Dilbert: Difference between revisions

Although the strip's portrayal of corporate life is ''very'' far on the cynical end of the [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]], it accomplishes its satire with absurdist humor, including the presence of [[Funny Animal|Funny Animals]], [[Little Green Men]], [[Our Monsters Are Different|supernatural creatures]] and [[Odd Job Gods]].

Can be found at the main website [http://www.dilbert.com/ here.]

"The Viet Cong are sick of breakfast in bed?" }}

* [[Acronym and Abbreviation Overload]]: Used when when the engineers try to deceive the pointy-haired boss by making up lots of acronyms.

{{quote| '''Dogbert''': So you took the pat on the head? <br />

'''Dilbert''': I didn't want to leave empty handed. }}

* [[Black Bead Eyes]]

* [[Blinding Bangs]]: [http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1991-02-10 A tactic for avoiding Dilbert.]

* [[Boss Subtitles]]: Any strip focusing on Catbert would open with the caption "Catbert: Evil Director of Human Resources".

** One-shot or specialized characters, such as "Phil, prince of insufficient light", "Mordac the Preventer of Information Services" and "The Topper" will also have their own captions at the start of the strip.

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Play with and played straight on occasion.

* [[Evolutionary Levels]]: Aside from the opening animation on the tv show that reenacts the famous depiction of evolution, smart characters are frequently shown to have larger heads and psychic powers. The artwork would suggest that neanderthals still walk among us as well.

** Also the Pointy-Haired Boss, Dilbert's boss with pointy hair.

* [[Executive Meddling]]: A beneficial instance was when Adams wanted to feature Satan in the comic and the editor said no. Thus was borne Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light which Adams admits is a funnier concept.

{{quote| '''Dogbert''': Did the name "electric stove" occur to you at any time?}}

* [[Karma Houdini]]: As part of the strip's point that the Corporation is soulless and unstoppable in its efforts to suck you in, the Pointy-Haired Boss and Catbert are shown doing exactly what they want to underlings with no fear of repercussion (e.g., Alice accuses the Pointy-Haired Boss of sexism to no avail and Catbert has done things that would normally lead to a lawsuit).

* [[Kwyjibo]]: [http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1989-07-05/ Jequirity].

** In the TV series, Comp-U-Comp plays "Wipqosn", then promptly hacks into all the online dictionaries in the world to add it.

* [[Laborious Laziness]]: Wally has been shown to be very active in his efforts to not do any work. To be fair, he's largely successful.

* [[Large Ham]]: Comp-U-Comp. "''[[Silence, You Fool|SIIIILENCE!]]''"

{{quote| '''PHB''': We're not made of ink.<br />

'''Dilbert''': Why'd I just get the chills?<br />

{{quote| '''Alice:''' *thinks* Uh-oh, intuition is activating the Fist of Death.}}

** The final panel of one such strip is actually captioned "Next Thursday", and features Alice's antagonist slumped unconscious across the threshold of a time portal!

* [[Motionless Makeover]]: Dogbert [http://www.dilbert.com/fast/1993-06-21/ takes advantage of Dilbert being in a "game trance" and stacks dishes on his head.]

* [[Multi Boobage]]: This [http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2012-01-18/ strip]

* [[Mundane Utility]]: In an early strip, Dilbert invents an antigravity chemical, which is marketed as...uh...that is...look, [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1991-02-26/ just read it.]

* [[Name's the Same]]: The title character was inadvertently named after a comic character from [[The Forties]] who would feature in US Air Force publications as a humorous example of 'How Not To Do It'. Adams asked for name suggestions from his friends, and the winner didn't realize he must have recalled the name from the earlier comic until after ''Dilbert'' had already become famous.

* [[Never My Fault]]: The PHB's attitude through and through. In one comic, he says that whenever he and Dilbert talk, he ends up yelling, which must mean Dilbert has poor interpersonal skills and forces him to take a class to improve them. Dilbert responds: "It looks like you've gained weight. Would you like me to exercise to take care of that too?"

* [[No Indoor Voice]]: LOUD HOWARD!

* [[No Mouth]]: Dilbert, except when he's [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2006-10-31/ suitably pissed off.]

** One strip had phone operators instructed to tell people that instead of getting an empty box, the customers had received an "invisible robot who was somewhere in the room, watching them."

* [[Petting Zoo People]]: In one arc, the 'Curse of Dogbert' turned everyone who sent or received a chain letter into an anthropomorphic dog.

{{quote| '''Dilbert:''' It's tough love.}}

* [[Pointy-Haired Boss]]: [[Trope Namer]]

{{quote| '''Dilbert:''' The neighbors said you glued little suction cups on their kitten and stuck him on their car window.<br />

'''Dogbert:''' What's your problem, some kind of copyright infringement? }}

** To ''[[Top Gear]]'' in the 16th May 2010 strip, when the Pointy-Haired Boss introduces "software genius" Wolfgang {{spoiler|(actually Wally)}}:

{{quote| '''Pointy-Haired Boss:''' Some say his talent is a genetic mutation. Others say that God speaks to him in UNIX. All we know for sure is that he glows, and he never needs to eat.}}