News

Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams is canceled over racist rant, now says he identified as Black

Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams is canceled over racist rant, now says he identified as Black
Dilbert creator says to be as 'racist as you need to be' …
content.jwplatform.com

Scott Adams appears to have blown up his lucrative cartoon empire, thanks to a racist online rant that saw major newspapers dump his iconic strip.

The 65-year-old has been producing nationally-syndicated Dilbert since 1989, but papers including the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post have stopped publishing his work.

The move comes after he described Black people as a “hate group” and urged white people to “get the hell away from” them.

He made the comments on Wednesday before appearing to double down on them on Saturday, tweeting: “Is it racist to avoid racists who are the same race as each other? Or is it only racist if the racists you are avoiding are white?”

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

On Sunday evening, after newspapers began pulling his work, he posted a bizarre tweet which said: “I've lost three careers to direct racism so far. Crocker Bank, Pacific Bell, and cartooning. All three were perpetrated by White people for their own gain. No Black person has ever discriminated against me. That's partly why I identified as Black for several years.”

TV producer Jonathan Goldman responded with what many were likely thinking, asking: “Did you ever think maybe you’re just an incredibly unlikable person?”

Another said: “At least you understand that you've lost things because of your direct racism. That's a start.”

Always one to pick the incorrect side in an internet culture war, Elon Musk waded in too.

He responded by agreeing and calling the media racist: "For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they’re racist against whites & Asians. Same thing happened with elite colleges & high schools in America. Maybe they can try not being racist."

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Conversation (0)