Reviews ComicStrip / Dilbert

How The Mighty Have Fallen

Scott Adams' Dilbert is one of the comic strips I've read for the longest, along with Calvin and Hobbes and FoxTrot, so I have fond memories of it. But how well does it hold up nowadays?

The series is about a low-level engineer in a large, unnamed corporation as he endures his soul-sucking job, jaded and cynical coworkers, and incompetent and/or cruel managers. It wasn't always focused on Dilbert's job, and sometimes shows Dilbert outside of the office, but much of its humor is based on office jobs and technology.

The strip sometimes has story arcs, but they generally don't have any permanent impact on the plot, apart from sometimes introducing new characters. However, the strip has evolved over the years, in ways such as character design and personality. For example, Dilbert's immediate superior, the Pointy-Haired Boss, wasn't always pointy-haired, and seemed more callous than stupid in early strips.

The art isn't anything special, but it has a distinct and cartoony style that stands out well. For example, the title character not only has no eyes and bumps in place of his hair, but the tip of his tie inexplicably floats upward.

The comic's humor is rather cynical and biting. It not only takes shots at corporate management, but also expresses that the rank-and-file employees aren't saints themselves, whether because of their own flaws or because working for a corporation like this has made them jaded.

As a result of the rather cynical tone, most of the characters are deeply flawed in some way or another, but are also memorable and funny. The cast is rather diverse and colorful, not only including office workers in various roles, but also individuals such as a garbage man who happens to be the world's smartest man to Phil the "Prince of Insufficient Light" (as opposed to darkness).

Unfortunately, while Adams' willingness to push the envelope often results in funny strips that provide insightful commentary, they can also be offensive. Asok and Tina's portrayals have attracted accusations of racism and sexism, along with various other individual strips that are controversial in their own ways. All the controversy could be written off as people being overly sensitive... until now.

Now for the elephant in the room- Adams' podcast in late February 2023, in which he called black people a "hate group" and urged whites to "stay the hell away" from them. It's hard to tell whether Adams became racist over time, or whether he was always this way and was simply better at hiding it, but either way, he's past the point at which his remarks can be excused as edgy humor.

All in all, as much as I enjoyed Dilbert, I do not believe that I can, in good conscience, recommend financially supporting Adams after his racist remarks. As such, I'd recommend looking elsewhere for a workplace-centered comic strip.