Dilbert creator Scott Adams has defended his racist tirade that saw his comic dropped by newspapers across America by invoking the “Mike Pence Rule” and claiming bigotry is okay in certain situations.
In a follow-up video Saturday to his hateful tirade in which he called black people a “hate group,” Adams tried to explain himself as he advised followers that it’s okay to get rid of “the shit” of people of color so as not to be in to get into trouble.
Adams compared his comments to the former vice president’s personal policy, where he said he never dines alone with anyone other than his wife, which many have criticized as a sexist practice.
Dilbert creator Scott Adams took to YouTube on Saturday to defend his racist tirade as he urged people to embrace bigotry if it means advancing in their careers
Adams compared his argument for staying away from black people to Mike Pence’s (above) personal policy of not dining alone with a woman who is not his wife
However, Adams interpreted the rule as a way for a man to avoid false accusations of sexual misconduct, and said his advice to avoid black people stemmed from the same fear of allegedly false accusations of racism.
However, the embattled cartoonist went further than just defending himself in the new video as he urged “everyone” to embrace racism in the workplace.
“All I’m saying is, as a personal, professional choice, be sure to be racist whenever it’s to your advantage, and that goes for men, for women, for black or white, Asian or Hispanic,” he said.
Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the US, which serves more than 300 newspapers, said it would stop publishing the comic immediately after its creator made comments on his online show, Real Coffee with Scott Adams.
Adams lamented his cancellation on Saturday, trying in a bizarre way to explain that what he had done was “the opposite of racism, but also racism.”
“Anyone who doesn’t agree with the idea that you should stay away from people who have a chance, you won’t like them,” he told viewers, again claiming that he would be the victim of false accusations.
Then Adams addressed Pence and his personal eating practices, which he saw as a way to avoid “getting me-too when you might not be me-tooing anyone.”
Adams said, “Remember the ‘pence rule’? Pence’s rule stated that he would not have lunch or dinner with a woman who is not his wife.
Adams’ comments have caused newspapers across America to shut down the once-beloved Office Life comic, which has been around since 1989
“Well, you think Pence doesn’t like women? Would that be a reasonable conclusion?
“Is that misogynistic? By the way, that is absolutely correct. That’s how I interpret it. It has nothing to do with any single woman. [He’s not saying] “This Jezebel wants to have dinner with me.” He doesn’t say that.
‘He’s just playing the odds. He’s just playing a statistical game,” Adams said.
He used this interpretation to justify his argument, saying, “The Mike Pence Rule would say you want to get some distance. Now is that racist? Yes, by definition.
“But it’s racist in a personal context of success, which is entirely permissible.”
And on the subject of “legal” racism, Adams urged everyone to exploit bigoted practices to reap rewards.
One such practice, Adams argued, was affirmative action, claiming that a black person taking advantage of the policy was a “racist career decision” that he would “fully support.”
“When you make decisions about your own personal life, you can be as racist as you want,” he said. “It’s not illegal and it’s definitely not unethical.”
Scott Adams, pictured at his studio in 2006, is said to have amassed a $70 million fortune for his beloved “Dilbert” comics, which have been around since 1989
Adams, who is believed to have amassed more than $70 million from the Dilbert series, faced backlash when he said on the livestream on Wednesday, “The best advice I would give white people is to move away from blacks.
“Just the fuck go away. Wherever you have to go, just walk away.’
He added: “There’s no fixing it. This cannot be fixed… you just have to escape. So that’s what I did, I went to an area where I have a very small black population.
The 65-year-old continued to label black people a “hate group,” citing a poll that found almost half of black people disagree with white people.
The hour-long YouTube video was posted on Adam’s channel, which has 118,000 subscribers.
As of Saturday, it had 142,000 views.
On Saturday, Gannett confirmed that Dilbert dropped it over the controversy.
“Creator Scott Adams’ recent discriminatory comments have influenced our decision to stop publishing his comic,” the organization said in a statement Saturday to the New York Post.
“While we respect and encourage freedom of expression, his views are not aligned with our editorial or business values as an organization.
‘At Gannett, we lead inclusion and strive to maintain a respectful and equitable environment for the diverse communities we serve across the country.’
Dilbert has been featured in newspapers in 57 countries and in 19 languages - and there are over 20 million printed books and calendars by Dilbert
The Cleveland Plain Dealer also said he cut ties with Adams after his “racist tirade.”
“It’s not a difficult decision,” Plain Dealer editor Chris Quinn wrote in his letter to the editor on Friday.
“Adams said blacks are a hate group, citing a recent Rasmussen poll showing nearly half of all blacks disagree with the phrase ‘it’s okay to be white.’
The Los Angeles Times also announced it would be discontinuing the comic, along with the San Antonio Express-News and the USA Today Network.
The decision comes after Dilbert was canned by 77 newspapers back in September for his increasingly controversial storylines, including one about a black character who identifies as white.
The comic has been around since 1989 and continues to poke fun at office culture.
On Saturday, Gannett, who owns more than 100 newspapers, said it would cancel the series
The series had already been dropped by other publishers because of its increasingly controversial storylines
Newspaper cartoon Dilbert is dropped after creator racially abused Scott Adams
Adams appeared to double down on comments on Twitter over the weekend.
“A lot of people are angry with me today, but I haven’t heard anyone disagree,” he told his 867,000 followers.
“I make two main points: 1. Treat everyone as an individual (no discrimination).
‘2. Avoid any group that doesn’t respect you. Does anyone think that’s bad advice?’
Later in the day he wrote: “Has anyone checked the price of free speech lately? It’s worse than eggs.”
It comes five months after Lee Enterprises also removed the cartoon from its newspapers.
The media company owns 77 newspapers nationwide – including The Buffalo News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Arizona Daily Sun – and has published Adams’ jokes about the corporate ladder for years.
Last year, a storyline saw a black character who identified as white and was asked to also identify as gay in order to improve his company’s environmental, social and governance ratings.
Adams, pictured in 2001, has come under fire for the “racist” remarks he posted with Scott Adams on his Real Coffee YouTube channel
Dave, his recurring character, replies, “Depends on how badly you want me to sell it,” before the boss replies, “Just wear better shirts.”
Another satire featured the same character in charge of the fictional company, wondering how he can open a new factory without making a negative contribution to the environment.
As a solution to avoid being slammed by “woke” commenters, the boss concludes that he will add a non-binary staff member to his board to increase diversity.
Adams’ satirical strips appear in newspapers in 57 countries and in 19 languages - and there are over 20 million printed books and calendars by Dilbert.