Dilbert Documents Dilbert Case - Neatorama

Dave Steward of Fort Madison, Iowa was fired from his job after seven years because he posted a Dilbert comic strip on an office bulletin board. In the offending strip, Dilbert compared company decision-makers to “drunken lemurs”. Management checked surveillance tapes to find out which employee was responsible. The story became national news after the company fought Steward’s claim for unemployment benefits. Now Dilbert creator Scott Adams is incorporating Steward’s story in his comic strip. A series of strips on the case begins today.

In one of the strips, Adams gives his take on Steward's dismissal.

Catbert: "Wally, I have to fire you for posting a comic comparing managers to drunken lemurs. You won't be eligible for unemployment benefits unless you can prove you were stupid as opposed to malicious. Can you prove you're stupid?"

Wally: "Is there another explanation for working here?"

Steward, who is still unemployed, says he will keep the strips in a scrapbook. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/NEWS/802200382 to story. Link to daily Dilbert strip. -via Fark

(image credit: Scott Adams)

Well, if they'd actually go through the trouble of reviewing security tapes to find out who put up a comic strip, he's probably somewhat better off not working for them.

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I am surprised there wasn't a mass quitting from that company. Personally if my coworker was fired for putting up that comic, I would quit.

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I can't believe we are still allowing things like this to happen in this country. How is it possible for someone to get fired for doing something so harmless? Did he stop working to put up the comic strip? Did it somehow interfere with how well he did his job? It is unbelievable!

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Hey, given the stupidity of society today, he's probably lucky he's not being charged as a terrorist. Stop the country, I want to get off.

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While some people are being let go for trivial stuff, some people are harder to get rid of than a wart!

Well, I've had instances where the bored higher ups checked employee's personal blogs for any dirt.

When it comes to things like that it's more of a matter of the hurt ego than it is of principle. They had to kiss a lot of butts to get there and don't want some comic strip revealing their true nature...I guess. Whoops...

Good thing I quit working for corporate America a while ago, I'd be fired right now.

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The very same strip is on our office notice board, but I think the meaning is fortunately too subtle for our bosses :)

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I worked with a fellow who had a dried marijuana leaf pinned up at his desk, but that was okay since his dad was dating a higher-level manager - other managers were too afraid of her to even dare make comments. It's not what you do...

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Something tells me this guy will stayed unemployed for a while. Now he has a reputation of drawing bad publicity to his management, and anyone who hires him risks seeing themselves parodied in Dilbert.

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The story demonstrates that you have to be "just enough" mad to be let go. As I went blind my Company gave me more and more work involving putting numbers into complex corporate reports with a zero error tolerance. They wanted me to quit i.e. get no severance package. I countered with a program to get fired - Dilbert cartoons on my corkboard, refusal to participate in Company cake and coffee congratulations events, Black Lodge circle drum pow-wow music playing softly in my office, but 100% on time solid work (no excuse for "with cause" dismissal).
I was "too mad" and had to put in several years as Dilbert's buddy Wally. Making a career of eccentric behavior is oddly satisfying..

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as someone that grew up 20 miles from ft. madison, iowa, i can personally say the town is full of idiots, the state prison .... and smells like hot dogs.

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haha kat, so true from a true iowan (DM).

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At a med place where I once was unfortunate enough to get employed, one guy was fired for saying: "this town is filled with hippies and gays". Well, he was right. Never mind that he was right and did his job properly. Out he went. I got canned for bringing up the topic of gays too often and not accepting it as a "normal" lifestyle. Thank God I got canned. Some of the worst wastes of protoplasm I've ever had to share oxygen with. I went on to get better opportunities. Screw 'em.

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Badgirl.

Ever considered you were fired for creating a hostile work environment? Chances are one or more of your co-workers were gay and your constant harping on the alleged 'immorality' of the lifestyle made them uncomfortable.

I think personal politics should be left at home. Your place of work is not an appropriate venue for such things. At all.

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Ever consider that the workplace was attempting to create a place hostile to all others who are NOT gay? I never broached the topic. THEY goaded me to determine if I was "tolerant" enough and anti-Christian enough to work with them. How's that for an atmosphere. Same thing happened to the guy who was fired. Don't give me that righteous bullshit "nic m". It works both ways...

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@badgirl
Nothing more attractive then a religious freak AND a bigot. Are you married?

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When I worked for Corporate, I too posted the weekly Dilbert on the outer wall of my cube. Anyone could walk by read what was there...I posted one on top of the other, so it became an archive of all things Dilbert. The walls of my cube were covered in things that would entertain me, so i could stare off into space when I needed to get away from the number crunching. The boss would stop and read the strips, but I really don't think he knew I posted them in reference to him. But most of us understood the truth. I gave my two weeks notice and was "relieved of my duties" a week later for taking a day off during my last two weeks. I had a friend in from CA and hell if I wasn't going to spend time with him instead of working at my job.

Good to be free of Corporate...although the occasional perk was good.

Ruby

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Oh, and I AM a hippee and a good sum of my friedns are gay. Blah... whatever BADgirl...

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Oh, and I AM a hippee and a good sum of my friends are gay. Blah... whatever BADgirl...

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Oh man, I post dilbert comics all the time, and the offending one describes my workplace perfectly. Good luck to him.

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badgirl, you are an offensive idiot, that's why you were fired.

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Yeah, guess Christ is a bigot too, since He disapproves of the homosexual death-style. Why don't you poor saps take it up with Him?
Now THAT would be worth paying to see.

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Sigh. I live in a so-called "right to work" state, which means you can be fired for any reason, including "I needed to open up a position for my brother-in-law" and its perfectly legal.

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@badgirl
Christ, and all the other delusional religious flavours are a myth - you and your bigoted opinions unfortunately, are not.

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