A deeper dive into the “push poll” Adams claims his recent racist rant was responding to, and the growing relationship between Elon Musk and Adams, put the scandal over Adams’ comments in a new light.
Excellent summation of Elon Musk's Twitter game plan, Seth. Musk is doing everything he can to facilitate MAGA's attempts to normalize racial segregation and insurrection.
Your description of Musk's intent is a warning worth repeating:
Musk is scheming, you said, "to turn Twtter into a massive megaphone for insurrectionists and white supremacists while simultaneously launching vile, race-based attacks on American media and the Democratic Party."
Excellent summation! For me this paragraph says it all “In other words, while there’s no conspiracy here, there is a cadre of powerful White men who all happen to be looking in the same direction with the same ambitions—and they’re aided and abetted by people like Greene, whose desperate wish is to be a political adjunct to one of them however she can.”
Thanks for this analysis. You address the subject in a calm non sensational way. Adams is a professional entertainer of course through his cartoons; maybe some of the problem here is he is attempting to frame himself as a serious cultural and political commentator but without being willing to do sufficient research? For example thinking that Trump’s border wall is the best way of stopping the Fentanyl trade.He takes a horrific complex issue and applies an almost childlike solution. Did you see the interview with Hotep Jesus (aka Bryan Sharpe)? Adams found a reasonably sympathetic ear even when he said he had identified as black. So in a strange way the interview actually undermined his call to “get the hell away from black people”. Most artists want attention and Adams made reference to the benefits of being provocative. Prejudice and discrimination are serious issues; it is important to break down barriers between different ethnic and cultural groups to build a stronger society. Adams’ provocation was not helpful particularly bearing in mind many people won’t carefully analyze his remarks.
Racist-oriented people - those who assert that races are real, verifiable, & meaningful classifications- need to perform some mental exercises - primarily, "lumping & splitting". "What is White"? "What is Black"? "Why the heck do some think it matters?" Racist thinking tends to avoid trying to figure out what the racist individual really means by parsing the data. How about "White people are made up of these ethnic groups: Northern European, maybe some mid-latitude Europeans, some of them southern Europeans, maybe some of them peoples further east, & . . . ". And maybe, "Black people are composed of lots of those folks endemic to Africa, & some of those people still inhabiting Australia, & . . . dang, help me out here". Where do Middle Eastern people "fit"? What about Asians, SE Asians, Indigenous "Americans"? I see I might have left out "the Jews" (another highly diverse people lumped into a simplistic category - a lumping, rather than a splitting?) Categorizing people by trying to squeeze them into tidy boxes doesn't work. Racists really mean "Black people are them who don't act like us." Which brings us to culture & behavior & language. Anthropologically & historically human beings are not peanut M&Ms & can't be seriated into a spectrum composed of sub-groupings. Genetics is a messy business; the same has been said about evolution. I wonder why. Whenever I hear someone ignorantly say "white people" or "black people" I know they're racist & I'll demand they explain what they mean by those terms. I might be white-Caucasian raised in one of the most WASP-laden communities in the nation (think of the film about anti-Semitism, "Gentleman's Agreement"), but it doesn't mean I only espouse the values attributed to other people with white skin or Caucasian features. How can I like Jazz or Blues if I'm truly "White"? In nature, variability rules.
Thank you, Seth. As you state, the question, and poll responses, are being deliberately misrepresented. The respondents weren't asked about whether being white is OK, but rather whether the phrase is OK. It's akin to asking "Is the number 88 OK?" vs. "Is the slogan/symbology of '88' OK?" Anyone who knows the second usage, and responded that it is not OK would be branded as hating numbers.
I would love to see a poll where white people are asked "Is it okay to be black"? I'll bet about 53% of whites would say yes, about 21% would say I don't know and 26% would say no.
I find it ridiculously difficult to listen to these damn racists trying to make everyone believe they can be neutral about anything having to do with race. And Marjorie apparently in her efforts to secure a divorce from Blue States. Has missed a very important point.
Georgia technically is at least a purple State, it went Blue for the presidential election .
Which unfortunately left little Madge a representative in a Blue State.
As for Adams he’s the worst kind of hateful individual ever.
He finds himself sardonically amused by his own vitriolic racism.
He should be removed from any and all publications; he is despicable.
Excellent article! Particularly withholding of racist thoughts after having harbored for probably a lifetime. I have to admit Reading his comments the first time made my stomach roil, same thing happened reading them a second time. I was a short lived Delbert fan. Then thought it was so ridiculously petty and mean. Scary stuff here.
Dilbert will not be missed! Thanks for analyzing the poll and giving us clarity on the responses. I would have also answered I don’t know if I had been asked the question Is it okay to be white? I would have immediately suspected there was an ulterior motive to the question. Thank you for exposing these hateful racists trying to destroy our country. They must be called out.
Well. I’m kinda tired of the neo-Nazi classification. These people have been around for ever. These days, Russia has ramped it up considerably the past 10 years, and the cynical Republican machine and FoxNews have merged right into their lane.
But. I can say this: as a white man married to a black woman in rural Alabama, nobody cares about this sh*t. Sure whites all watch FoxNews. Yeah there’s minor racism going on. But hell, I lived in Flatlands, Brooklyn for years and it’s the same. Everyone trashes each other and at the end of the day everyone gets along. F^ck Dilbert. The End.
Excellent summation of Elon Musk's Twitter game plan, Seth. Musk is doing everything he can to facilitate MAGA's attempts to normalize racial segregation and insurrection.
Your description of Musk's intent is a warning worth repeating:
Musk is scheming, you said, "to turn Twtter into a massive megaphone for insurrectionists and white supremacists while simultaneously launching vile, race-based attacks on American media and the Democratic Party."
Truth.
Musk is from South Africa, right? Apartheid is no doubt still part of the culture even if not part of the legal system any longer.
Read my mind. And isn't Musk's father a member of a cult that encourages him to repopulate the planet with his own -- white -- progeny?
I have considered that about Musk since his rise on the extremist RW. They project about “globalists” yet it is them who are.
I wonder how many right wingers would agree with the statement “Black lives matter”.
Excellent summation! For me this paragraph says it all “In other words, while there’s no conspiracy here, there is a cadre of powerful White men who all happen to be looking in the same direction with the same ambitions—and they’re aided and abetted by people like Greene, whose desperate wish is to be a political adjunct to one of them however she can.”
Thanks for this analysis. You address the subject in a calm non sensational way. Adams is a professional entertainer of course through his cartoons; maybe some of the problem here is he is attempting to frame himself as a serious cultural and political commentator but without being willing to do sufficient research? For example thinking that Trump’s border wall is the best way of stopping the Fentanyl trade.He takes a horrific complex issue and applies an almost childlike solution. Did you see the interview with Hotep Jesus (aka Bryan Sharpe)? Adams found a reasonably sympathetic ear even when he said he had identified as black. So in a strange way the interview actually undermined his call to “get the hell away from black people”. Most artists want attention and Adams made reference to the benefits of being provocative. Prejudice and discrimination are serious issues; it is important to break down barriers between different ethnic and cultural groups to build a stronger society. Adams’ provocation was not helpful particularly bearing in mind many people won’t carefully analyze his remarks.
Racist-oriented people - those who assert that races are real, verifiable, & meaningful classifications- need to perform some mental exercises - primarily, "lumping & splitting". "What is White"? "What is Black"? "Why the heck do some think it matters?" Racist thinking tends to avoid trying to figure out what the racist individual really means by parsing the data. How about "White people are made up of these ethnic groups: Northern European, maybe some mid-latitude Europeans, some of them southern Europeans, maybe some of them peoples further east, & . . . ". And maybe, "Black people are composed of lots of those folks endemic to Africa, & some of those people still inhabiting Australia, & . . . dang, help me out here". Where do Middle Eastern people "fit"? What about Asians, SE Asians, Indigenous "Americans"? I see I might have left out "the Jews" (another highly diverse people lumped into a simplistic category - a lumping, rather than a splitting?) Categorizing people by trying to squeeze them into tidy boxes doesn't work. Racists really mean "Black people are them who don't act like us." Which brings us to culture & behavior & language. Anthropologically & historically human beings are not peanut M&Ms & can't be seriated into a spectrum composed of sub-groupings. Genetics is a messy business; the same has been said about evolution. I wonder why. Whenever I hear someone ignorantly say "white people" or "black people" I know they're racist & I'll demand they explain what they mean by those terms. I might be white-Caucasian raised in one of the most WASP-laden communities in the nation (think of the film about anti-Semitism, "Gentleman's Agreement"), but it doesn't mean I only espouse the values attributed to other people with white skin or Caucasian features. How can I like Jazz or Blues if I'm truly "White"? In nature, variability rules.
I'd also like to refer the reader to this analysis of the algos used to amplify right-wing extremism & racism on social media. https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1629846761278779395.html
Thank you, Seth. As you state, the question, and poll responses, are being deliberately misrepresented. The respondents weren't asked about whether being white is OK, but rather whether the phrase is OK. It's akin to asking "Is the number 88 OK?" vs. "Is the slogan/symbology of '88' OK?" Anyone who knows the second usage, and responded that it is not OK would be branded as hating numbers.
Very helpful to provide the frightening context to this already frightening story.
I would love to see a poll where white people are asked "Is it okay to be black"? I'll bet about 53% of whites would say yes, about 21% would say I don't know and 26% would say no.
Rasmussen says there were 1,000 respondents to its "survey," and that 13% (130) were Black.
So, it seemed Adams based everything he said about Blacks in America on the responses of 130 people self-identifying as Black.
I find it ridiculously difficult to listen to these damn racists trying to make everyone believe they can be neutral about anything having to do with race. And Marjorie apparently in her efforts to secure a divorce from Blue States. Has missed a very important point.
Georgia technically is at least a purple State, it went Blue for the presidential election .
Which unfortunately left little Madge a representative in a Blue State.
As for Adams he’s the worst kind of hateful individual ever.
He finds himself sardonically amused by his own vitriolic racism.
He should be removed from any and all publications; he is despicable.
Maybe he can get a job on Fox Fraudulent News.
Im sure he identifies
Excellent article! Particularly withholding of racist thoughts after having harbored for probably a lifetime. I have to admit Reading his comments the first time made my stomach roil, same thing happened reading them a second time. I was a short lived Delbert fan. Then thought it was so ridiculously petty and mean. Scary stuff here.
Racism and antisemitism are the worst character flaws a person can have. Let em have their CivWar2 -- they'll be drubbed worse yet
Dilbert will not be missed! Thanks for analyzing the poll and giving us clarity on the responses. I would have also answered I don’t know if I had been asked the question Is it okay to be white? I would have immediately suspected there was an ulterior motive to the question. Thank you for exposing these hateful racists trying to destroy our country. They must be called out.
Well. I’m kinda tired of the neo-Nazi classification. These people have been around for ever. These days, Russia has ramped it up considerably the past 10 years, and the cynical Republican machine and FoxNews have merged right into their lane.
But. I can say this: as a white man married to a black woman in rural Alabama, nobody cares about this sh*t. Sure whites all watch FoxNews. Yeah there’s minor racism going on. But hell, I lived in Flatlands, Brooklyn for years and it’s the same. Everyone trashes each other and at the end of the day everyone gets along. F^ck Dilbert. The End.