Scott Adams (Dilbert creator) rant against women. Wow. Just wow

[pink-o]

Who would've thunk this dude was such a closet misogynist? He posted this, then took it down like a typical coward once the heat was on. But in the interverse, nothing is ever really deleted and I read it on this Tinysprout post.

Not that I'm thrilled to have found it. Two minutes of my life, not to mention a few brain cells exploding that I'll never get back.

What a freakin' f'wad idiot. I used to love Dilbert, now it's dead to me.

Some lovely excerpts:

"...Let’s start with the laundry list.

According to my readers, examples of unfair treatment of men include many elements of the legal system, the military draft in some cases, the lower life expectancies of men, the higher suicide rates for men, circumcision, and the growing number of government agencies that are primarily for women.

You might add to this list the entire area of manners. We take for granted that men should hold doors for women, and women should be served first in restaurants. Can you even imagine that situation in reverse?

Generally speaking, society discourages male behavior whereas female behavior is celebrated. Exceptions are the fields of sports, humor, and war. Men are allowed to do what they want in those areas.

Add to our list of inequities the fact that women have overtaken men in college attendance. If the situation were reversed it would be considered a national emergency..."

(Society favors female behavior??? Since when, Idiot Boy? Since we're so free to express ourselves sexually without backlash, and whenever we try to control our own bodies it's NEVER seen as an unreasonable power grab? Oh, but wait: it gets better)


"...The reality is that women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently. It’s just easier this way for everyone. You don’t argue with a four-year old about why he shouldn’t eat candy for dinner. You don’t punch a mentally handicapped guy even if he punches you first. And you don’t argue when a women tells you she’s only making 80 cents to your dollar. It’s the path of least resistance. You save your energy for more important battles..."


(Women are mentally handicapped and childish. Oh, I see. THAT'S why we have big strong men like you making decision about our bodies. Cuz God knows, we're too f'kin stupid to do anything for ourselves. And Scott, what a genius you are for showing me the light and the new purpose of my life.

When there is a war against women going on in the Repug party, when women's contributions are constantly trivialized and derided, we get drivel like this to just sweeten the pot. Scott crying about being a victim is as valid as O'Really freakin' out over the War on Christmas. When you're the dominant one with the most power, you don't get to whine and play oppressed. Just go away, Scott, no one wants to hear your Mommie or Wifey issues. Stick to Catbert from now on.)

If you have the stomach, here's the whole blog post:

http://tinysprout.tumblr.com/post/3713649989/scott-adams-dilbert-deleted-post

[PDJane]

1. I don't have the intestinal fortitude.

I hear it frequently enough that it scrambles my lagging tolerance.

[DonCoquixote]

2. Geesh

You know, I love the fact that Adams exposed bosses and management as the scum they were, and I even thought he made a good female character in alice, the one who "must control fist of death" because her boss is an ass, but this is just plain stump dumb stupid. Then again, Ted Rall went into a rant about how women "murder their babies" and how we should "take classes" from Tiger Woods.

and allow me to dissect this bit of crap:
""...The reality is that women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently. It’s just easier this way for everyone. You don’t argue with a four-year old about why he shouldn’t eat candy for dinner. You don’t punch a mentally handicapped guy even if he punches you first. And you don’t argue when a women tells you she’s only making 80 cents to your dollar. It’s the path of least resistance. You save your energy for more important battles..."

Hey adams, did you ever think that women are just tired of dealing with men, as they often show the four year old behavior? That maybe they just gave up trying to explain crap to people that cannot get it, and even if they could get it, would not, because they know all they have to do as keep bawling? And maybe the reason why Men have heart attacks is because they insist on the same, macho, stupid attitudes that are so well featured in comic strips like, well, Dilbert.

Sorry Adams, it is one thing when someone like a Ted Rall or Joe Beagant tries to extol the virtues of he man crap, buy you can and should know better, dammit!

[Buzz Clik]

3. Sometimes, you read stuff and hope and pray that it's all sarcasm.

You don't want the other shoe to drop and tell you with certainty that this person has disappointed.

This was the kicker for me: "...The reality is that women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently. It’s just easier this way for everyone. You don’t argue with a four-year old about why he shouldn’t eat candy for dinner. You don’t punch a mentally handicapped guy even if he punches you first. And you don’t argue when a women tells you she’s only making 80 cents to your dollar. It’s the path of least resistance. You save your energy for more important battles..."

This isn't funny at any level.

[WildEyedLiberal]

18. Yeah, I was going along with it making fun of "men's rights" until I got to that paragraph

How utterly insulting. Good thing I never found Dilbert amusing, so I don't have to be disappointed.

[MrMickeysMom]

4. Maybe he was dumped by someone who found out he was a ..

turd. He had to rant, and then he realized it was a bunch a shit coming out of a big fat turd.

I've seen the Dilbert character and it's not too respectable either. He's cynical and so is his creator. You can't respect Dilbert anymore than the alter ego who created him.

People act sometimes like big fucking turds, I think. Both genders, too.

[MrScorpio]

5. This is a man who needs to get laid

Fat chance of that now.

[monmouth]

6. I wonder if Scott would change his opinion about women if we got

together and wrote to the papers that carry his strip? My paper (Palm Beach Post) is always running polls on what our favorites are and what should be dropped. Bye-bye Dilbert...

[A-Schwarzenegger]

7. FWIW, here's ADAMS' response AND explanation (+ 119 comments).

http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/im_a_what/

[swishyfeet]

10. To recap: he was mocking the Men's Rights movement (nt)

[yodermon]

13. Here's the paragraph.

To the best of my knowledge, no one who understood the original post and its context was offended by it. But to the women who were offended by their own or someone else's interpretation of what I wrote, I apologize. To the men who were offended by my mocking of Men's Rights, you're still a big bunch of pussies. But your criticisms of the legal system are worthy of attention. Even Feminists agree on that point.

[blondeatlast]

21. The classic RW non-apology apology to "those whom I might have offended." ht have offended.

Enjoy your lonely, sad little life, Mr. Adams. Success can't buy you the joy of romantic love.

[Recursion]

8. The "80 cents on the dollar" thing has bugged him for years

He's done several strips about it (and his argument has something of a point even if he takes it too far). On the other hand Alice is consistently the most skilled character in the company.

[MellowDem]

9. You must have no sense of humor...

the guy is a cartoonist. He's trying to be funny, and in the context of his whole post, he is just doing your classic gender routine. I don't think he's being all that serious, and most of what he says isn't even offensive anyways. Most of what you quoted are issues that ardent feminists readily agree with him on. After all, gender roles cut both ways, which is what he seems to be poking fun at.

Men can complain about inequalities that effect men. Hell, they can even joke about it, since such inequalities are usually considered suspect, maybe it's the best way to do it.

The only thing that turns my stomach is the amount of ginned up outrage in this post.

[Union Scribe]

24. Maybe that's his problem

He isn't funny.

[MellowDem]

34. Nah...

the problem is people taking comedic material out of context and trying to pretend it's a controversy. Whether you like his style of comedy or not is besides the point.

[pink-o]

42. One more time....

...when it comes from hostility and disrespect, it's not comedy. Also (and maybe this'll help clear it up...) when the POWER BASE is mocking those who're not so much powerful, then it's not satire. No matter how I read it, Scott Adams is not mocking men. He's using allusions such as "Mentally Handicapped" and "Children", saying we should treat women the same way.

He should've figured someone would object. And then, when they did he tried to take the blog down and not own it. If he believed in his humor, why would he not defend it?

Finally, the Republican-trademarked non-apology. Doesn't sound like someone who's confident in his satire, does it?

[MellowDem]

52. It sounds like someone who doesn't care people...

are offended. And he shouldn't. He actually did respond to it, and a link has been posted here and explains why he took it down too. I mean, it was taken out of context and ginned up to try to get people offended. Only people with a lack of any sort of this kind of sense of humor (and there are quite a few) would have read it as being "serious". But obviously Adams didn't mean it for them, that's why he posted it for his readers.

Your argument that because Adams is a male, he is the power base and therefore cannot make fun of those "less powerful" makes no sense. I think comedians should be able to make fun of whoever they want to. Hell, John Stewart is rich, can he only make fun of rich people? I see him mock the Tea Party all the time.

[pink-o]

29. I've pursued creative fields all my life. And I know one thing:

If you're trying to get a point across and your audience is confused, then that's YOUR fault as an artist. You have a responsibility to make yourself understood, and if your idea is that you're mocking "men's rights" then why would you use such inflammatory language, like putting "mentally handicapped" and "women" in the same sentence? At least your editor, or and objective source, would've nipped that little gem in the bud.

No, as a woman who's heard this waaaaaay too many times, this is how I interpret Scott's "apology":

"I was just kidding. Ha ha. Can't believe you took me seriously, you're a hysterical female and you must be on the rag or something. Can't you chicks take a joke? Have you no sense of humor?"

Yeah, cuz hostility and anger are so f'kin' funny, aren't they?

[MellowDem]

33. Or...

somebody takes your work from your website and puts it out of context onto a blog. If you aren't familiar with a person's style of comedy and see that for the first time on some blog, then you might be confused. I hardly think that's the cartoonist's fault.

And yeah, hostility and anger can indeed be quite funny. But this isn't even hostility and anger, at least, I don't see it when reading the whole thing. It's very obvious to me that the guy is being purposefully over the top. He gives quite a few hints throughout.

Blame the people who were trying to gin up controversy and outrage by taking a comedians "rant" and pretending it was real. I mean, he all uses such inflammatory language as "men" and "pussies" in the same sentance. In other words, comedy often uses inflammatory language.

[pink-o]

43. So if he's being purposefully over the top funny...

Then riddle me this, Batman: why did he try to take it down and not own it? Shouldn't he be so very proud of his erudite bon mots?

No, it's the same old story: man crosses the line with his own anger issues, then tries to dial it back by saying: "I was only kidding. It's your fault, Chickie, that you're too hormonal to appreciate it."

And once again, it amazes me how blind people can be. If he were comparing African Americans to the mentally handicapped, something tells me you wouldn't be so quick to defend him.

[tammywammy]

45. You should read his response

He explains why he took it down.

http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/im_a_what/

[whathehell]

39. Bingo!....We have a winner!

:thumbsup:

[Magron]

11. ah..yeah..

YOU the poster would appear to have some, er, 'issues' yourself. The rant is not entirely fair and more than a little over the top in spots. You're not doing yourself or anybody else any good.

[pink-o]

44. You're right, I do have issues

I totally take issue with women being compared to the mentally handicapped in the year 2011, whether you're trying to be funny or not.

(and it's not, BTW)

[lunatica]

12. What a cry baby.

[DireStrike]

14. Sounds like somebody didn't read the original post.

Or if they did, they selectively quoted to make Adams look bad.

Some people might still take issue with Adams' entire post, but it's nowhere near as bad as this makes it sound.

[pscot]

15. This comes as a complete shock

Dilbert models such positive reletionships with women. I mean there's Alice, and his mom and......

[PavePusher]

16. Hook, line and sinker.

Wow indeed.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[whathehell]

25. Not sharing someone's feelings on an issue doesn't mean those feelings are "contrived"

The poster is hardly in a "rage" and your condescension,

"contrived" or otherwise says more about you than her.

[pink-o]

30. see my reply to poster # 9

Maybe "trying" to be funny is your operative phrase. But having never seen anything mirthful in he-man-woman-hater type hostility, nor being compared to the mentally handicapped, I'd say this was an epic fail. Albeit, I don't think he was really writing satire. This is the refuge of the unsophisticated: when people take umbrage with their idiocy, they always say "I was only kidding. Can't you take a joke?"

Yes, I have a fabulous sense of humor, and I adore social satire most of all. But I also am intelligent enough to understand when it's done with respect, and hostility isn't the motivating factor. And most of the women you meet can tell the dif as well.

[Jester Messiah]

19. Oh dear... a man has suggested that perhaps men are getting the dirty end of the stick.

Better get the tar boiling and pass out the pitchforks.

[orwell]

20. Men can be pretty f'ed up...

...that's what ya get from a million years of patriarchy...

[whathehell]

37. +10

[Iggo]

22. Fuck him.

[alcibiades_mystery]

23. Any time a man complains about "holding the door," I immediately realize

that the speaker can't be taken seriously.

[cabot]

26. Dilbert sucks

Scott Adams is a tool.

[CakeGrrl]

27. I don't think it's as bad in full context as it was made to sound.

JMO. I think he was doing some satire on "Men's Rights" and it wasn't interpreted in some corners as it was intended.

[nilram]

28. I don't think its satire.

A (female) friend told me (male) ages ago that she thought his strip was misogynistic in the way it portrayed female characters. I kinda see it, I kinda have to trust her on it (since all the characters are pretty flawed). But I've read enough of his other writings to see him as, at least, uber-libertarian. He's quite smug in his having gotten so well off, I think. I don't think he's had any children and I hope he never does -- for their, and our, sake.

[Taitertots]

31. Society treats both genders differently

Sometime both genders need to listen to the thoughts and concerns of the other sex instead of dismissing them without consideration. Pointing out inequality shouldn't be dismissed as whining or playing oppressed. We will never get to equality by putting up new systemic inequalities.

[pink-o]

32. I agree. Men have certain societal limitations

just as women do. But I would never compare a man to a child or someone mentally handicapped to make my point.

Please. Can I stress this one more time: Women do have a sense of humor. We're also not all strident feminists who look for Un-PC statements or freak out every time a stereotype is depicted. But we can also tell when something is done with respect, or at least restraint.

This piece by Adams has neither. He even figured that out by himself, as evidenced by how he tried to take it down the minute the objections came through.

[Modern_Matthew]

35. Had this been a feminist rant, it would be cheered. Let the attacks begin. nt

[snooper2]

36. You snipped out the best parts but that's okay...

http://tinysprout.tumblr.com/post/3713649989/scott-adams-dilbert-deleted-post

[Modern_Matthew]

38. Thanks. I find it to raise a lot of valid points about car insurance, the draft, etc. nt

[JoeyT]

40. Adams is a wanker.

Can't believe he didn't post this through one of his sockpuppets.

[AngryAmish]

41. Golly, didn't you get worked!

That is the funny part.

[yawnmaster]

46. It is best to read his post in its entirety and then read his explanation...

He does understand his audience and knows what happens when a mass of outside audience receives his work (at least he said he knows, whether it is hindsight knowledge or not, we don't know). It's very interesting, and his observations (or predictions?) of what occurs is often correct.

[houstonintc]

47. Had a Feminist said those things about men...

I suspect many would be cheering and agreeing.

[DFab420]

48. Lolz at everyone gettin trolled by Scott Adams

he wrote a piece of satire that everyone around him took as fact.

[Thegonagle]

53. Looked like typical Scott Adams to me. He was trying to be funny.

And not too surprisingly, he mostly failed. But just because it didn't turn out funny, that doesn't mean it should be taken seriously.

[Left coast liberal]

49. Who cares what he thinks. What a loser.

[DefenseLawyer]

50. Oh my god! What do you call this act???

The Aristocrats!

[trumad]

51. A picture usually tells it...