US publisher drops Dilbert’s office satire over creator’s ‘racist’ comments | The Art News

Some US media publishers are ditching Dilbert cartoons after creators described black people as members of “racist hate groups”.

Several media officials denounced creator Scott Adams’ comments as racist, hateful and discriminatory.

Dilbert is a long comic that pokes fun at office culture.

In an episode of his YouTube show “Real Coffee” with Scott Adams, Mr. Adams cited a Rasmussen Reports survey that asked people if they Agree with the statement: “It’s okay to be white.”

Most agreed, but Mr Adams noted that 26 percent of black respondents disagreed and others were unsure.

The Anti-Defamation League said the phrase became popular in 2017 as a prank by members of the 4chan discussion board, but has since been used by white supremacists.

Mr Adams, who is white, repeatedly referred to blacks as members of “hate groups” or “racist hate groups” and said he would no longer “help black Americans”.

He urged whites to “stay away from blacks.”

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Dilbert creator Scott Adams poses for a photo with the Dilbert character at his studio in Dublin, California.Photo: Associated Press

Strongly opposed

The San Antonio Express-News, which is owned by Hearst Newspapers, said it would take down the Dilbert strip starting Monday “due to hate and discriminatory public comments by its creators.”

The USA TODAY network said on Twitter that it would also stop publishing Dilbert “due to recent discriminatory comments” by its creator.

Cleveland’s Plain Dealer and other publications in Advance Local also announced they were dropping Dilbert.

“This is a decision based on the principles of this news organization and the communities we serve,” wrote The Plain Dealer editor Chris Quinn.

“We are not a home for those who embrace racism. We certainly don’t want to support them financially.”

Christopher Kelly, vice president of content for NJ Advance Media, wrote that the news organization believes in the “free and fair exchange of ideas,” but said “a line must be drawn when those ideas turn into hate speech.”

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