Scott Adamsthe creator of dilbert, has been embroiled in a strong controversy for his recent racist comments in a YouTube live. To such an extent that his mythical comic strip, which has been published since 1989, has been canceled by hundreds of newspapers and distribution platforms in the United States.
The cartoonist himself has confirmed that dilbert It will no longer appear in the media in which it was published, due to the controversy. «dilbert It has been canceled from all newspapers, websites, calendars, and books because I gave advice that everyone agreed with,” tweeted Scott Adams in the final hours. Thus, he revealed that his comic strip will be available only through his own website under a subscription modality.
What did Scott Adams say and why did it lead to the cancellation of dilbert? It all started last Wednesday, when the artist made a strong complaint of racial content through a YouTube live. In it, he referred to a recent Rasmussen Reports poll of black people on whether they agreed with the phrase “It’s okay to be white,” which has been adopted as a slogan by white supremacist groups. 53% of the participants answered yes, while 26% said no, and the remaining 21% indicated they were not sure about it.
Speaking about the results of the consultation on his YouTube channel, Scott Adams was upset that almost half of the respondents did not respond favorably to the slogan. to the point such that called them a “hate group” and urged whites to “stay away” from them.
“If nearly half of blacks disagree with whites, the poll says, not me, then they’re a hate group. And I want nothing to do with them. And I would say that, seeing how things are going, the best advice I would give white people is to stay away from black people. Wherever you have to go, just walk away, because there is no way to fix this. This can’t be fixed. They just have to escape. […] I think that it no longer makes sense, as a white American, to try to continue helping black citizens. There is no longer a rational impulse. So I will stop being helpful to the blacks of America, because it no longer offers rewards. I did it my whole life, and all I’ve gotten is being called a racist. There’s no point in helping black Americans if you’re white. It’s over. Don’t even think it makes sense to try.”
Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, on his YouTube channel.
Scott Adams: racist comments and the cancellation of dilbert
Scott Adams’ words did not go unnoticed and generated a tremendous stir in the United States. It is worth clarifying that, beyond the fragment that we quoted above, the creator of dilbert continued to rant against the black population and his alleged hatred against whites. “I’m really sick of watching video after video of black Americans beating up other non-black citizens. I know it’s anecdotal and doesn’t give me the full picture of what’s going on. But every fucking day I go on social media, I see some black person beating a white person to a pulp. I’m already tired », she said.
The reaction against the statements of Scott Adams did not wait. Andrews McMeel Syndication, the firm in charge of syndicating dilbert announced that I would cut all ties with the artist. The same thing happened with hundreds of newspapers that regularly published the comic stripincluding heavyweights like The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.
In recent hours, Scott Adams has been very active on Twitter defending his position and denying being racist. “So far, no disagreement with my (trademark) Racist Complaint from any black or white person who has seen it in context,” he posted on a tweet. AND added: “We’re in the phase where people are hallucinating that they disagree with me, but they can’t name the disagreement. Sometimes where there’s smoke, it’s just steam coming out of a dryer vent.”
In an interview with Hotep Jesusthe author of dilbert I speak of “pay the price” for freedom of expression. Regarding the reason for his complaint, Scott Adams said the following:
“I wouldn’t do it just for the laughs. I wouldn’t do it just to smack. And he certainly wouldn’t do it for financial reasons. I don’t know if you heard it, but the comic strip of dilbert has been canceled across the country […] and I believe that the most important newspaper that publishes it has also done so. I’d be surprised to still be in business a couple of days from now. So now we know why things would not.
I wouldn’t do it for the laughs. He’s not even that funny. He’s funny, but not that much. He wouldn’t do it for money, nor for reputation. So why would you? I discovered that the price for freedom of expression is very high, and that there are only a few people willing to pay it. So I decided to pay for it so I could spread the conversation about something everyone needs to hear. Now I have to say that all day people have been very angry with me, hence the cancellations, but as far as I know no one has disagreed with my point.
For now, Scott Adams stands firm in his position. It is not the first time that the author of dilbert He is embroiled in a controversy over his comments. In 2019, for example, he had been criticized for trying to monetize a shooting at a California festival.
It goes without saying that his new controversy is already polarizing reactions on social networks, especially on Twitter. As for the future of his popular comic strip, everything indicates that will not appear in the mass media again in the immediate future.