Dilbert creator Scott Adams says he will die soon from same cancer as Joe Biden

Re:Dilbert creator Scott Adams says he will die soon from sa... by lsaferite on Monday May 19, 2025 @02:58PM (#44033467)

I find it mildly entertaining to watch someone called out as racist by someone else using the phrase "just call a spade a spade" considering that phrase has been deemed risky due to racists using the word "spade" as a derogatory term.

Just to be clear, I'm making zero value judgement about your assertion, I don't know (or care to know) Adams enough to form an option on his character.

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Re:Dilbert creator Scott Adams says he will die soon from sa... by JohnFen on Monday May 19, 2025 @03:10PM (#44033609)

> by someone else using the phrase "just call a spade a spade"

The phrase is referring to the tool. It is not a reference to the derogatory slang term at all. It dates back to Plutarch's Apophthegmata Laconica, and the earliest version of it that appeared in English was in 1542.

All of that was centuries before "spade" also became used as derogatory slang. The phrase is no more racist than "like white on rice".

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Re:Dilbert creator Scott Adams says he will die soon from sa... by lsaferite on Monday May 19, 2025 @04:45PM (#44034661)

Oh, *I* am fully aware of the provenance of the phrase. I personally find it's push into the "best not used" category to be highly annoying.

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Re:Dilbert creator Scott Adams says he will die soon from sa... by justinator on Monday May 19, 2025 @08:56PM (#44036670)

I'll take your suggestion to heart and look into this term myself and see if I can't learn something new to better work within the present world. I'm more than happy to admit that I could very well have a blind spot for a sensitive term which I do not currently know about. I apologize to anyone if this was used offensively and thank you for bringing this to my attention.

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