Dilbert "Cancelled": Scott Adams Defense

Dilbert creator's defense as newspapers cancel comic strip

• Adams likened his initial advice to Mike Pence's policy of not having dinner alone with a woman who isn't his wife 

Dilbert creator Scott Adams has defended his argument that saw his comic strip dropped by newspapers across America by invoking the 'Mike Pence Rule'

Adams sought to explain himself when he advised followers that it was ok to avoid getting into trouble. 

Adams likened his comments to the former vice president's personal policy, where he said he never dines alone with a woman other than his wife

Dilbert creator Scott Adams

Adams interpreted the rule as a way for a man to avoid false accusations of sexual misconduct, and said his advice about avoiding certain people stemmed from the same fear of false racism allegations. 

'Who disagrees with the idea that you should stay away from pockets of people where the odds are, they're not going to like you,' he told viewers, claiming that he would be a victim of false allegations. 

Adams brought up Pence and his personal dinner practices, which he saw as a way to avoid 'getting Me-Too'd when maybe you didn't Me-Too anybody.' 

Adams said: 'Do you remember the 'Pence rule?' The Pence Rule was he wouldn't go to lunch or dinner with a woman who is not his wife.' 

newspapers across America have cancelled the beloved office-life comic strip that has been in circulation since 1989

'Now, do you think that Pence does not like women? Would that be a reasonable conclusion? 

'Is that an anti-women thing? By the way, that's totally right. Here's how I interpret it. It has nothing to do with anything to do with any individual woman. [He's not saying] 'This jezebel wants to go to lunch with me.' He's not saying that. 

'He's just playing the odds. He's just playing a statistical game,' Adams said. 

He used that interpretation to justify his argument, saying: 'The Mike Pence rule would say, you wanna get some distance."

Scott Adams, pictured in his studio in 2006, is believed to have amassed a $70 million fortune for his beloved 'Dilbert' comics which have been in circulation since 1989

Adams amassed more than $70 million from the Dilbert series

'The best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from certain people. 

'Just get the f**k away. Wherever you have to go, just get away.'

He added: 'There's no fixing this. This can't be fixed... You just have to escape. So that's what I did

Dilbert has featured in newspapers across 57 countries, and in 19 languages - and there are over 20 million Dilbert books and calendars in print

The comic has been in circulation since 1989 and frequently pokes fun at office culture. 

On Saturday Gannett, which owns over 100 newspapers, said it was dropping the series

The series had already been dropped by other publishers 

'A lot of people are angry at me today but I haven't yet 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 is bad advice?'

Later in the day he posted: 'Has anyone checked the price of free speech lately? It's worse than eggs.'

It comes five months after Lee Enterprises also dropped the cartoon from its newspapers.

Last year one plotline saw a black character, who identifies as white, being asked to also identify as gay to boost his company's environmental, social, and governance ratings. 

Dave, his reoccurring character, replies: 'Depends how hard you want me to sell it,' before the boss responds: 'Just wear better shirts.' 

Another satire showed the same character in charge of the fictional firm wondering how he can open a new factory without contributing negatively to the environment.

As a solution to stop him being bashed by 'woke' commentators, the boss concludes that he'll add a non-binary worker to his board to increase diversity. 

Adams' satirical strips feature in newspapers across 57 countries, and in 19 languages - and there are over 20 million Dilbert books and calendars in print. 

The popular comic strip was canned by 77 newspapers earlier after its creator Scott Adams started incorporating anti-woke plotlines

One of the most recent comics touched upon anti-woke ESG enterprises in corporate workspaces. This comic was posted September 20, 2022

 published on September 7, 2022

ANTI-WOKE COMICS: 'The more woke you are, the more you will get paid,' published September 2, 2022

Adams' hilarious strips feature in newspapers across 57 countries, and in 19 languages - and there are over 20 million Dilbert books and calendars in print