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What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

meghanboilard.substack.com

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Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#381

Post by tptacek »

rayiner wrote: post #380
tptacek wrote: post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The joke is unambiguously not a comment on the fluidity of racial identity.

The joke is mocking the beliefs of the managerial class. That’s Adams’ whole shtick. In this case his mocking the contradiction in how ideologies ascendant among the managerial class view the fluidity of race versus gender.

The point of this article is that the casual conventional wisdom is that Adams' whole schtick is mocking the beliefs of managers, when in fact Adams is a much more complicated figure who also non-ironically believes we should be preemptively murdering teenaged males who appear to be on the autism spectrum in order to prevent mass shootings.

The article points out that Adams deeply warped personal beliefs have thus far not overtly made it into the comic strip, but not only have they now (with this strip as an example), but Adams himself is bragging about it on Twitter.

So: no, the joke here is not simply about mocking the beliefs of the managerial class. It's the "identify as an attack helicopter" joke, as a preceding comment correctly observed.

Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#382

Post by [deleted] »

mmmpop wrote: post #233
SeanLuke wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Might've been funny once but degraded into political polemics for the last decade or more. What are you talking about? Doonesbury has been a proudly, and heavily, political comic since the 1960s.

> What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert? What are you talking about? The OP made it clear that it was once funny and then it devolved into partisan preaching that lacked humor entirely. Never once did OP claim it wasn't political in the first place, why would you assume that?

[deleted]

Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#384

Post by rayiner »

tptacek wrote: post #381
rayiner wrote: post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The joke is mocking the beliefs of the managerial class. That’s Adams’ whole shtick. In this case his mocking the contradiction in how ideologies ascendant among the managerial class view the fluidity of race versus gender.

The point of this article is that the casual conventional wisdom is that Adams' whole schtick is mocking the beliefs of managers, when in fact Adams is a much more complicated figure who also non-ironically believes we should be preemptively murdering teenaged males who appear to be on the autism spectrum in order to prevent mass shootings. The article points out that Adams deeply warped personal beliefs have thus fa…

Lots of people say nutty things on Twitter these days—should read Larry Tribe’s recently. Who knows what’s truth and fiction on that site. But I don’t see the basis for reading the comic the way you do based on that tweet. They have nothing in common.

Your reading of the comic makes no sense. What is the punchline of the comic in your reading, that Black people can’t become white by self identification in the same way they can’t become an attack helicopter? That’s clearly not the joke.

Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#385

Post by eropple »

mbg721 wrote: post #290
eropple wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Wouldn't Rand Paul count as a fiscal conservatives who hasn't been kicked out? Rand Paul happily soaks up district money while performatively voting against things that help other people and in 2021 signed onto a deal to hand Israel a bunch of money for Iron Dome. If he's a "fiscal conservative", I am the Queen of France.

Rand certainly isn't Ron, but, like the rest of the country, he's in a situation where voters have to choose between 2+2=4.75 and 2+2=purple.

If you listen to him talk, he's the purple guy.

Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#386

Post by Eupraxias »

dragontamer wrote: post #223
Agamus wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I have it right, she feels a great deal of frustration and betrayal. But apparently not enough to give up hope that her idea is the best course to achieve progress for society.

But all the true fiscal conservatives have basically been kicked out of the Republican party. Liz Cheney for speaking out against Trump. Paul Ryan for compromising too much. Jon Huntsman for having adopted Chinese kids. I too am a fiscal conservative who largely identifies as Republican. Alas, it's very hard for me to say that today's Republicans represent me. No one actually tries to balance the budget and it's all…

Yes, and do you see how roughly the same thing can be said about the Democrat party, in that most people have a hard time identifying with either party? At the end of the day, people flip to 1 or 0.

Would it be far from the truth to say that we've just been through two election cycles in which Republicans who voted for Trump probably didn't "support" Trump, and Democrats who voted for Clinton or Biden probably didn't "support" either?

Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#387

Post by tptacek »

rayiner wrote: post #384
tptacek wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point of this article is that the casual conventional wisdom is that Adams' whole schtick is mocking the beliefs of managers, when in fact Adams is a much more complicated figure who also non-ironically believes we should be preemptively murdering teenaged males who appear to be on the autism spectrum in order to prevent mass shootings. The article points out that Adams deeply warped personal beliefs have thus fa…

Lots of people say nutty things on Twitter these days—should read Larry Tribe’s recently. Who knows what’s truth and fiction on that site. But I don’t see the basis for reading the comic the way you do based on that tweet. They have nothing in common. Your reading of the comic makes no sense. What is the punchline of the comic in your reading, that Black people can’t become white by self identification in the same wa…

I get what you're trying to say here, but you cannot reasonably make this point, since Adams is on Twitter talking about how his intent is to keep making his comic more and more transgressive until he's canceled.

Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#388

Post by Eupraxias »

dragontamer wrote: post #318
cjbgkagh wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just thought your list of fiscal conservatives to be quite odd. And isolationist would be more fiscally conservative when compared to the expense of running a world empire. I'm not here defending Republicans, I consider both parties to be controlled by big businesses. My point is the electorate isn't going to vote for proper fiscal conservatives so it's a bit ridiculous to expect politicians to be fiscal conservati…

> My point is the electorate isn't going to vote for proper fiscal conservatives My point is that fiscal conservatives don't exist. You have one side just cutting taxes, and the other side ballooning the budget. But at least the other side raises taxes and kinda sorta gets closer to balance.

Have they ever really existed in relevant numbers? Is fiscal conservatism more of a guiding concept than a flag?

It is a guiding principle for conservatives - humans who, like everyone, also have other guiding principle which often conflict and force compromise.

The Right thinks it is focused on the less moderate Left, which makes for a less moderate Right, which makes for a less moderate Left, while the moderate Left thinks it is focused on the less moderate Right, which makes for a less moderate Left, which makes for a less moderate Right, which makes some want to shake it all about.

Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#389

Post by cat_plus_plus »

cauthon wrote: post #212
cat_plus_plus wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was considerate of you to do that, on the other hand adults also need to learn to be assertive to succeed in social aspects of work. If you were cutting her off or not paying attention to a raised hand, sure try to change that. But otherwise you are not doing her any favors for her long term career growth, where she will have to participate in meetings with confident, knowledgeable and busy people focused on work…

Listening to the loudest voice in the room is often not the heuristic that finds the most valuable contributions.

That's a non-sequitur, there should be only once voice in a room at a time and everyone should know how to request to speak next, for example by raising a hand. If people are choosing to not make contributions when they can, it's on them.

Re: What the Hell Is Up with Dilbert?

#390

Post by kcplate »

dghlsakjg wrote: post #133
gruez wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I’ve yet to see anything noteworthy. I’m convinced the stupid stuff is more or less confined to California That's cold comfort to people living in california, like scott adams.

The man hasn't worked a corporate job since the 90s by his own account. His perception of the current corporate culture seems to be based on media reports and grievance anecdotes. It is VERY clear that he spends most of his time at home making content. This isn't a dig, this is an observation about the amount of time he spends live-streaming from his home.

> His perception of the current corporate culture seems to be based on media reports and grievance anecdotes.

There is zero doubt in my mind that he has a full inbox of anecdotes every day.

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