Popular Comic Strip Is Canceled For Creator’s Racist Remarks

“Dilbert” appears to be done.  As Black History Month ended, Scott Adams, the creator of the once extremely popular comic strip, faced a wave of cancellations Saturday.

Adams has created and published “Dilbert” daily since 1989.  It’s a comic strip with satirical humor that makes fun of the office workplace culture.  At one time, over 2,000 newspapers across the world featured “Dilbert” in their comic sections.    

Earlier in the week, Adams hosted an episode of his YouTube show, “Real Coffee with Scott Adams.”  During the episode, Adams broached a variety of race-related topics.  In one segment, he referenced a Rasmussen Reports survey that had asked whether people agreed with the statement “It’s OK to be White.”  This statement has been repeated on right-wing websites and in speeches.  It has caused so much uneasiness that the Anti-Defamation League has gone as far as denouncing it as a hate chant.

The survey found that 72% of the respondents agreed with the statement, including 53% who are Black. Approximately 26% of Black respondents disagreed, and 21% said they are “not sure.” The poll also found that 79% of all the respondents agreed with the statement, “Black people can be racist too.”

On his livestream program, Adams said the survey’s results reveal that the United States’ racial tensions “can't be fixed.”  He elaborated, “Based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people.”

Various media publishers across the U.S. denounced Adams’ comments as “hateful,” “racist,” and “discriminatory.”  Furthermore, they announced that they would no longer provide him with a platform for his work.  The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times USA Today, and the Gannett network, consisting of 300 newspapers, are just a few of the many publications that will no longer carry “Dilbert.”  The editor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Chris Quinn, wrote, “This is a decision based on the principles of this news organization and the community we serve.  We are not a home for those who espouse racism. We certainly do not want to provide them with financial support.”

This is not the first that Adams has found himself in the midst of controversy. He previously claimed he was a victim of racism in Hollywood and corporate America because he voiced his support for former United States President, Donald Trump.  Adams had also once questioned the accuracy of the Holocaust death toll.

Adams has attempted to defend himself after this latest incident.  In the days since he made his original comments, Adams has tweeted he was only “advising people to avoid hate.”  He has also argued that the national backlash to his comments and the cancellation of his cartoon demonstrates that free speech is under assault.  Adams has one prominent supporter in his corner.  Twitter CEO and billionaire Elon Musk sided with Adams and appeared to defend him.  Musk tweeted that the media in the United States is racist against “whites & Asians.”  

“Dilbert” may be a beloved character in American comic history, but Scott Adams has definitely seen better days.