A look at the controversy

dilbert Creator Scott Adams has been predicting its cancellation for some time, and it’s finally come. Days after his controversial YouTube rant, both dilbert and Adams lost their distributor because of the author’s racist remarks. The popular comic strip, a staple of publications across the country since 1989, has been removed from major newspapers with immediate effect.

Adams addressed the scandal on Monday’s YouTube show Real coffee with Scott Adams where he claimed the media had taken his chilling comments out of context. Adams said he used “hyperbole” when he called black people a “hate group” – but didn’t retract any of the statements.

Here’s why dilbert essentially gone overnight.

What exactly did Scott Adams say?

On Wednesday, Adams discussed a poll by the conservative group Rasmussen Reports, which asked 1,000 Americans, “Do you agree or disagree with this statement, ‘It’s OK to be white’?” (The Anti-Defamation League characterizes the phrase “It’s OK to be white” as a hate slogan due to its links to white racist websites). NPR. Adams cited the poll to emphasize his belief that racial tensions in America “cannot be fixed.”

“When nearly half of all black people disagree with white people… that’s a hate group,” he explained. “I don’t want anything to do with them. And I’d say, based on how things are right now, the best advice I would give to white people is to stay away from black people… because that’s not going to fix it.”

Adams, who has publicly embraced right-wing ideology in recent years, said he is no longer helping black Americans.

“It turns out almost half of this team doesn’t think I’m okay with being white,” he continued. “I will retire from helping Black America because it doesn’t pay off… I’m being called a racist. That’s the only result. There’s no point helping black Americans when you’re white. It’s over. Don’t even think it’s worth trying.”

The story goes on

Adams encouraged people to “get away.”

Hundreds of papers fell dilbert amidst the fallout

The largest newspaper publisher in the US, Gannett Co., said Friday the USA Today Network would stop publishing Dilbert immediately. The USA Today Network includes United States today and more than 300 local media outlets in 43 states.

“Creator Scott Adams’ recent discriminatory comments influenced our decision to stop publishing his comic,” Gannett said in a statement. “While we respect and encourage freedom of expression, his views are not aligned with our editorial or business values ​​as an organization.”

In the meantime, the editor of the Cleveland Plain dealer said fall dilbert “wasn’t a difficult decision.”

Until Saturday, big papers like that New York TimesThe Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post followed.

“Also for the last nine months The times printed a repeat of the comic four times when the new Daily Strip didn’t meet our needs,” said the Los Angeles Times specified in a post announcing his decision.

Adams’ career suffered a setback elsewhere when Penguin Random House announced it would not publish his book Redesign your braina spokesman for parent company Portfolio told Yahoo Entertainment.

dilbert the distributor cut ties, which Adams accepts

Dilbert is syndicated by Andrews McMeel Universal and the group announced on Sunday that their relationship with Adams has ended. “We are proud to encourage and share many different voices and perspectives. But we will never endorse comments based on discrimination or hate,” the company, which has handled sales and distribution of the comic since 2011, said in a statement.

On Monday, Adams responded to the news that dilbert was canceled.

“Well, just to be clear, the syndication company really didn’t have a choice,” he laughed on his YouTube channel, “because their clients were pissed, the other cartoonists were pissed, their employees were pissed, basically everyone was pissed.” .. So they made a business decision which I don’t consider censorship or anything like that… they are not cowards You can blame the newspapers for being a little nervous but the syndication company had no choice… . .. so don’t make it difficult for them.”

Did Adams apologize?

NO.

So what is he saying now?

Although Adams claimed the full context of his statements was not accurately presented in press articles, he did not back up any of his statements. Adams said he doesn’t conflate race and class. He said the powerful people who deposed him only proved his whole testimony.

“It was a bunch of wealthy white people who don’t live near black people and they decided to fire me because I thought what they were doing was a good strategy. So I agreed with their strategy and they canceled me because no one wants to ask them where they live or why… the real thing people are mad at me about is all agreed,” he said Monday Real coffee with Scott Adams.

Adams said his comments last week were “hyperbolic”.

“That was an exaggeration, so an exaggeration. When I said black people were like a hate group… it wasn’t because I hated someone. In fact, hate wasn’t even part of the conversation, was it?” he exclaimed. “I was worried someone would hate me … Discrimination was the other thing I was trying to avoid.”

Adams said he didn’t “stand up for racism” and simply said people “should try to move away from what in itself appears to be racist.” He went on to share how he lost jobs because he is a white male.

“Do you think I would be canceled if I wasn’t white? I know the answer… there’s not even a small chance,” he squirted, saying his refusal was “purely racist.” Adams claimed he was trying to encourage people not to live near “a population of people who have been primed to think badly of you.”

Adams went on to say that he uses the Rasmussen survey as an “introduction to the subject,” and that even if the numbers presented in the study are incorrect, his “point is the same, but my message would probably be better.”

dilbert may be over, but Adams is welcome on Twitter

Elon Musk appears to be Team Adams, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Musk has defended Adams on the social media app for the past few days, saying the “media is racist.” The Twitter CEO added, “I don’t agree with everything Scott says, but Dilbert is really funny and insightful.”

Adams is actively tweeting as the drama unfolds.

This is hardly Adams’ first encounter with controversy

Last year, dilbert was canceled in nearly 80 markets when Lee Enterprises stopped printing the comic. Although Adams told it FoxNews He believed it was part of “a larger overhaul,” he said some newspapers had raised concerns after receiving complaints about the recent content. Adams ruffled the feathers by introducing a new character named “Dave” who is black but identifies as white.

“All the awakening and everything that’s infused with ESG… so those things found their way into the business world and then became proper content dilbert‘ Adams explained. “The problem is that even though it’s a workplace joke, people see it, it’s more about how they execute it.”

In early 2022, he tweeted, “I will self-identify as a black woman until Biden selects his Supreme Court nominee. I realize it’s a long road, but I don’t want to take myself completely out of the conversation about the work.”

Adams, a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, has made regular appearances on Alex Jones Infowars show. He was slammed survey the death toll of the Holocaust. His comments about women and how men suffer from some degree of social injustice made headlines over a decade ago.

“The reality is that women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally disabled are treated differently. It’s easier for everyone that way. don’t eat sweets for dinner. You don’t hit a mentally challenged man even if he hits you first. And you don’t disagree when a woman tells you she only makes 80 cents on your dollar. It’s the path of least resistance. You save your energy for more important battles”, he wrote in a since-deleted post.