Can we talk about Scott Adams/Dilbert?

[Uncle Coaster]

I am one of the people who can separate a person’s personal garbage from the service they provide. I’m not going to punish myself by taking away something I enjoy just because I think that somebody involved with producing it is a bad person.

That said, I don’t think society needs to feel the same way I do and if people are terrible and it causes them their livelihood so be it. That’s part of life.

And if other people feel that they need to take those stands against service providers then I say good for them.

 

[mefordis]

He knew they'd pull his cartoon. In an interview he said free speech comes at a price and nobody is willing to pay the price to say something that needs to be said, so he will do it. Paraphrasing of course. On his twitter page he posted an interview with Hotep Jesus where he said that.

 

[Carol_]

 

[Colleen27]

This has been coming for a long time, and I would be very surprised if he didn't 100% expect the consequences. Sadly, this isn't likely to hurt him any. He's going to lose the revenue from the comic strip but I'm sure the whole headline-grabbing affair is netting him loads of new YouTube followers who are tuning in to watch him cry victimhood for the entirely predictable consequences of his words. And odds are, they're going to drive a lot more traffic, a lot more merch sales, and therefore a lot more money than a comic that peaked decades ago running in the back section of newspapers that few households even subscribe to any more.

 

[Colleen27]

I wish we as a society could manage to separate the person's views from their works. And, where there is bleedthrough, use those works as examples of the sort of expression we consider offensive and wrong.

Maybe eventually we'll grow up enough to do that?

I don't think it is possible to separate the art from the artist when supporting the art is actively making the artist wealthier/more powerful. This gets brought up a lot in discussions of a certain wizard's creator, and I tend to agree with the view that such separation is only possible when the artist is dead.

I also think there's a separate conversation to have about judging art according to the prevailing standards of the time, particularly in regard to things like language, rather than by our own current perspectives. But that's not something that applies here to someone who is still actively creating and actively and deliberately rejecting a more diverse culture.

 

[SirDuff]

Did you post in the wrong thread? Though not suprised about Switzerland - I happened to go into one yesterday and a tall hot chocolate was 8.90 CHF (and the USD is about equal to the CHF).

 

[Carol_]

Did you post in the wrong thread? Though not suprised about Switzerland - I happened to go into one yesterday and a tall hot chocolate was 8.90 CHF (and the USD is about equal to the CHF).

No, I overwrote something I immediately realized was useless and thought this graphic would be of more interest.

 

[Jangles]

View attachment 742696

I wonder whether they use the same coffee beans or blends.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Anyone else detest the term "cancel culture"?

 

[BrianL]

After reasing a bit more about this story, I definitely find Adma's remarks highly problematic. It seems his whole statement is a reaction to some highly questionable assertions anyway - again that "IF this is true, then...." The IF in this case I think is highly suspect, given to confirmation bias, and presents the exact narrative that some people want to hear SO that they can rail back against it. The whole thing isn't even grounded in reality, and it's pretty sad to see Adams making that his hill to die on - though that certianly happens all the time these days!

 

[jrmasm]

Anyone else detest the term "cancel culture"?

It‘s a phrase loved by people upset that there were consequences to their words or actions.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

>>>"By telephone and online, the group surveyed a thousand American adults, with this question: "Do you agree or disagree with this statement, 'It's OK to be white'?"

The report found that 72% of the respondents agreed, including 53% who are Black. Some 26% of Black respondents disagreed, and 21% said they are "not sure."<<<

Scott Adams is a fool.
The bolded part above is absolutely awful, and just as racist

 

[Her Dotness]

For me, it’s simply that a black cloud starts to hang over someone’s body of work when I learn things about them that I find distasteful or morally disagreeable. I’m not looking to “cancel” someone — though I often have no pity for them if that’s what happens as a result of their actions — I just can’t enjoy their whatever-it-is as much as I did before it became associated with their negativity.

Which is fully your right to do. We all do that to one extent or another, I'm sure.

There are actors, graphic artists and authors whose works I find less appealing after learning things about them I find distasteful or offensive. Nevertheless, I think it incumbent upon me not to dismiss altogether creative work that is unobjectionable simply because I consider its creator a despicable person. That's how I regard The Cosby Show. Would I buy that show digitally or on dvd? And if I don't solely because of Cosby, is that fair to the other actors who may still profit from its purchase? There are layers and layers to consider, IMO....

I disagree with the idea that growing up means we bury our heads in the sand and ignore things we find offensive and wrong. IMO, it shows a lot more growth to find your voice, speak your mind, and stand up for what’s right, especially on behalf of others.

I'm not by any means suggesting individuals or societies should ignore what is considered offensive.

What concerns me is that Adams has spewed similarly bigoted ideas for years. This latest outburst is nothing at all new. It's not as though distributors and newspapers just learned this about him. If this was their bridge too far, it was an awfully long time coming.

We are growing up and no longer tolerating hate speech.

I have my doubts, given other similar instances where outrage was fleeting. That seems more characteristic of American society than dealing with overt bigotry consistently.

 

[MillauFr]

It‘s a phrase loved by people upset that there were consequences to their words or actions.

Isn’t a phrase used when you want to cancel the others who are canceling?

 

[georgina]

>>>"By telephone and online, the group surveyed a thousand American adults, with this question: "Do you agree or disagree with this statement, 'It's OK to be white'?"

The report found that 72% of the respondents agreed, including 53% who are Black. Some 26% of Black respondents disagreed, and 21% said they are "not sure."<<<

Scott Adams is a fool.
The bolded part above is absolutely awful, and just as racist

Are you aware of the origin of that phrase? If not, probably should look it up. It was not a random question.

 

[Karin1984]

Anyone else detest the term "cancel culture"?

I am not a fan of the term, and I am not a fan of cancelling those who made a mistake (sometimes in the far past) and have shown they are willing to learn or can shown they have learned already.

Cancelling those unwilling to learn and are just plain wrong... I have less problems with that

 

[jrmasm]

Isn’t a phrase used when you want to cancel the others who are canceling?

Alternate usage

 

[lowlight]

Even ignoring this incident, is Scott Adams an idiot? Yes.
Is Dilbert a good comic strip? Yes.
Does Scott Adams have the right to say what he said? Yes.
Do the newspapers have the right to cancel his contract for what he said? Yes.
Were the results of the poll eye opening and proof that racism isn't one sided? Yes.
Do we need more love and less hate in this world? Definitely yes.

 

[csimon]

>>>"By telephone and online, the group surveyed a thousand American adults, with this question: "Do you agree or disagree with this statement, 'It's OK to be white'?"

The report found that 72% of the respondents agreed, including 53% who are Black. Some 26% of Black respondents disagreed, and 21% said they are "not sure."<<<

Scott Adams is a fool.
The bolded part above is absolutely awful, and just as racist

Well, on the face of it, sure. However, that percentage of black people could actually have realised that the poll was "planted" by white supremacists, as that's a phrase that they have hijacked and use. (Like White Lives Matter, and All Lives Matter). So maybe their answers are reacting against the poll rather than the answer itself. The question was "Do you agree with the statement It's OK to be white? Well, given that it's propaganda from white supremacists, of course they wouldn't agree with it.

Sometimes it's very nuanced and complicated!

 

[mefordis]

Anyone else detest the term "cancel culture"?

I don't like it because nobody truly gets cancelled. Not really. There are examples of political leaders, actors, corporations who have made racist remarks (on video), worn black face, supported unfair policies...they are still thriving with no ramifications.