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Google PlayMultiple newspapers have pulled the Dilbert comic strip in light of its creator’s racist comments.
According to the Associated Press, the controversy began this week after Scott Adams referred to Black Americans as a “hate group” and urged white people to “get the hell away from” Black people. The cartoonist, who launched the Dilbert comic strip in 1989, made the remarks in a recent episode of his eponymous podcast, where he addressed a Rasmussen poll about U.S. race relations.
Adams highlighted a portion of the survey that asked if participants agreed with the following statement: “It’s OK to be white.” The poll found that 26 percent of Black respondents said they didn’t agree with the statement, while 21 percent said they were unsure.
“If nearly half of all Blacks are not OK with white people—according to this poll, not to me—that’s a hate group,” he said during the episode. “That’s a hate group, and I don’t want anything to do with them.” “And I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I can give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people … There is no fixing this. This can’t be fixed. You just have to escape.”
Adams went on to say he has relocated to a neighborhood with a “very low Black population.” He also said “it made no sense, whatsoever—as a white citizen of America—to try to help Black citizens.”
“I’m gonna back off from being helpful to Black America, because it doesn’t seem like it pays off,” he continued. “I’ve been doing it all my life. The only outcome is I get called a racist … It makes no sense to help Black Americans if you’re white.”
Publications like the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The San Antonio Express-News, USA Today, and the Plain Dealer in Cleveland condemned Adams’ comments and announced they were banning the Dilbert comic from their respective papers.
“This is a decision based on the principles of this news organization and the community we serve,” wrote Chris Quinn, editor of The Plain Dealer. “We are not a home for those who espouse racism. We certainly do not want to provide them with financial support.”
