Boycott culture in US: Newspapers remove Dilbert comic strip after creator Scott Adams’ racist rant
2 min read . Updated: 27 Feb 2023, 07:02 AM IST
PremiumDilbert is a long-running comic strip, which started in April 1989.
Newspapers across the United States have removed the popular "Dilbert" comic strip from their publications over the weekend following the creator's racist remarks. Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind the comic, earlier made comments on his YouTube show "Real Coffee with Scott Adams", suggesting that Black Americans are a "hate group" and that White people should "get the hell away" from them.
Adams' comments were in response to a poll conducted by the conservative firm Rasmussen Reports that showed 53% of Black Americans agreed with the statement "It's OK to be White".
In response to Adams' comments, the USA Today Network, which operates hundreds of newspapers, announced that it would no longer feature the comic strip. Other newspapers, including The Washington Post and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, also said they would not carry the comic strip in the future. Andrews McMeel Syndication, the company that distributes "Dilbert," has not yet commented on the situation.
The newspapers that have decided to remove the comic strip have been transparent with their readers. The editor of The Plain Dealer, Chris Quinn, wrote that they would no longer carry the comic strip because of Adams’s comments, “This is not a difficult decision," he said.
The Washington Post also released a statement saying, "In light of Scott Adams's recent statements promoting segregation, The Washington Post has ceased publication of the Dilbert comic strip."
Gannett, the publisher of the USA Today Network of newspapers, has stated that it aims to "lead with inclusion and strive to maintain a respectful and equitable environment for the diverse communities we serve nationwide."
Meanwhile, Adams has taken to Twitter to defend himself, claiming that he was only "advising people to avoid hate" and suggesting that the cancellation of his cartoon signals that free speech in America is under assault
“I'm accepting criticism from anyone who has seen the full context here. The rest of you are in a fake news bubble but I trust you suspected that," he wrote.
In January 2022, Adams tweeted that was going to self-identify as a Black woman until Joe Biden picked his presidential nominee to the US supreme court. He was speaking on the possibility of a Black Woman as the Supreme Court Justice
“I realize it’s a long shot, but I don’t want to completely take myself out of the conversation for the job," Adams said in that tweet.
(With agency inputs)