Award-winning cartoon dropped after creator’s racist tirade

‘Dilbert’ had been a regular fixture in newspapers since 1989

‘Dilbert’, the hugely popular comic strip which has taken aim at corporate culture in the United States since 1989, has been dropped by numerous newspapers after its creator, Scott Adams, made a series of controversial statements on his personal YouTube channel.

In a video he published on Wednesday, Adams referred to black Americans as a “hate group” in response to a Rasmussen Reports poll which suggested that close to half of black people surveyed do not agree with the statement, “It’s OK to be white” - a slogan which originated in 2017 as part of an alt-right trolling campaign.

Adams also suggested that white Americans need to “get the hell away from black people.” 

“If nearly half of all blacks are not OK with white people … that’s a hate group,” said Adams. “And I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”

He added: “I’m not saying start a war or anything like that. I’m just saying get away.” 

Read more

The video ignited a storm on social media, with numerous commenters calling for Adams’ popular comic strip to be dropped by some of the United States’ most respected news publications.

“In light of Scott Adams’ recent statements promoting segregation, the Washington Post has ceased publication for the Dilbert comic strip,” the newspaper announced on Saturday. The USA Today Network, which publishes in excess of 300 newspapers, also said it was severing ties with Adams due to his “discriminatory comments.” 

Other newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times, followed suit – with the Times also revealing that it had removed four of Adams’ ‘Dilbert’ cartoons from publications after it was determined that they violated the publisher’s standards.

Adams reacted to the news of his ousting from many US publications in a subsequent video, saying that he expects “most of my income will be gone by next week” and that “my reputation for the rest of my life is destroyed. You can’t come back from this.” 

‘Dilbert’ has been recognized for its impact on popular culture with a series of awards throughout its history, including the prestigious Adamson Award in 1995 which is given to cartoonists who make a sizeable impact in their industry. The comic strip has been published in 65 countries and in 25 different languages throughout its lifespan.