If you saw "Scott Adams," or "Dilbert" among the top trending topics on Twitter, you might think, "new book?" or maybe, "cartoonist hall of fame?" or even, "wow, I hope he didn't just die."
How about, "a blog post that has women (and several men) heading for the keyboard to denounce him and his caveman views?"
Adams, a Bay Area resident, is world famous for the "Dilbert" cartoons. He's written books as well, with both cartoons and essays - most of which dissect various business practices. If you're familiar with his work (as I am - in addition to reading countless "Dilbert" cartoons, I've interviewed Adams several times over the years), you know that he's not afraid of stirring up a little controversy when not drawing images of geeks, dogs, and interns.
But this is a surprise: Adams posted a blog answering a request from fans to write about men's rights. In the post (which has since been deleted, but owned up to by Adams), he writes, among other things, that "society discourages male behavior whereas female behavior is celebrated." He also goes on to write 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."
You can see where many women (and, again, men) would find this eyebrow-raising. This, they say, in countless blog and Twitter posts, is the "Dilbert" guy? Adams closes the post by insisting he's not lumping women in with those other groups, which probably won't get him any sensitivity points. It's a surprising blog entry that you may find refreshingly honest, or a misogynist rant. Either way, he seems to have been awarded the Pointy Haired Boss Award by the blogoshpere.
