4 ms·

> Were there early signs? I remember reading (I think in newspaper interview) in the late 1990s his own description of how comics became his full-time focus an

> Were there early signs? I remember reading (I think in newspaper interview) in the late 1990s his own description of how comics became his full-time focus and his deep resentment of how difficult it had been to advance in management in corporate America because he was a White man in the 1980s (!?!) was pretty central to it.

12_throw_away 10mo ago
Oh, oof. But also ... huh. Not that I'm steeped in dilbert lore, but wasn't the the main villain was a stupid balding white manager guy? Dunno if he's an unreliable narrator or was just smart enough to keep the white supremacy out the comics at first.
- dragonwriter 10mo ago
  > Not that I'm steeped in dilbert lore, but wasn't the the main villain was a stupid balding white manager guy? I'd bet dollars to donuts that (if there is truth at all to him being told what he claims) the superiors making the promotion decisions so that told him he was being passed over because he was a White men were also White men. If he had to justify it, he might say that PHB also became a manager before the wave of political correctness.
- DaSHacka 10mo ago
  > Dunno if he's an unreliable narrator or was just smart enough to keep the white supremacy out the comics at first. Or I don't know, maybe everyone hates corpo suit types no matter the race?
elzbardico 10mo ago
There was nothing of the modern taboo on discussing this during the 80s and 90s. White man were more or less free to complain, not that anyone would listen, but complaining was still acceptable.
maxbond 10mo ago
To add, he also said elsewhere that he didn't like his job and was phoning it in and focusing increasingly on his art. He thought he was passed over because of his gender for a promotion... When he was openly phoning it in and writing comics about how his work culture sucked. Why would you promote someone with their foot out the door and who was badly misaligned with the organization? One or the other maybe (someone who doesn't like the work culture might be a good pick to improve it) but both? Why would you even be upset about it when your art is blowing up and going full time on it is clearly the right move? Similarly he felt his TV show was cancelled after two seasons because it wasn't PC, but his show wasn't getting good viewership and had a terrible time slot. That's a pretty typical trajectory for a TV show, it's like complaining your startup failed. He wrote a lot about explicitly magical thinking. Sort of along the lines of The Secret; that he could achieve things where the odds were against him through sheer force of will and wishing. That's not necessarily a problem but it does set you up for denial when things don't always go your way. And the denial is dangerous. The later chapters of his life were marked by tragedy. His stepson died of overdose. His marriage collapsed. He lost the ability to speak and had to fight like hell to get a proper diagnosis and treatment (he later recovered). He went through COVID like the rest of us. Unfortunately these events would seem to have hardened and radicalized him. I think we can understand and empathize with that without condoning it. I hope he found his peace in the end.
- machomaster 10mo ago
  [flagged]
  - maxbond 10mo ago
    > He was directly told that he won't be promoted because he was a white man. I think Adams was lying. I don't think they ever told him that. For instance in contemporary interviews about his show being cancelled he gave reasonable explanations. Only later did he claim his show was cancelled unjustly. He also wrote a book with the subtitle, Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don't Matter. I think as his views hardened he didn't feel obligated to tell the truth, and/or that his lies were in service of a deeper truth. So I think he sincerely believed he had been passed over because of he was a man, but that that conversation never took place and he knew it. > If I remember correctly, it had more to do with his sex and not his race. You're right. I've updated the comment. Thanks for the correction. > Why would he work his ass off after that? He was phoning it in before that.

12_throw_away 10mo ago

Oh, oof. But also ... huh. Not that I'm steeped in dilbert lore, but wasn't the the main villain was a stupid balding white manager guy? Dunno if he's an unreliable narrator or was just smart enough to keep the white supremacy out the comics at first.

dragonwriter 10mo ago
> Not that I'm steeped in dilbert lore, but wasn't the the main villain was a stupid balding white manager guy? I'd bet dollars to donuts that (if there is truth at all to him being told what he claims) the superiors making the promotion decisions so that told him he was being passed over because he was a White men were also White men. If he had to justify it, he might say that PHB also became a manager before the wave of political correctness.
DaSHacka 10mo ago
> Dunno if he's an unreliable narrator or was just smart enough to keep the white supremacy out the comics at first. Or I don't know, maybe everyone hates corpo suit types no matter the race?

elzbardico 10mo ago

There was nothing of the modern taboo on discussing this during the 80s and 90s. White man were more or less free to complain, not that anyone would listen, but complaining was still acceptable.

maxbond 10mo ago

To add, he also said elsewhere that he didn't like his job and was phoning it in and focusing increasingly on his art. He thought he was passed over because of his gender for a promotion... When he was openly phoning it in and writing comics about how his work culture sucked. Why would you promote someone with their foot out the door and who was badly misaligned with the organization? One or the other maybe (someone who doesn't like the work culture might be a good pick to improve it) but both? Why would you even be upset about it when your art is blowing up and going full time on it is clearly the right move? Similarly he felt his TV show was cancelled after two seasons because it wasn't PC, but his show wasn't getting good viewership and had a terrible time slot. That's a pretty typical trajectory for a TV show, it's like complaining your startup failed. He wrote a lot about explicitly magical thinking. Sort of along the lines of The Secret; that he could achieve things where the odds were against him through sheer force of will and wishing. That's not necessarily a problem but it does set you up for denial when things don't always go your way. And the denial is dangerous. The later chapters of his life were marked by tragedy. His stepson died of overdose. His marriage collapsed. He lost the ability to speak and had to fight like hell to get a proper diagnosis and treatment (he later recovered). He went through COVID like the rest of us. Unfortunately these events would seem to have hardened and radicalized him. I think we can understand and empathize with that without condoning it. I hope he found his peace in the end.

machomaster 10mo ago
[flagged]
- maxbond 10mo ago
  > He was directly told that he won't be promoted because he was a white man. I think Adams was lying. I don't think they ever told him that. For instance in contemporary interviews about his show being cancelled he gave reasonable explanations. Only later did he claim his show was cancelled unjustly. He also wrote a book with the subtitle, Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don't Matter. I think as his views hardened he didn't feel obligated to tell the truth, and/or that his lies were in service of a deeper truth. So I think he sincerely believed he had been passed over because of he was a man, but that that conversation never took place and he knew it. > If I remember correctly, it had more to do with his sex and not his race. You're right. I've updated the comment. Thanks for the correction. > Why would he work his ass off after that? He was phoning it in before that.