Jerry Mandel: Cancel culture run amok?

As predictable as the sun rising in the morning, it was no surprise to see the Gazette remove Dilbert from its daily comics. While the newspaper had no choice, and with the distributor soon after pulling the plug, the paper righteously stated it was its desire and duty to do so anyway, as there was no way it could support financially and ideologically someone who would publicly spew such racist vitriol against Black people. Understood. And on the surface, I totally agree with the decision.

However, might this be just another example of the current woke cancel culture that punishes with impunity in an effort to teach a lesson and send a message to those who might have opposing opinions and views? An autonomic knee-jerk reaction? To be honest I’m not really sure, though it’s far better than using a gun. Bigotry and racism are endemic in society, not just here but around the globe. Why? Perhaps it’s a hardwired human character flaw that takes a healthy amount of empathy and self-awareness of our own failings and weaknesses just to see the folly and destructiveness to humankind this behavior imparts. But it also takes an immense amount of inner strength and courage to overcome, especially for those that are fortunate enough to not be living on the fringes of society. And in American culture white privilege is a main reason many are able to avoid living on the fringes.

Yes, we are all in it together and in an ideal world we all get along and see each other as human beings just trying to survive and make the most of our limited time on earth. God bless those who are successful. And God damned those who are not! Personally I know nothing about Scott Adams except for what’s in the current news. However, I am pretty certain his racism was deeply embedded in his persona long before his public expression of it. Oblivious to this, I read (past tense) Dilbert with anticipation every morning. Even going back to previous editions that I may have missed because life got busy. One thing I appreciated most about the strip is that, ironically, it frequently mocked bigotry as it infiltrates corporate culture to the detriment and peril of business. Certainly a worthy message to spread and not to cancel.

Is this Scott Adams trying to atone for his own racist feelings? Or is he using it as cover to hide them from the world? All I can say is he failed big time. Not trying to make excuses for him, but he is human. In any case, I will truly miss Dilbert, though not the man behind it.

Jerry Mandel

Leeds

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