The next month of Schlock Mercenary contains some comics that are going to come across, at least to some people, as commentary on current politics.

For the record, they’re not. They MIGHT be general commentary on the nature of individual responsibility, agency, power, and the role of government, but only because for at least part of the story, aspects of each of those affect the characters I write about. The characters have their own opinions, and are at odds with one another and with The System (such as it is), just like real people in this world, only funnier.

Anybody who thinks that I picture Schlockiverse politics as anything other than comically dystopian needs to have a little sit-down with the word “satire” in the dictionary.

That said, I love America, and it truly saddens me to see the malice and hatred in our political scene today. I just don’t get it. It’s like the Two-Minute-Hate in 1984. Both sides are guilty of it. Regardless of who wins the election in November, unless we start Being Nice To Each Other in a hurry, everybody loses. Remember, in the course of your day (today, four years from now, or 40 years from now), NOTHING the sitting President decides will give you an excuse to be mean to your neighbor. NOTHING. If your little patch of America sucks, it’s YOUR FAULT.

7 thoughts on “”

  1. Aaaah. American Politics.
    So much hate, bickering, and propaganda.

    …not that we’re innocent of any of those, but still.
    Then again, if the same patriotic/agressive tactics get tried here, the propagators are seen as being unfit for power, and left in the electoral dumpster. I guess human nature has a lot to do with such things, and it does seem to vary from country to country…

    Heh. It’s probably because we lack enough patriotism to do things properly.
    …okok, I’ll stop rambling now.

  2. A plague on all their houses

    The problem with career politics like career managers is that you end up getting the folks who are the best at wangling themselves the job rather than actually doing it.

    Old WWI Punch cartoon (from memory)“Hulloa! what are you doing these days?”“Got a job in the War Office!” “Really? Hard work?”“Not after you get it”

  3. If your little patch of America sucks, it’s YOUR FAULT.

    No! Bush did it! Because he is Satan.

    But yeah, point taken. If all the Hannitys and Coulters and Moores were to fall off the face of the earth one fine day, I personally would not miss them a bit.

    1. It doesn’t matter whether or not you’d miss politicians. What matters is how you treat your fellows. That, more than any other single thing, will make you happy.

      1. Technically, the folks I mentioned weren’t politicians. They’re… commentators, I guess. (Though I think “bile-spewers” provides a much more accurate definition)

        But nit-picking aside, I do still take your point.

  4. I’m new here and this post is a bit old but I felt it was the most appropriate place to say this. One of the things I’ve always liked about Schlock is that it tells a compelling story without becoming a billboard for a particular set of political beliefs. After watching a MUD I frequented for years become littered with the political commentary and conspiracy theories of the owner I can say that that type of environment sucks the fun out of something even if I might agree with some of the beliefs being ‘promoted.’

    I respect the fact that you’ve managed it for this long and I have confidence you will be able to continue.

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