Current:Home > InvestCartoonists say a rebuke of 'Dilbert' creator Scott Adams is long overdue -MoneySpot
Cartoonists say a rebuke of 'Dilbert' creator Scott Adams is long overdue
View
Date:2025-04-18 08:36:08
Cartoonists across the country are applauding editors and publishers for condemning Scott Adams, the creator of the comic strip Dilbert, after his recent tirade against Black Americans.
"I'm proud and happy to see publishers, magazines, and newspapers are dropping him because there should be no tolerance for that kind of language," said Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, a cartoonist for The New Yorker.
"It's a relief to see him held accountable," she added.
Hundreds of newspapers, including The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, announced they will no longer carry Adams' work. On Monday, Adams' distributor, Andrews McMeel Universal, said they are severing ties with the cartoonist because the company does not support "any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate."
The Penguin Random House imprint, Portfolio, also will no longer publish Adams' upcoming book, Reframe Your Brain, which was set to release in September, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The fallout was sparked by a YouTube livestream posted Feb. 22, where Adams referenced a Rasmussen poll that found only a slim majority of Black Americans agreed with the statement "It's okay to be white." Adams went on to accuse Black Americans of being "a hate group" and advised white people to "get the hell away" from them.
But cartoonists say Adams has a long history of spewing problematic views. In the past, Adams has inaccurately described people who are not vaccinated against COVID as the real "winners" of the pandemic. He also questioned the accuracy of the Holocaust death toll. Another of Adams' claims is that he had lost multiple job opportunities for "being white."
"It begs the question, now that everyone is piling on him, what took so long?" said Keith Knight, an illustrator known for his comic strips The Knight Life, (th)ink and The K Chronicles. He is also a co-creator of the Hulu comedy show Woke, which chronicles the life of a Black cartoonist.
Adams says he's been "canceled" but cartoonists disagree
After receiving widespread pushback for his offensive rant, Adams described himself as getting canceled. But cartoonists argue that he is simply being held accountable for his remarks.
"By Adams saying he's been canceled, its him not owning up to his own responsibility for the things he said and the effect they have on other people," said Ward Sutton, who has contributed illustrations to The New York Times, The New Yorker and Rolling Stone.
"He's trying to turn himself into a victim when he himself has been a perpetrator of hate," Sutton added.
He said newspapers are not obligated to run Dilbert, and they have the editorial right to cut ties with Adams if they no longer want him as a voice in their paper.
Similarly, Hector Cantú, best known for his Latino-American comic Baldo, said he believes in freedom of speech, but not freedom from repercussions.
"Don't gloss this over by saying it's politics or it's cancel culture," he said. "If you're going to offend people, you risk paying the price."
Artists look to the future of cartooning for encouragement
In the wake of his controversial video, Adams has stood by what he said and even received support from people who are frustrated by what they call "cancel culture," including billionaire Elon Musk.
Despite Adams' unapologetic stance, Knight hopes that the Dilbert creator's departure from newspapers will be an opportunity for a more diverse group of artists to share their work, adding that the industry can be tough for artists of color to break into.
"I say it all the time: Cats have better representation on the comics page than people of color," Knight said. "Maybe this is an opportunity to diversify the comics page."
veryGood! (8451)
Related
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- 'We started celebrating': 70-year-old woman wins $452,886 from Michigan Lottery Fast Cash game
- Ta’Kiya Young had big plans for her growing family before police killed her in an Ohio parking lot
- Carrasco dismisses criticism of human rights in Saudi Arabia after transfer to Al Shabab
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Presidential centers issue joint statement calling out the fragile state of US democracy
- Paqui removes 2023 'One Chip Challenge' from store shelves, citing teen use
- Australian police allege a man killed a work colleague before shooting himself
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- The Most Shocking Revelations From Danny Masterson's First Rape Trial
Ranking
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- A Wisconsin Supreme Court justice under impeachment threat isn’t the only member to get party money
- Danny Masterson's Lawyer Speaks Out After Actor Is Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison
- Louisiana gubernatorial candidates set to debate crime, economy and other issues 5 weeks from vote
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Accidentally throw away a conversation? Recover deleted messages on your iPhone easily.
- Hairspray's Sarah Francis Jones Goes Into Labor at Beyoncé Concert
- New federal rule may help boost competition for railroad shipments at companies with few options
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Presidential centers issue joint statement calling out the fragile state of US democracy
Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, began its journey across the US in Boston
Watch: Video shows how Danelo Cavalcante escaped prison in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Rail operator pleads guilty in Scottish train crash that killed 3 in 2020
How to watch the U.S. Open amid Disney's dispute with Spectrum
Report: NFL analyst Mina Kimes signs new deal to remain at ESPN