

juliaoceania

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The only remotely cute thing about Dilbert was the "random mission statement generator" on the Dilbert site. I can admit to pushing the button like a cocaine rat to see if it would be the same twice

_____________________________

Once you label me, you negate me ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Reality has a well known Liberal Bias ~ Stephen Colbert

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

(in reply to ParappaTheDapper)

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RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:32:40 AM

NocturnalStalker

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Back2theFuture

I would suggest reading "Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!: Cartoonist Ignores Helpful Advice" It really shows who Scott Adams truly is and that none of this crap is remotely accurate.

For the record, your boy Clooney was in one of the worst films in cinema history.

I am winner.

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RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:43:16 AM

Muttling

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Adams was a engineer before he started the strip. I was a consulting engineer for 15 years, much of his comedy is dead on with what actually happens in an engineering firm.

Today's strip for example, I have been in the exact situation where I was repeating "Can I ask a question" over and over and over while the person went on with a concept that wasn't technically feasible.

If you don't like it, don't read it.

< Message edited by Muttling -- 6/15/2011 10:46:51 AM >

(in reply to NocturnalStalker)

Post #: 9

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:43:42 AM

ParappaTheDapper

Posts: 190
Joined: 4/28/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

The only remotely cute thing about Dilbert was the "random mission statement generator" on the Dilbert site. I can admit to pushing the button like a cocaine rat to see if it would be the same twice

Did you ever see the Garfield comics with Garfield removed from them? Those are hilarious and vaguely disturbing. They're still available online via an easy Google search but I don't want to link to them directly out of respect for the owner/moderators/whomever of this board because I recall there being some legal fuss about them because Jim Davis is apparently humorless and litigious. Totally worth checking out though!

_____________________________

You can't say A is made of B, or vice versa. All mass is interaction--Feynman

...and if you missed it, I'm the one who said "Just grab 'em in the biscuit"--either Feynman or Humpty Hump, I forget

(in reply to juliaoceania)

Post #: 10

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:49:25 AM

ParappaTheDapper

Posts: 190
Joined: 4/28/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Muttling

Adams was a engineer before he started the strip. I was a consulting engineer for 15 years, much of his comedy is dead on with what actually happens in an engineering firm. If you don't like it, don't read it.

I don't! I find the antics of Scott Adams the defensive internet guy far more entertaining than I find his strips! But that's just me.

I don't remember much about his biography by the way, but didn't he actually get his MBA sometime in the 80s and spend 5 or 10 years working as a Pointy Haired Boss himself when he started drawing Dilbert? Like I say, it's been forever since I read much biographical information about him and even then it was pretty sketchy, so I could be totally off-base. I guess I just wish he had a little better sense of humor about himself.

_____________________________

You can't say A is made of B, or vice versa. All mass is interaction--Feynman

...and if you missed it, I'm the one who said "Just grab 'em in the biscuit"--either Feynman or Humpty Hump, I forget

(in reply to Muttling)

Post #: 11

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 10:54:15 AM

Back2theFuture

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Joined: 4/19/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Muttling

Adams was a engineer before he started the strip. I was a consulting engineer for 15 years, much of his comedy is dead on with what actually happens in an engineering firm.

Today's strip for example, I have been in the exact situation where I was repeating "Can I ask a question" over and over and over while the person went on with a concept that wasn't technically feasible.

If you don't like it, don't read it.

Been in the same sort of boat only I was tech Support. I have been to a few of his seminars and personally got to talk to him after a book signing when I bought the for mentioned book.

He is a decent person and rather witty, if you get that sort of complex yet sometimes simple humor.

I was surprised to find out his odd condition with how he talks given that I had seen and heard him publicly speak quite loud and clear, yet in just simple one on one conversation he barely talks above a whisper.

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　l、ﾞ ~ヽ
　じしf_, )ノ

(in reply to Muttling)

Post #: 12

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 11:00:30 AM

RapierFugue

Posts: 4740
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From: London, England
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Back2theFuture

He is a decent person and rather witty, if you get that sort of complex yet sometimes simple humor.

Complex? Subtle? His work's about as subtle as a kick in the balls. As for complexity, it's juvenile in extremis.

(in reply to Back2theFuture)

Post #: 13

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 11:01:10 AM

juliaoceania

Posts: 21383
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From: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
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quote:

ORIGINAL: ParappaTheDapper

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

The only remotely cute thing about Dilbert was the "random mission statement generator" on the Dilbert site. I can admit to pushing the button like a cocaine rat to see if it would be the same twice

Did you ever see the Garfield comics with Garfield removed from them? Those are hilarious and vaguely disturbing. They're still available online via an easy Google search but I don't want to link to them directly out of respect for the owner/moderators/whomever of this board because I recall there being some legal fuss about them because Jim Davis is apparently humorless and litigious. Totally worth checking out though!

I will look it up

_____________________________

Once you label me, you negate me ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Reality has a well known Liberal Bias ~ Stephen Colbert

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

(in reply to ParappaTheDapper)

Post #: 14

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 11:05:48 AM

Back2theFuture

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quote:

ORIGINAL: RapierFugue

quote:

ORIGINAL: Back2theFuture

He is a decent person and rather witty, if you get that sort of complex yet sometimes simple humor.

Complex? Subtle? His work's about as subtle as a kick in the balls. As for complexity, it's juvenile in extremis.

Its mostly cubical/business politics. I will admit a lot of the jokes are over your head if you have never worked in that kind of an office.
Its not a generalized style of humor, it was constructed and targeted for a set audience.

And seeing as how he is syndicated he must be good at his job. Of course if you feel you can do better then I implore you to draw your own strip submit it to newspapers, magazines or just go viral with a web comic.

I am sure you will have no problem getting syndicated.

_____________________________

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ﾞ（ﾟ､｡７
　l、ﾞ ~ヽ
　じしf_, )ノ

(in reply to RapierFugue)

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RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 12:10:46 PM

Muttling

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Joined: 9/30/2007
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quote:

So this story has been developing for some time, but it's recently exploded into an unsavory little denouement!

quote:

ORIGINAL: ParappaTheDapper

quote:

ORIGINAL: Muttling

Adams was a engineer before he started the strip. I was a consulting engineer for 15 years, much of his comedy is dead on with what actually happens in an engineering firm. If you don't like it, don't read it.

I don't! .....

Yet you know enough about a strip you don't read to say "So this story has been developing for some time, but it's recently exploded into an unsavory little denouement!"

You obviously have a powerful grasp of the history and details of that which you have not studied. I'm not so omniscient, but dealing with such gifted people is what Scott Adams pokes fun at.

(in reply to ParappaTheDapper)

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RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 12:23:07 PM

ParappaTheDapper

Posts: 190
Joined: 4/28/2011
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quote:

Yet you know enough about a strip you don't read to say "So this story has been developing for some time, but it's recently exploded into an unsavory little denouement!"

You obviously have a powerful grasp of the history and details of that which you have not studied. I'm not so omniscient, but dealing with such gifted people is what Scott Adams pokes fun at.

I've been following the story! It's extremely entertaining to me in a way the strip hasn't been since early high school! And I freely admit I really liked the strip a long long time ago. Though the facile jokes about corporate America lost their luster ages ago for me, the story of Scott Adams publicly outing himself as a bit of a blowhard and buffoon is morbidly entertaining to me as found art in the same way that reading about the Seduction Community or any other group of vocal and belligerent passive aggressive misogynists is entertaining!

And this is totally no judgment on people who like Dilbert. Like I said, from what I remember of the strip it was occasionally pretty funny and probably still is. I mean you're talking to somebody who has whole seasons of The Office committed to memory so clearly I have nothing but love for bougie middlebrow white dude humor. I just think Adams as a person outed himself as something of a dick when he made those comments about women (a link to those comments on a blog I read was the first time I'd read anything by him in years and years) and that his subsequent fall from grace has been an entertaining debacle.

_____________________________

You can't say A is made of B, or vice versa. All mass is interaction--Feynman

...and if you missed it, I'm the one who said "Just grab 'em in the biscuit"--either Feynman or Humpty Hump, I forget

(in reply to Muttling)

Post #: 17

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 1:01:41 PM

NuevaVida

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All I know is that his comic strip is dead-fucking-on in porting the life in an IT cube farm. I love Dilbert. It's a hilarious and accurate portrayal of my daily life from 8-5.

If anyone has seen Office Space, well that's another one. Did you get the memo about the TPS report?

Seriously, if you live this shit day in and day out, you get the humor.

I haven't followed the Scott Adams story at all.

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Post #: 18

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 1:13:31 PM

ParappaTheDapper

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quote:

ORIGINAL: NuevaVida

All I know is that his comic strip is dead-fucking-on in porting the life in an IT cube farm. I love Dilbert. It's a hilarious and accurate portrayal of my daily life from 8-5.

If anyone has seen Office Space, well that's another one. Did you get the memo about the TPS report?

Seriously, if you live this shit day in and day out, you get the humor.

I haven't followed the Scott Adams story at all.

I love Office Space! Definitely a highly quotable movie.

There are some films that are just great for breaking the ice when you meet someone from a similar subculture who you think probably shares your sense of humor but you don't really know too well, because the films are just such cultural touchstones. Monty Python stuff was like that when I was in high school around nerdy art or debate team types. Ditto for Dazed and Confused during the semester or so I spent as a stoner in college. Withnail and I is one of those films for late 20/early 30something quirky Anglophile types here in North America. And if you meet a kind of disaffected, cynical white collar sort at a meeting or convention you can pretty much bet an Office Space line or two will get a conversation started.

_____________________________

You can't say A is made of B, or vice versa. All mass is interaction--Feynman

...and if you missed it, I'm the one who said "Just grab 'em in the biscuit"--either Feynman or Humpty Hump, I forget

(in reply to NuevaVida)

Post #: 19

RE: Dilbert has been a bad boy. - 6/15/2011 3:37:38 PM

Fetters4U

Posts: 393
Joined: 5/25/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Muttling

Adams was a engineer before he started the strip. I was a consulting engineer for 15 years, much of his comedy is dead on with what actually happens in an engineering firm.

Today's strip for example, I have been in the exact situation where I was repeating "Can I ask a question" over and over and over while the person went on with a concept that wasn't technically feasible.

If you don't like it, don't read it.

Software Engineer here. Dilbert was dead on the money. I started taking 115 minute bathroom breaks in 2 hour meetings. No one ever noticed.

_____________________________

Male-Dom-Straight

A dame that knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up. -- Mae West
I like restraint, if it doesn't go too far. -- Mae West

To err is human; to edit, divine...

(in reply to Muttling)

Post #: 20

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