Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Uses Gilroy Garlic Festival Tragedy to Promote His Garbage App

Last night, a gunman killed three people and wounded 12 at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California. It’s yet another in a series of horrific mass shootings plaguing our country that seem to happen on a weekly basis. As often happens after a tragedy like this, many people took to social media to express their condolences to the families of the victims and outrage at a government that refuses to do anything to prevent gun violence.

But Dilbert creator Scott Adams didn’t do either of those things. He didn’t offer sympathies or mourn the loss of life, which included a six year old boy. Instead, he chose to use the tragedy as a vehicle to promote his shitty blockchain app Interface:

Many on Twitter were quick to call out Adams’ disgusting attempts to profit off of a tragedy:

Adams quickly doubled down on his tweet, comparing his app to real reputable news sources covering the tragedy. In reality, Interface is a for-profit company where witnesses can create an account and then sell their stories to the highest bidder. It’s not journalism, but it is gross and exploitative! It’s bad enough that Adams saw the shooting as a chance to promote his app, but he also appears to think that the survivors of the attack are ready and willing to cash in on their trauma.

So far, the only “expert” to sign onto his app is a troll whose areas of expertise are “Scott Adams being vile, journalism basics, and blockchain scams.”

This isn’t the first time that Adams has attempted to cash in on death. In 2018, he wrote a blog post about his estranged step-son’s alleged opioid overdose. The post quickly devolves into a sales pitch for his app, with detailed instructions on signing up.

Adams has a history of terrible opinions, both as an outspoken men’s rights activist and misogynist who rails against the “American Matriarchy”. Unsurprisingly, he is also a vocal Trump supporter. But while Adams has long been a hateful troll, this attempt to squeeze profits from a tragedy is a disgusting new low.

(via Gizmodo, image: Fox News)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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