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Elon Musk sides with Dilbert cartoonist after newspapers dropped him for making a racist rant

Feb 27, 2023, 19:05 IST
Business Insider
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, has accused the media of being "racist against whites and Asians."Carina Johansen/Getty Images
  • Elon Musk made the comments in defence of "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams.
  • Adams was dropped by newspapers after making racist claims about Black Americans.
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Billionaire Elon Musk has accused the media of being racist against whites and Asians after Scott Adams, the creator of the "Dilbert" comic strip, was dropped by several newspapers for making racist claims about Black people.

The Washington Post, The LA Times, and USA Today were among the publications to say they would no longer feature Adams' long-running comic strip after he labeled Black Americans a "hate group" and called for racial segregation.

"For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they're racist against whites & Asians," Musk tweeted in response to the move. "Same thing happened with elite colleges & high schools in America. Maybe they can try not being racist."

Musk's tweets came after the Dilbert creator suggested white Americans "get the hell away from Black people" in a YouTube video. The cartoonist was responding to a poll by conservative-organisation Rasmussen Reports that claimed 26% of Black respondents said they disagreed with the statement "It's OK to be white."

In further tweets Sunday, Musk expressed agreement with a Twitter user that sought to blame Adams' views on "identity politics," and said "we were on the right path with colorblindness and need to return to it."

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Since taking over as CEO of Twitter last October, Musk has stirred controversy by criticising policies designed to limit the spread of hate speech and disinformation, styling himself as a free-speech absolutist.

He has lifted bans for several high-profile figures accused of breaching the site's policies, including former President Donald Trump and a slew of right-wing activists and extremists. He has also sought to discredit media organisations.

Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Musk's actions have been applauded by some right-wingers, who have claimed there is a plot by liberals and the media to suppress conservative voices. Claims that anti-racism is part of an "anti-white" agenda have been linked to far right extremism by analysts.

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