Dilbert cartoon first published on Sunday 8th September 2013

Dilbert//8912, first published thirteen years ago on Sunday 8th September 2013

Tags

death & dying negotiating work ethic raise workload incentive work harder disgruntled no meaning dreams lie broken

Official transcript

Boss: If you finish your project in twelve months, I'll give you a five percent raise. Dilbert: I would gladly give up five percent of my future pay to avoid a doubling of my workload. Boss: You don't understand. I'm giving you an incentive to work harder. Dilbert: No, I'm pretty sure you're charging me five percent of my future pay to sit here and feel disgruntled. And it's working. I hate you more than ever and I no longer find meaning in my work My dreams lie broken and empty beneath the ruins of my optimism. Boss: I can't tell if your negotiating or dying. Dilbert: It's a little of both.

originally published on dilbert.com

Open source transcript

IF YOU FINISH YOUR PROJECT IN TWELVE MONTHS, I'LL GIVE YOU A FIVE PERCENT RAISE.

I WOULD GLADLY GIVE UP FIVE PERCENT OF MY FUTURE PAY TO AVOID A DOUBLING OF MY WORKLOAD.

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. IM GIVING YOU AN INCENTIVE TO WORK HARDER.

NO, I'M PRETTY SURE YOU'RE CHARGING ME FIVE PERCENT OF MY FUTURE PAY TO SIT HERE AND FEEL DISGRUNTLED.

AND IT'S WORKING.

I HATE YOU MORE THAN EVER AND I NO LONGER FIND MEANING IN MY WORK.

MY DREAMS LIE BROKEN AND EMPTY BENEATH THE RUINS OF MY OPTIMISM.

I CAN'T TELL IF YOU'RE NEGOTIATING OR DYING.

IT'S A LITTLE OF BOTH.

collated from github.com/jvarn/dilbert-archive

AI Analysis

Comic Strip Title: "The Dream-Killing Offer"

Summary:

The comic strip, originally published in the newspaper, features Dilbert, a bespectacled man with black hair, in a series of panels that illustrate his conversation with a boss. The boss offers Dilbert a five percent raise if he completes a project in twelve months, but with a catch: he must give up five percent of his future pay to avoid a doubling of his workload. Dilbert is skeptical, feeling that the offer is little more than a way to kill his dreams and aspirations.

Key Panels:

• Panel 1: The boss makes the offer, emphasizing the importance of completing the project within the twelve-month timeframe.
• Panel 2: Dilbert expresses his skepticism, pointing out that the offer is essentially a way to double his workload without increasing his pay.
• Panel 3: The boss becomes defensive, insisting that the offer is fair and that Dilbert should be grateful for the opportunity to work harder.
• Panel 4: Dilbert responds by saying that he hates his job and would rather be doing something more meaningful, but the boss is uninterested in hearing this.
• Panel 5: The boss reveals that he can't tell if Dilbert is negotiating or dying, implying that Dilbert's passion for his work has been extinguished.
• Panel 6: Dilbert concludes that the offer is little more than a way to kill his dreams and aspirations, and that he would rather be doing something more fulfilling.

Themes:

• The struggle to find meaning and purpose in one's work
• The impact of corporate culture on employee morale and motivation
• The tension between personal aspirations and professional obligations

Tone:

• Sarcastic and irreverent, with a touch of bitterness and frustration
• The comic strip pokes fun at the absurdities of corporate culture and the ways in which it can stifle creativity and innovation.

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