Hundreds of US newspapers cancel comic strip ‘Dilbert’ for its author’s racist comments | Culture

Otherwise somewhat unsophisticated readers Comic strip segment The Washington Post As of this Sunday, they’ll be missing two of their most familiar presences: confused office worker Dilbert and his dog. The newspaper has decided to terminate its contract with its creator, cartoonist Scott Adams, after comments broadcast live on YouTube last Wednesday, which Adams said white people in the U.S. black community have become a “hate group.” Better to “get away from them.”

The Washington Post You are not alone in your decision. It was adopted by the hundreds of other newspapers they published Dilbert, from Los Angeles Times Until then Cleveland Plain DealerBesides the newspapers, about 200 of which are still part of the Garnet Communications Group, the publisher America today and small and medium titles across the country. The list includes media such as Cincinnati Inquirer, He Detroit Free PressHe Indianapolis Star, He Austin American Statesman or the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Adams, 65, created the strip in 1989, set in a nondescript office, a dystopian setting for the ideological tribulations of what they call corporate America.

In the video, the cartoonist said: “If almost half of all black people disagree with white people… that makes them a hate group. I want nothing to do with them. And I will say, as things stand now, the best advice I can give white people is to stay away from black people… because there is no viable solution. “It also pains me to see videos of black Americans beating up non-black citizens,” he added.

The cartoonist was obviously aware of the consequences his words could have on him. Reporters Mail The person who handled the news of his sacking asked him on Saturday how many newspapers he was in Dilbert, Adams replied. “By Monday [por mañana], plus or minus zero. In good time, the answer to that question is: “About two thousand titles.”

In another live broadcast on Saturday, Adams predicted that “most” of his income would be “gone within the next week.” “All my life my reputation is destroyed. Can’t recover from this? There’s no going back after that.”

“With Dilbert, Adams soared Nerd From the manual to the complete protagonist type of alienation that defines the room of an enormous office”, explained this Sunday the professor Alvaro Ponce of the University of Valencia, one of the best experts in comics in Spain which was circulated in some local media in the 1990s. “Ten years ago [la serie] office, Dilbert, using the Internet’s growing possibilities of Usenet news as a precursor to social networks, became a benchmark for a growing group of experts in new technologies, beyond the influence of magazines. He and his megalomaniac dog Dogbert filled the staff’s whiteboards with a clever contraption that was quickly churned out and turned into a well-oiled money-making machine. Trade”.

The decision to terminate the creator’s services was made in a Washington newspaper on Saturday, and was justified by a spokesperson for the company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos “in light of recent reports promoting a split.” The order came promptly, which did not prevent the last few copies of Sunday’s print edition from slipping through, until further notice. Dilbert. on the website MailCurmudgeon’s office worker has completely disappeared.

In Los Angeles Method, Adams, who issued a statement revealing that a controversial piece did not meet “standards” four times in the past nine months, said the reaction would not be so sudden: “It will be suspended from Monday. Most editions. But, because [la edición del domingo de la sección] Sunday comics were preprinted, Dilbert It will appear in the newspaper on March 12 for the last time.

This is not the first time the cartoonist has been seen in one of these. last year, San Francisco Chronicle and 76 other newspapers published by Lee Enterprises removed these pieces Dilbert When Adams introduced his first black character, they assumed he was doing it to mock “black culture.” Woke up”.

On his Twitter account, Adams posted a poll on Sunday with the following message: “True or False: The media has reignited racial divides, then canceled me for pointing out the obvious impact of their evil work.”