Dilbert cartoon first published on Sunday 7th September 2008

Dilbert//7085, first published eighteen years ago on Sunday 7th September 2008

Tags

reject proposal reason level of management authority get fired starve to death repharse question

Official transcript

The Boss says, "I reject your proposal."

Dilbert says, "Is there any particular reason this time?"

The Boss says, "At my level of management I don't have the authority to approve anything important."

The Boss says, "But I do have the authority to reject things."

The Boss says, "If I don't reject proposals, there's nothing for me to do."

The Boss says, "If I do nothing I'll get fired. I might never get another job. I could starve to death."

The Boss says, "So I have to reject everything you propose or else I might die."

Dilbert says, "What am I supposed to do now?"

The Boss says, "Can you rephrase that question in the form of a proposal?"

originally published on dilbert.com

Open source transcript

I REJECT YOUR PROPOSAL.

IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR REASON THIS TIME?

AT MY LEVEL OF MANAGEMENT I DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO APPROVE ANYTHING IMPORTANT.

BUT I DO HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO REJECT THINGS.

IF I DON'T REJECT PROPOSALS, THERE'S NOTHING FOR ME TO DO.

IF I DO NOTHING I'LL GET FIRED. I MIGHT NEVER GET ANOTHER JOB. I COULD STARVE TO DEATH.

SO I HAVE TO REJECT EVERYTHING YOU PROPOSE OR ELSE I MIGHT DIE.

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?

CAN YOU REPHRASE THAT QUESTION IN THE FORM OF A PROPOSAL?

collated from github.com/jvarn/dilbert-archive

AI Analysis

The comic strip is titled "I Reject Your Proposal" and features a conversation between a manager and an employee.

Scene 1: The Employee's Proposal

• The employee presents a proposal to the manager.
• The manager responds, "I reject your proposal."

Scene 2: The Employee's Reaction

• The employee asks if there's any particular reason for the rejection.
• The manager replies, "At my level of management, I don't have the authority to approve anything important."

Scene 3: The Employee's Frustration

• The employee expresses frustration, stating, "But I do have the authority to reject things."
• The manager responds, "If I don't reject proposals, there's nothing for me to do."

Scene 4: The Employee's Threat

• The employee threatens to get fired if they don't receive a proposal to reject.
• The manager responds, "If I do nothing, I'll get fired. I might never get another job. I could starve to death."

Scene 5: The Employee's Proposal

• The employee proposes a new idea, "So I have to reject everything you propose or else I might die."
• The manager responds, "What am I supposed to do now?"

Scene 6: The Manager's Response

• The manager asks, "Can you rephrase that question in the form of a proposal?"

Scene 7: The Employee's Final Proposal

• The employee presents a revised proposal, "I reject your proposal."
• The manager responds, "I reject your proposal."

The comic strip highlights the absurdity of bureaucratic red tape and the challenges of communicating effectively in a corporate setting.

generated by llama-3.2-11b-vision-instruct

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