The creator of the Dilbert comic faced backlash on Saturday when he defended comments that portrayed black people as members of a “hate group” from which white people should “stay away.”
Various media publishers across the US have denounced Dilbert creator Scott Adams’ comments as racist, hateful and discriminatory while saying they will no longer provide a platform for his work.
Andrews McMeel Syndication, which distributes Dilbert, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. But Adams defended herself on social media against those who said “hate me and cancel me.”
Dilbert is a long-running comic that pokes fun at office culture.
The backlash began after last week’s episode of his YouTube show, “Real Coffee with Scott Adams.” Among other topics, Adams referenced a Rasmussen Reports survey that asked whether people agreed with the statement “It’s not becoming white.”
Most agreed, but Adams noted that 26% of Black respondents disagreed and the rest were unsure.
The Anti-Defamation League said the phrase was popularized in 2017 as a trolling campaign by members of the 4chan discussion forum but has since been used by some white supremacists.
Adams, who is white, repeatedly called black people members of “hate groups” or “racist hate groups” and said he would not “help Black Americans.”
“Based on the way things are now, the best advice I would give to white people is to get rid of black people,” Adams said on Wednesday’s show.
In another episode of Saturday’s online show, Adams said he was saying that “everyone should be treated as an individual” without discrimination.
“But you also have to avoid groups that don’t respect you, even if there are people in the group that are good,” Adams said.
The Los Angeles Times noted Adams’ “racist comments” when it announced on Saturday that Dilbert would be discontinued on Monday in most editions and that the last of the Sunday comics – which were printed first – would be March 12.
The San Antonio Express-News, which is part of Hearst Newspapers, said Saturday it would drop the Dilbert comic, effective Monday, “due to public comments of hate and discrimination by its creators.”
USA Today Network tweeted that it would also stop publishing Dilbert “due to recent discriminatory comments from its creators.”
The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and other publications that are part of Advance Local media also announced that they are dropping Dilbert.
“This is a decision based on the principles of this news organization and the communities we serve,” wrote Chris Quinn, editor of The Plain Dealer. “We are not a home for people who support racism. We certainly do not want to give them financial support.
Christopher Kelly, vice president of content for NJ Advance Media, wrote that the news organization believes in “the free and fair exchange of ideas.”
“But when that idea crosses over into hate speech, a line must be drawn,” Kelly wrote.
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