Wednesday, January 2nd - Director of First Impressions

TO: Larry Stevenson, West Coast Division Manager

FROM: John Smith, Assistant to the West Coast Division Manager

DATE: January 1, 2008

SUBJECT: Tomorrow's Dilbert Strip

At first I was not sure what Mr. Adams intended to be funny about this strip.  In the first panel, the boss makes Carol the "new director of first impressions." In the second panel, Carol confides her excitement regarding the new position with the viewer.  In the third panel, she wonders why her new office is in the lobby.

I believe that this strip represents Mr. Adams' scathing satire of titles in the corporate workplace.  The executive has tricked Carol into becoming a receptionist by creating the false (and somewhat misleading) title of "director of first impressions."  Here, Adams is commenting on the use of grandiloquent job titles which make positions seem more important than they actually are (calling a secretary an 'office manager,' for instance).

It is possible the strip is also poking fun at women, whose relevance in the workplace as a man's equal is still questionable.  Not only does Carol not realize the executive's trickery, but in panel two she externalizes her inner monologue, speaking even though no one is around to hear her.  Boy, Carol sure is stupid!

On another note, this strip is indicative of Mr. Adams' flare for absurdist comedy.  In the third panel, a business man enters asking to be directed towards the "nearest growler." This is an obvious non-sequitur, and is funny because it represents a shift from the normal things you would expect a business man to exclaim when entering a room.

Finally, though it is unlikely, it is possible that the business man who enters in the third panel is intended to be a caricature of Tommy Lee Jones.  Again, unlikely, but something to think about.

Again, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding the above strip.