Dilbert creator: essentially a fascist?

The mega-successful creator of the Dilbert comic strip, Scott Adams, has for many years joked about the advantages of a society run only by a relatively small cadre of highly intelligent elite managers. For a long time it's been pretty clear that this is just a joke, expressed through (for example) "Dogbert's New Ruling Class," which is essentially just a fan club masquerading under a jokey plan-for-world-domination (see graphic).

Now, in his blog, Adams suggests that democracy as a concept or in practice is fatally flawed and that his hopes for society indeed rest on "a secret cabal of highly competent puppetmasters":

My favorite conspiracy theory is the one that says the world is being run by a handful of ultra-rich capitalists, and that our elected governments are mere puppets. I sure hope it's true. Otherwise my survival depends on hordes of clueless goobers electing competent leaders. That's about as likely as a dog pissing the Mona Lisa into a snow bank. The only way I can get to sleep at night is by imagining a secret cabal of highly competent puppetmasters who are handling the important decisions while our elected politicians debate flag burning and the definition of marriage. ...

I know some of you will say that it's obvious that corporate money influences the government. But that's not enough to make me feel comfortable. I want to know there's an actual meeting of the puppetmasters every Thursday at 3 pm. I want to know that when one of them suggests a new policy that the group votes by pressing buttons on their chairs and if the idea is deemed bad, the offender drops through a hole in the floor and is eaten by a golden shark. You can't tell me that democracy produces better policies than the golden shark method.

(Courtesy BoingBoing)

Notice he says "my survival depends on" society being organized this way -- not "the survival of humanity" or culture or anything else but his own tuchis.

Still pretty clearly a joke. But so much of the humor in the Dilbert comic strip also rests on this notion -- a few smart and (usually) unemotional people being victimized by hysterical idiots, who are in turn victimized by a greedy, evil genius who is willing to use capitalism to his own ends -- that I have the feeling Adams really does feel this way.

Of course, this is essentially a description of fascism, in which a powerful elite, which considers itself superior in every way to the hoi polloi, rules for its own enrichment and gratification. In today's political climate, I find it a little discomforting that so many people find this funny or, perhaps, even a good idea.

Dilbert, Scott Adams, fascism