The racist creator of the popular Dilbert comic claims Don Lemon shares his views on black people, sharing a 2013 clip of the embattled CNN host giving his advice to the black community.
Scott Adams, who is believed to have made more than $70 million from the Dilbert series over the past three decades, has come under fire for a video in which he labeled black people a “hate group” and advised white people to ‘the f**K’ away from people of color to avoid getting in trouble.
The Dilbert strip, about a menial office worker, was promptly pulled from hundreds of newspapers across the country in the aftermath.
But the 65-year-old Adams only doubled down on his remarks, citing former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday to argue that bigotry is acceptable in certain situations.
And on Sunday, he shared the 2013 clip of Don Lemon’s five tips for the black community, tweeting, “CNN canceled on me because I agreed with Don Lemon.”
Dilbert creator Scott Adams (pictured) has tried to defend himself after going on a racist rant on his web series last week
He claimed on Sunday that he was making the same points Don Lemon made in a 2013 clip advising the black community to pick up their pants and stop littering.
He tweeted on Sunday: ‘CNN canceled on me because I agreed with Don Lemon’
In the clip, which has garnered 3.7 million views since it was first posted to Twitter on Feb. 19, Don Lemon advises members of America’s black community to pull up their pants and pick up trash.
“Because black people, if you really want to solve the problem, here are just five things you should consider,” the CNN host said on the 2013 broadcast. “Here’s number five, pull up your pants.”
He explained in the two-minute clip that the trend of wearing baggy jeans with the boxer shorts sticking out originated in the prison system, where guards take prisoners’ belts so they can’t be used as weapons.
“And then it evolved into the role a prisoner would play during man-on-man sex,” says Lemon, who is openly gay. “The one with the really low pants is a submissive – you know what I mean?”
Lemon then advised members of the black community not to use the N-word when talking to each other, and to pick up the trash in their neighborhood.
“Now number three, respect where you live,” he said. “Start small by not dropping litter, litter in your own communities.
“I’ve lived in several predominantly white neighborhoods in my life — I’ve rarely seen people lying around,” Lemon claimed. “I now live in Harlem, it’s a historically black neighborhood. Every day I see adults and children throwing rubbish on the floor while there is a rubbish bin only a few meters away.’
Lemon also advised members of the black community to stay in school, telling his audience, “Do you want to break the vicious cycle of poverty? Stop telling kids they ‘act white’ because they go to school or because they speak good English.’
And his final piece of advice, which he said was the most important, was, “Just because you can have a baby doesn’t mean you should, especially without planning one or getting married first.”
He cited a study that found that more than 72 percent of babies born in the African American community at the time were born to unmarried parents, which he says means “absent fathers.”
“And studies show that the lack of a male role model is a speed train to prison, and the cycle continues.”
Adams, the creator of the popular Dilbert comic, said on his online show Real Coffee with Scott Adams on Wednesday that white people “should get away from black people for God’s sake.”
Adams said Sunday morning that Lemon’s comments were akin to what he was trying to say on his online show Real Coffee with Scott Adams Wednesday.
But in the live-streamed video, posted to his YouTube channel last week, Adams told his viewers, “The best advice I would give white people is to steer clear of black people for God’s sake.”
‘Just go away. Wherever you need to go, just leave.’
He added: “This is unsolvable. This can’t be solved… You just have to escape. So that’s what I did, I went to a neighborhood where I have a very low black population.”
The 65-year-old went on to label black people a “hate group,” citing a poll that showed nearly half of black people don’t get along with white people.
As the video gained popularity over the weekend, Gannett – one of the largest newspaper distributors in the country – confirmed it would drop Dilbert.
“Recent discriminatory comments from creator Scott Adams influenced our decision to stop publishing his comic,” the organization said in a statement to The New York Post on Saturday.
“While we respect and encourage freedom of expression, his views do not align with our editorial or business values as an organization.
“At Gannett, we lead with inclusion and strive to provide a respectful and equitable environment for the diverse communities we serve across the country.”
The Cleveland Plain Dealer later announced that he too cut ties with Adams after his “racist diatribe.”
“This is not a hard decision,” Plain Dealer editor Chris Quinn wrote in his letter from the editor Friday.
Adams said black people are a hate group, citing a recent Rasmussen survey which, he said, shows that nearly half of all black people disagree with the phrase, “It’s okay to be white.”
The Los Angeles Times also announced it would discontinue the strip, along with the San Antonio Express-News and the USA Today Network.
Adams, pictured in 2001, is said to have made more than $70 million over the past three decades from the Dilbert series
The comic follows a character, Dilbert, in a menial office job. It was published in newspapers across the country, many of which have since dropped the strip because of Adams’ comments
He attempted to double down on the weekend’s comments by tweeting to his 867,000 followers on Saturday, “A lot of people are mad at me today, but I haven’t heard anyone disagree yet.
“I make two main points: 1. Treat everyone as an individual (no discrimination).
‘2. Avoid any group that disrespects you. Does anyone think that’s bad advice?’
Later in the day, he posted, “Has anyone checked the price of free speech lately? It’s worse than eggs.’
Adams also tried to defend his racist diatribe by comparing his comments to Mike Pence’s personal policy of never dining alone with a woman other than his wife – a policy that has been criticized by many as a sexist practice.
Dilbert’s creator interpreted the rule as a way for a man to avoid false accusations of sexual misconduct, saying his advice on avoiding black people stemmed from the same fear of allegedly false accusations of racism.
However, he then went further, urging “everyone” in a video on Saturday to embrace racism in the workplace as he tried to justify his comments.
“I’m just saying, as a personal career decision, you absolutely have to be racist when it’s in your favor, and that’s for men, for women, for black or white, Asian or Hispanic,” he said.
Adams tried to explain that his comments were “the opposite of racism, but also racism.”
“Whoever disagrees with the idea that you should stay away from people where chances are, they won’t like you,” he told viewers, claiming again that he would fall victim to false accusations.
He then used his interpretation of Mike Pence’s rule about dining with other women to justify his argument by saying, “The Mike Pence rule would say, You want to get some distance.” Is that racist now? Yes, by definition.
“But it’s racist in the context of personal success, which is perfectly permissible.”
And on the topic of “permissible” racism, Adams urged everyone to take advantage of bigoted practices to reap rewards.
One such practice, Adams argued, was affirmative action, claiming that a black person benefiting from the policy is a “racist career decision” that he would “fully support.”
“When you’re making decisions for your own personal life, you can be as racist as you want,” he said. “That’s not illegal and certainly not unethical.”