The Silver Business Lining to Dilbert Creator’s “Racist” Remarks

In case you haven’t heard, Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, recently came under fire for making some “racist” comments.

Long story short, he referred to Black Americans as being a “hate group” in response to a certain survey showing nearly half of the Black respondents disagreed that “it’s OK to be white.”

Now, I won’t argue the morality of his comments. The whole conversation seems a lot more complicated than most people make it out to be anyway.

But aside from Adams’ crucifixion at the hands of mainstream media, there’s a valuable business lesson to be had here.

Ironically, it relates to another kind of morality… and one that runs counter to the virtue-crusading mainstream narrative.

Some might see it as “speaking up.”

Others might call it “sticking to your guns.”

Overall, I think it’s an example of one of the most powerful mechanisms of human nature:

Tribalism.

You have to admit, despite all the nauseating cries for inclusivity this and equality…

Nobody is safe from the “us vs. them” mentality

In fact, you might say we prefer exclusivity over being inclusive.

After all, what’s so special about a club if everyone gets to be a member? When was the last time you got excited about an “inclusive” offer made available to everyone else?

Look. Adams may very well have been “racist.” (And let’s be real: who isn’t?)

But he was merely playing the same game that BLM supporters have been playing with Marxist abandon:

Us vs. Them

Here’s where the business lesson kicks in:

A few days after Adams’ remarks made headlines, Twit-in-Chief Elon Musk tweeted in the Dilbert creator’s defense.

Yes, the Wall Street Journal’s favorite billionaire took the time to actually voice his opinion on the matter.

Point being:

The key to making a name for yourself in business (i.e. what the cool kids call “brand awareness”) comes down to what makes you stand out.

And standing out is about highlighting who you are NOT.

And assuming what you believe has some merit — even if it goes against the holier-than-thou grain — someone else will eventually back you up.

It might not be a controversial billionaire. And it doesn’t necessarily mean your beliefs are “right” in a moral (or political) sense.

If anything, you’ll probably get a lot of butthurt backlash.

But it sure beats blindly blending in with the herd.