The Sketchy Megazine: Before we called Sketchy a “Media Action Group”, we were planning on actually making it a physical magazine. Unfortunately, after testing it out, it turns out that most people didn’t bother reading anything I wrote. They just read the comics. So I had to go back to the drawing board, and come up with a slightly altered concept;. 

The Death of Free Speech: The growing popularity of “Political Correctness” had unintended consequences. One could argue that politicians such as Donald Trump grew in popularity as a direct consequence of the right’s over-reaction to being censored. The irony here is that both groups have speech they consider odious. For religious people, it’s blasphemy that concerns them. [1] 

The History of Toleration: You might think that the idea of tolerance is pretty new. Not so much. Ever since the 1500’s, people have been trying to figure out how to live together without killing each other. It’s been a mix bagged in terms of results. [2]

Identity Politics Out of Control: In 2015, it was becoming obvious that “Identity Politics” was becoming a major problem. Although the inspiration for identity politics came from a good place, it has also created strong opposition from other political groups who feel that their “identity” is under threat. These include White Nationalists who use the hypocrisy of identity politics to maintain their power base. As marginalized groups continue to use Identity Politics in an attempt to gain political power, so to do these supremacists.[3]

Sketchy Art Projects: There’s a ton of work being done on new projects, but many are still in development, so it’s too early to show you any concept work. You could, however, get a preview of the Skeptic-Al comic if you were really curious. [4]

Sketchy Patreon: For now, we’re waiting until we have more fans before we re-launch the patreon campaign. Not really interested in making 10 bucks a month, you know? [5]

People Don’t Read: In the podcast I mentioned that the Magazine was a way of getting people to read, albeit in smaller form than a book. Well, it turns out people don’t like reading PERIOD. Although the comics got a great response, you couldn’t pay people to sit down for 10 minutes to actually read a real story. Is there hope on the horizon? [6]

Promises not Kept: We made a lot of promises and plans in late 2014 early 2015, but Sketchy was still developing as an idea. I was still obsessed with making a physical magazine, but already it was becoming clear that the idea wasn’t yet practical. 

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/12/07/the-right-has-its-own-version-of-political-correctness-its-just-as-stifling/?utm_term=.b07c0e991b91
[2] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/toleration/
[3] https://newrepublic.com/article/138230/rise-white-identity-politics
[4] https://www.facebook.com/SkepticAlComic/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
[5] https://www.patreon.com/sketchy
[6]https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/283222/