Famed 'Dilbert' comic dropped from major newspapers after creator's racist rant

American comic strip Dilbert has been pulled from numerous United States (US) newspapers after its creator, Scott Adams, went on a racist rant on YouTube.  In his video, Adams called Black Americans a "hate group" and suggested that white Americans “get the hell away from black people," according to a video seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

Adams was responding to a conservative organisation’s poll that allegedly showed that many African Americans do not think it is okay to be white.  “If nearly half of all blacks are not okay with white people... that’s a hate group,” Adams said in his video. “And I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”

He added that he was also "sick of seeing video after video of Black Americans beating up non-Black citizens," in his video. His comments have since caused an uproar on social media with many angered by his comments. His comments and the subsequent outcry have also caused top newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, the USA Today-affiliated group of newspapers and others to drop the comic.

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"The Times has decided to cease publication of “Dilbert.” Cartoonist Scott Adams made racist comments in a YouTube livestream February 22, offensive remarks that The Times rejects," wrote Los Angeles Times in a statement. It added that in the last nine months, The Times has on four occasions printed a rerun of the comic when the new daily strip did not meet its standards. It added that a replacement title will premiere soon. 

"The comics pages should be a place where our readers can engage with societal issues, reflect on the human condition, and enjoy a few laughs. We intend to maintain that tradition in a way that is welcoming to all readers," The Times said.

Chris Quinn, the vice president of content for Plain Dealer publisher Advance Ohio, also denounced the comic in a letter from the editor on the website. "This is a decision based on the principles of this news organisation and the community we serve. We are not a home for those who espouse racism. We certainly do not want to provide them with financial support," he said. He added that 77 other newspapers published by Lee Enterprises dropped the comic as well after Adams introduced his first Black character, apparently to poke fun at “woke” culture and the LGBTQ community.

"We are part of Advance Local, and the leaders in all Advance Local newsrooms independently have made the same decision we did to stop running the strip. That includes newspapers in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alabama, Massachusetts and Oregon," he said. He added that until they decide what to replace Dilbert with, readers will likely see a grey box where it has been appearing. 

Adams has since confirmed on his YouTube page that his comics were being dropped and that he expected this to happen.  “By Monday, I should be mostly cancelled. So, most of my income will be gone by next week,” he said. “My reputation for the rest of my life is destroyed. You can’t come back from this.”

That said, not everyone seems to be against the comics. This week, billionaire Elon Musk accused the media of being racist against whites and Asians for choosing to drop the comic. 

"For a very long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they’re racist against whites and Asians. Same thing happened with elite colleges and high schools in America. Maybe they can try not being racist," he wrote on Twitter following the incident. He concluded his rant in a separate tweet calling the media racist. 

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