Dilbert, Scott Adams dropped by syndication partner after racist rant
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“Dilbert” cartoonist Andrews McMeel lost his contract with Universal as a result of Scott Adams’ racist outburst.
In a statement late Sunday night, Andrews McMeel said it was “severing our relationship”. With Addams, the company originally struck in 2011, including “all areas of our business including Addams and the ‘Dilbert’ comic strip.”
“As a media and communications organization, AMU values freedom of speech,” said a statement from Chairman Hugh Andrews and President/CEO Andy Sarian. “But we will never support any comments rooted in discrimination or hatred. Scott Adams’ recent comments regarding race and race relations do not align with our core values as a company.”
Andrews McMeel’s announcement followed dozens of newspapers saying they were suspending publication of “Dilbert” last week because of Adams’ anti-black tirade, including the Washington Post, The LA Times, Boston Globe and Cleveland’s Plain Dealer.
On Monday, Adams tweeted that “my syndication partner has canceled me” and that “‘Dilbert’ has been canceled from all newspapers, websites, calendars and books because I made some suggestions that everyone agreed with.”
On the Feb. 22 episode of his YouTube show, Adams cited a recent survey by the conservative polling company Rasmussen Report that only 53% of blacks surveyed agreed with the statement “It’s OK to be white.” The Anti-Defamation League has identified the phrase as a “hate symbol” that was popularized in late 2017 as a trolling campaign on 4chan.
“Based on the way it’s going now, the best advice I would give white people is to stay away from black people. Just stay away,” Adams said on the YouTube show. “Wherever you have to go, stay away. Because there’s no solution. Fix it No way. So I don’t think it makes sense as a white citizen of America to try to help black citizens anymore. It doesn’t make sense. There’s not a rational impulse anymore. So I’m backing away from being helpful to black America because it seems like Not that it will pay.”
