Ep 11. Charity

Charity is the 11th episode of the first season of the American animation series Dilbert. The sitcom set in the fictional headquarters of the conglomerate "Path-E-Tech" follows the everyday life of Dilbert, an intelligent, but socially inept and often victimized engineer. The show takes on various issues related to corporate culture, office politics, and contemporary social condition with humor and satire.

In this episode, the company's annual charity drive becomes Dilbert's dilemma. The CEO, Dogbert, who is also Dilbert's dog, announces the event. He assigns a fundraising goal to each department, and the team that fails to achieve it will have to bring in unspecified snacks. Dilbert, who is morally compelled to do something positive for others, takes on the responsibility of raising the money for his department. However, he finds out that his co-workers are far less enthusiastic to participate in the good cause than he is.

The writer of this episode, Earl Kress, manages to draw attention to the age-old problem of corporate charity drives where participation order comes from above. The episode looks into the issue that office charities can be great for team morale, but only when there is active employee involvement. If it's just another job on the to-do list, it can put teams at one another's throats. Kress plays on our sense of anti-entitlement and makes a compelling case- people only give from their pocket what comes from their heart; therefore, charity schemes that mandate donation only aid public relations but do nothing to connect employees.

Dilbert, who is an ideal employee character in the show, becomes an example of generosity and dedication to charity. He starts his campaign by showing empathy, but it doesn't take long for him to see that his colleagues have a very different opinion about donating to charity. Alice, Dilbert's fellow engineer, has a particularly clear view of the world and sees the charity occasions as an unlikeable approach to feel virtuous. "I don't conflate personal validation with public service," she declares. "I live under the principle that good deeds should go unpunished."

Dilbert, despite his good intentions, also faces failed attempts at fundraising. His attempts include a ball pit, a dunk booth, and stand-up-comedy. However, none of these even puts a dent in reaching their fundraising goals. The character development is well shown in this episode when Dilbert starts to question his moral obligation to give or not to give to the charity cause. "Why should I take away a perfectly good Monday to go through the slight satisfaction of volunteering," he asks himself. The subplot of Dogbert using the charity is also indicative of showing that sometimes companies may use certain social causes as a way to deflect attention from their own corrupt conduct.

The humor in 'Charity" is more cerebral, as it deals with the ethical-dilemma of how much is enough compassion. The storyline fits in with the tone of the show, with characters that are cynical and base everything around the corporate ladder. Wally appears to be the most cynical of the staff, stating: "I’m cynical about charity, it’s just a way for rich people to feel good about themselves." Other characters, like Loud Howard, who are considered annoying, are shown in the lighter characterization that uses good humor to lighten the mood.

Overall, the story has successfully reflected upon the ill-planned charity scheme that companies make without the engagement of their employees. The story is supported by great writing and clever humor that makes it ideal for a sitcom, with a perfect cast of characters that balance each other. Earl Kress should be commended for bringing this crucial societal issue on television and discussing it in a lighthearted and thought-provoking way. The message of the episode is clear: it's essential to re-think the way corporate charity drives are organized and highlight the importance of active, voluntarism.