The racist creator of the popular Dilbert comic strip claims Don Lemon shares his views on black people, sharing a 2013 clip of the embattled CNN host offering his advice to the black community.
Scott Adams, who is believed to have amassed many millions 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 'get the f**k' away from people of color to avoid getting into trouble.
The Dilbert comic strip, about a menial office worker, was promptly pulled from hundreds of newspapers across the country in the aftermath.
But Adams, 65, has only doubled down on his remarks, invoking former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday to claim 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 me for agreeing with Don Lemon.'
Dilbert creator Scott Adams (pictured) has tried to defend himself after going on a racist tirade in his web series last week
He claimed on Sunday that he was making the same points Don Lemon made in a 2013 clip, in which he advised the black community to pick up their pants and stop littering
He tweeted on Sunday: 'CNN canceled me for agreeing with Don Lemon'
In the clip, which has been viewed 3.7million times since it was first published on Twitter on February 19, Don Lemon advises members of the black community in America to pull up their pants and pick up trash.
'Cause black people, if you really want to fix the problem, here's just five things you should think about doing,' the CNN host said on-air in 2013. 'Here's number five, pull up your pants.'
He explained in the two-minute clip that the trend of wearing baggy jeans with one's boxers sticking out has its roots in the prison system, where guards take away inmates' belts so they cannot be used as a weapon.
'And then it evolved into which role a prisoner would have during male-on-male sex,' said Lemon, who is openly gay. 'The one with the really low pants is a submissive one — you get my point?'
Lemon then went on to advise 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 trash, littering in your own communities.
'I've lived in several predominantly white neighborhoods in my life — I rarely witnessed people littering,' Lemon claimed. 'I live in Harlem now, it's a historically black neighborhood. Every single day I see adults and children dropping trash on the ground when a garbage can is just feet away.'
Lemon also advised members of the black community to stay in school, telling his audience: 'You want to break the cycle of poverty? Stop telling kids they're "acting white" because they go to school or they're speaking proper 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 for one or getting married first.'
He cited a study showing 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 lack of a male role model is an express train right to prison, and the cycle continues.'
Adams, the creator of the popular Dilbert comic strip, said on his online show Real Coffee with Scott Adams Wednesday that white people should 'get the hell away from black people'
Adams said Sunday morning that Lemon's remarks were akin to what he was trying to say on his online show Real Coffee with Scott Adams Wednesday.
But in the livestreamed video, posted to his YouTube channel last week, Adams told his viewers: 'The best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from black 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, I went to a neighborhood where I have a very low black population.'
The 65-year-old then went on to label black people a 'hate group,' citing a poll that found nearly half of black people are not ok with white people.
As the video gained traction over the weekend, Gannett — one of the largest newspaper distributors in the country — confirmed it was dropping Dilbert.
'Recent discriminatory comments by the creator, Scott Adams, have influenced our decision to discontinue publishing his comic,' the organization said in a statement Saturday to The New York Post.
'While we respect and encourage free speech, his views do not align with our editorial or business values as an organization.
'At Gannett, we lead with inclusion and strive to maintain a respectful and equitable environment for the diverse communities we serve nationwide.'
The Cleveland Plain Dealer later announced that it, too, was cutting ties with Adams following his 'racist rant.'
'This is not a difficult decision,' Plain Dealer Editor Chris Quinn wrote Friday in his letter from the editor.
'Adams said Black people are a hate group, citing a recent Rasmussen survey which, he said, shows nearly half of all Black people do not agree with the phrase 'It's okay to be white.'
The Los Angeles Times also announced it would be discontinuing the comic, along with the San Antonio Express-News and the USA Today Network.
Adams, pictured in 2001, is believed to have made more than $70million from the Dilbert series over the past three decades
The comic strip follows a character, Dilbert, in a menial office job. It was published in newspapers around the country, many of which have since dropped the comic due to Adams' remarks
He tried to double down on the remarks over the weekend, tweeting to his 867,000 followers Saturday: 'A lot of people are angry at me today but I haven't yet heard anyone disagree.
'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.'
Adams also tried to defend his racist tirade by likening his comments to the Mike Pence's personal policy, where he said he never dines alone with a woman other than his wife — a policy many criticized as a sexist practice.
The Dilbert creator interpreted the rule as a way for a man to avoid false accusations of sexual misconduct, and said his advice about avoiding black people stemmed from the same fear of supposed false racism allegations.
He then went farther, though, and urged 'everyone' in a video on Saturday to embrace racism in the workplace as he tried to justify his remarks.
'I'm just saying: as a personal, career decision, you should absolutely be racist whenever it's to your advantage, and that's for men, for women, for black or white, Asian or Hispanic,' he said.
Adams tried to explain that his remarks 'was the opposite of racism, but also racism.'
'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, once again claiming that he would be a victim of false allegations.
He then used his interpretation of Mike Pence's rule about dining with other women to justify his argument, saying: 'The Mike Pence rule would say, you wanna get some distance. Now is that racist? Yeah, by definition.
'But it's racist in a personal success context, which is completely allowable.'
And on the topic of 'allowable' racism, Adams urged anyone to take advantage of bigoted practices to reap rewards.
One such practice, Adams argued, was affirmative action, claiming that a black person taking advantage of the policy is a 'racist career decision' that he 'would totally back.'
'If you're making decisions for your own personal life, you can be as racist as you want,' he said. 'That's not illegal and it's definitely not unethical.'
