Author Archives: Ampersand

So Much In Common

Robert Wright writes: But then I remembered a conversation I had a few years ago with a psychologist at Boston College named Liane  Young. She and some colleagues had done research on how Palestinians  and Israelis view their conflict and … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, International issues, Palestine & Israel | 32 Comments

Cartoon: Nonbinaries Don’t Care About Your Bullshit

This cartoon is drawn by Nadine Scholtes. People online who hate nonbinary people are strikingly bitter about it, and for no reason I can understand. “What’s wrong with these people?” they growl, and go on and on about how “narcissistic” … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues | 2 Comments

Cartoon: Generations

This cartoon was drawn by the remarkable Nadine Scholtes. I don’t believe in generations. Or at least, I don’t believe in generational personalities. It’s like astrology; it’s fun to make huge sweeping generalizations about big groups of people. More than … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics | 3 Comments

Cartoon: G.O.P. Approved History

Welcome back to artist R. E. Ryan! This is the second cartoon he’s done with me; I certainly hope there’ll be more. In 2019, the New York Times published The 1619 Project, an anthology of essays and other works arguing … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Colonialism, Conservative zaniness, right-wingers, etc., Education, Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc. | 10 Comments

Cartoon: Some Things Straight People Can Stop Saying

This cartoon is by Becky Hawkins and I. Quite a while ago, I did a cartoon like this about Cis people, and someone on Facebook (someone I knew at Oberlin in the late 80s, who is himself gay) commented “PLEASE … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues | 8 Comments

Cartoon: Why We Need Don’t Say Gay Laws

This cartoon was drawn by the wonderful Nadine Scholtes. The unicorns and rainbows were Nadine’s idea, and I love them. From the Associated Press: Top officials at a Florida school district ordered the removal of all books and material containing … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues | 3 Comments

Cartoon: Our Loss, Your Gain

This cartoon is by Becky Hawkins and I. The book Diets Don’t Fail, by Jascha Fishburn, says (in its jacket copy): A diet has never failed anyone; however, many people fail diets, again and again every day. This attitude is … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Fat, fat and more fat | Comments Off on Cartoon: Our Loss, Your Gain

Cartoon: Women Need To Be More Warm And Approachable

I saw this exchange on Twitter. For context, “David” is an anti-feminist with 7,000 followers, and Andrew Tate is a famous misogynist: David’s sentiment is common among incels and anti-feminists (two groups with significant overlap) – if young women would … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, misogyny, Sexism | 4 Comments

Cartoon: The GOP Tax Policy Cycle!

Bobby Kogen, at the Center for American Progress, writes: Long-term projections show that federal debt as a percentage of the U.S. economy is on a path to grow indefinitely… House Republican leaders have used this fact to call for spending … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Conservative zaniness, right-wingers, etc., Economics and the like | 64 Comments

Cartoon: Service Animal Blues

Another collaboration with Nadine Scholtes, who has quickly become a fixture. I asked Nadine if there were any topics that she’d particularly like to do a cartoon about, and she surprised me by saying “something about service dogs. Like people … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Disabled Rights & Issues | 7 Comments