The Scott Adams "racism" kerfuffle

 

There's an awful lot of twaddle being bruited about over Scott Adams' allegedly "racist" comments a few days ago.  His "Dilbert" comic strip has been dropped by hundreds of syndicated outlets, and also by its distributor, and he's basically been pilloried by the entire establishment.  Was this justified?  Did he deserve it?

For a start, let's cut to the chase.  Here's what Mr. Adams had to say, directly from his podcast.  Watch and listen for yourselves, and make up your own mind.  The video is cued to the relevant portion of the podcast, from about 13m. 21 sec. to 20m. 51sec.

That's painful to watch, in the sense that honesty is painful.  Mr. Adams has, as he says, for years tried to help black people as a group, and has committed much time and resources to that;  but he now believes that's been wasted effort, because a very large proportion of that group appears to regard him, as a white person, as being "not OK" (for various values of that term).

I personally share his pain, not because I'm in any sense a racist - I think my track record shows quite definitively that I'm nothing of the sort - but because I had to undergo a similar awakening in South Africa after apartheid ended.  I was always opposed to apartheid, and rightly so, IMHO.  It was one of the most evil systems of government of the 20th century, akin in many ways to Nazism in Germany (in fact, some of the architects and primary implementers of apartheid were imprisoned during World War II for their support for Adolf Hitler).  I've written at some length in the past about my activities to help the victims of violence during that period.  I won't repeat that here, but if you've missed them, here are a few articles to give you a perspective on what I did.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  Note the last article in particular.

Remembering Mike

The night Christmas became real

My heroes

Was apartheid South Africa really that bad?

I very humbly gave thanks to God when apartheid was finally consigned to the trashcan of history . . . but I soon found that the "new South Africa" had just as many injustices as the old.  That was driven home to me when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed, and began to hear evidence of the atrocities committed during the apartheid era.  It soon emerged that it was intended to blacken the reputation of the apartheid government, but ignore or "whitewash" (you should pardon the expression) the equally grave injustices, crimes and atrocities of the so-called "liberation movements" (one of which, the African National Congress, forms the government of South Africa today).

I found that out personally.  I offered to give evidence to the Commission concerning one particular atrocity, but made it clear that I wanted to discuss both sides of the incident, not just the role of the apartheid authorities, because there was more than enough blame to go around.  I was warned, very bluntly, that if I tried to give evidence about "liberation movement" atrocities I would be killed.  My testimony would only be acceptable if it ignored their role, and condemned the actions of the police and the authorities.  That's when I realized that the new authorities were just as corrupt, in their own way, as the old.

I continue to believe that apartheid had to go, and so-called "white supremacy" with it.  No race can legitimately claim supremacy over another, and in doing so deny access for the latter to justice, resources, education and all that is needed in a modern society.  That's a living definition of "evil", in the Biblical and every other sense.  However, I also believe that justice must extend in the other direction, too.  Long after - generations after - historical problems such as slavery are over, one can't blame them for the trials and tribulations of one's race today.  Too many black Americans do that - and their own race, their own "system" if you will, has produced that result.  As Arthur Sido points out:

[Black] hatred toward Whites runs deeper and is the product of decades of conditioning. When blacks consume media, what do they hear and see? They hear rap lyrics claiming that The Man, iow White people, are out to get them and keeping them down. In TV shows and movies it is always the same refrain, White people out to get them, reminders of slavery and the “Civil Rights” movement. Movies about contemporary Whites doing them wrong, just looking for an opportunity to lynch the fellas and rape dey women, despite the statistically verifiable fact that White on black rape happens so rarely as to essentially be non-existent.

For younger blacks especially, like those under 45, their entire life has been decades of being marinated in a toxic stew of White hatred and resentment. From the earliest age they have been taught to believe nothing is their fault and every problem they have can and indeed must be laid at the feet of Wypeepo. It has gotten worse as endless “entertainment” has become so ubiquitous via streaming media and social media more broadly. Spend a few minutes on “black twitter” or “we wuz kangz” Facebook and you will be treated to wild conspiracy theories, accusations without a shred of evidence and assertions that don’t stand up to the mildest examination. Young blacks who all seem to have the latest smartphones (and what passes for fashion) despite their supposed oppression are inundated with anti-White messaging from the time they wake until they fall back asleep.

It is not an exaggeration at all to say that contemporary black existence can only be understood when viewed as entirely revolving around their supposed oppression, the presence of “White supremacy” and the resulting hatred they harbor.

There's more at the link.

I saw abundant evidence of this during my service as a prison chaplain in this country.  Time and again I'd run into groups in prison - be they faith groups like the Nation of Islam or the Moorish Science Temple, or prison gangs like the Black Guerrilla Family and allied organizations - for whom anti-white racism was the order of the day in their attitudes and conversation.  They had been propagandized before their entry into prison, and they propagandized each other and other inmates while they were there, and their families and friends who visited them were visibly propagandized as well.  Facts were irrelevant.  They'd made up their minds, and there was no changing them.

Crime figures - cold, hard statistics, not "massaged" to convey any racially-biased propaganda, but the reality of what's happening on our streets - bear out that the black community has a far greater crime problem, proportionally speaking, than any other race group in America.  Do your own reading, and see for yourself.  Here's just one presentation of the problem.

Homicide rates in America by race

The CDC confirms that, following an extended period of general decline, the overall homicide rate -- as well as the homicide rate within each racial group -- has increased from 2014 to 2015. In 2015, the homicide rates were (per 100,000 population):

• 20.9 for blacks (non-Hispanic)
• 4.9 for Hispanics
• 2.6 for whites (non-Hispanic)
• 5.7 for all races

Compared to the national average, the homicide rate was 54% lower for whites, 14% lower for Hispanics, and 267% higher for blacks. Put another way, the homicide rate among African-Americans is nearly quadruple that of the national average.

Again, more at the link.  To make matters worse, the perpetrators of those disproportionate murders are all too often themselves black.  It's no good blaming white people for that.

Therefore, a great deal of what Scott Adams had to say was not racism - in the sense of a deliberate bias against another group, solely on the grounds of its ethnicity - but based on the hard reality of life in these United States.

When almost half of the black community believes, or feels, that it's "not OK to be white", that's an immense problem in and of itself, because it flies in the face of documented, statistically demonstrable reality.  It's based on lies, and is the product of years of indoctrination and "identity politics".  In the light of that reality, was Mr. Adams being racist in deciding to separate himself from that community - or simply practical?  I'll leave you to listen to his comments, and study the reality of life in America today, and make up your own mind.

My choice is somewhat different to his.  I'll continue to speak out against racism in all its forms, and to try to promote national unity and mutual tolerance as far as that's possible (accepting, however, the reality that it's not always possible).  I have black friends and acquaintances, people whom I trust and like, and I'll continue to associate with them.  Nevertheless, I most certainly will continue to be on my guard in places such as inner-city urban ghettoes, because I know full well the dangers of life in those places.  I also know from whence - and from whom - that danger comes.  It's not racist to be on one's guard against that reality.  In fact, my black friends and acquaintances are themselves on guard against it - for good reason.

I continue to believe - as I've said many times in these pages - that one can't judge any other person by the group to which they belong, be that group ethnic, racial, language, religious, or any other criterion.  One assesses a person according to his or her own, individual merits (or the lack thereof), not the group(s) to which they belong.  I don't know any other fair, reasonable way to live.  If you do, please let us know, because I'm sure we'd all like to hear it.

Peter