Hi, my name is Robert Dickson, and I’m the author of Comic Strip Politics.

As long as I can remember, I’ve read every comic on the funny page, including the soap opera strips, the strips that haven’t been funny since the Reagan administration and even the strips that rarely make any sense at all.

The internet has opened me up to dozens of strips I had never even heard of, and hundreds of people who share my interest in reading comic strips and making fun of them.

Although, there have always been political comic strips, it seems that there are an increasing number of regular “funnies” with political messages. As I mentioned earlier, most political messages (purposely or not) include lies and half-truths, and comics are no different. Usually, comics present one side of a political issue to setup a joke, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. I often find myself laughing at politically-themed comic strips, whether I agree with the strip’s underlying point or not, and that’s what the whole point of the strip is; to make people laugh. But with my ever-present desire to see all sides of an issue, I often find myself wishing that there was some place to actually discuss the issue brought up in the strip, and that’s sort of what this blog is about.

Despite the fact that I enjoy discussing and writing about political ideas, I actually have no specific political affiliation at all. In general, I dislike nearly everything about politics and politicians, mostly because politics seems to have become nothing more than stretching the truth for personal gain and scaring the public. Unfortunately, this trend has expanded far beyond the realm of politics and elections and has come to envelope our whole society, including areas such as science, economics and religion.

I’m no journalist or political pundit. I’m just a guy who enjoys exploring issues from every possible angle, trying to understand where each person is coming from, even if I don’t agree. I feel like I’m pretty good at being objective, but I realize it’s not possible to be completely objective, since our life experiences shape us all differently. Nevertheless, I’ll try my best to not take sides on an issue, but to try to explore it from every angle. I realize this will put me at odds with nearly everyone, and I am prepared for the onslaught of disagreement. I welcome any comments you might have, although I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t write anything to me that you wouldn’t say to me in person or in front of your mother

Often times, comics are funny because they reflect our lives, or those of people we know. Scott Adams has said that he receives emails every day telling him that a recent Dilbert strip was exactly like what happened in their office last year. I’d like to use the comics as a starting point for real objective discussion, and I think it will be a lot of fun.

I have no desire to promote a specific political party or ideology. There are far more “liberal” comic strips than “conservative” comic strips (though both do exist), so it may seem that I’m taking issue with one party’s position more often than another. But stupidity knows no political party, and I feel confident that I can find narrow-minded views everywhere, from Doonesbury to Mallard Fillmore, and I promise I will hold nothing back when discussing any political nonsense no matter what political party (if any) is being praised or condemned.

So that’s that. I look forward to your feedback.

Robert