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I’m easy to reach.

Phone: 831-566-3046

Email: clay@sidewalkbubblegum.com

Discussion (15)¬

  1. E says:

    Greetings,
    I just came across your website and thought maybe you can help me. I saw somewhere a cartoon with two characters – the factory boss explaining to his friend how he came to own a factory and be rich. It was around the creation of surplus value and accumulation. At the end he tells his friend not to be too loud as the workers may hear it. Yeah, it is a bit weird to explain it, but it would be great if you could help me with that.
    thanks very much.

    • Clay Butler (The Sidewalk Bubblegum Guy) says:

      I think you are referring to this strip (http://sidewalkbubblegum.com/i-know-you-are-but-what-am-i/). It’s actually two workers discussing surplus value but the worker on the right has internalized the corporate value system. So even though what his friend is saying makes a lot of sense he can only react with “ahhh, Bob’s a communist!” because he lacks the historical and economic understanding to fully comprehend what is being said. Basically it’s a funny little analogy about how working class folks are often their own worst enemies. This really applies to any group really – bankers, investors, democrats, republicans, environmentalists, etc. We tend to internalize the values of the system we inhabit whether it’s in our best interest or not or whether the solutions make sense for the situation. It’s about ideology as a reflex.

  2. Glauber says:

    Hi, Clay,

    Your work is simply the best I have ever seen! You had a good insight when you approached the “issues behind the issues”. That’s what real artists do to make a perennial work.

    We’d like to use some of your strips in our political pamphlets (freely distributed among workers, students, homeless, etc). But we’re from Brazil, and to do that we have to translate them. Tell me if that’s ok.

    Take a look at two of your strips translated into Portuguese using the font you make available in your website.

    http://omarxistaleninista.blogspot.com/

    Thanks

  3. Clay Butler (The Sidewalk Bubblegum Guy) says:

    Thanks Glauber. Looks really good.

  4. E says:

    thanks so much comrades! There are all great cartoons, but it is not the one I meant. will let you know if I ever come across! Keep up the struggle, in solidarity, E

  5. JediMaster says:

    Clay my man, your work is amazing! I have been neglecting my school work because I am currently addicted to sifting through your profound comics and will spread the word to my revolutionary friends 🙂

    I do have one question that you certainly do not have to answer. What do you consider yourself politically, if you had to put a label on it? Of course it’s easy to discern what your politically views generally, but are you an anarchist? a true Marxist? Trotskyist? or just a concerned citizen?

    • Clay Butler (The Sidewalk Bubblegum Guy) says:

      Here’s the rundown.

      I’m definitely not a Marxist. Although I feel Marx was quite accurate in describing how capitalism works, I think his solutions are anti-human and disastrous when applied. By anti-human I mean his solutions only work on paper because they run contrary to how people actually behave. Also any form of authoritarianism is fraudulent and Marxism requires that as part of his transition to a socialist paradise.

      Believe it or not I believe the reason capitalism, in all it’s forms, has spread so rapidly is that it’s closely aligned to how humans respond to rewards. People need to be able to profit from the fruits of their labor. We need big investors to direct capital to important projects and they require a reasonable return. If you ignore these realities your economic system will collapse. China figured this out pretty quickly as their current boom and subsequent rise in living standards is a direct result of moving towards capitalism.

      But, and it’s a big but, although there’s never been a system that’s more efficient at fostering innovation, encouraging excellence and directing capital and resources to much needed areas, there’s never been a system that’s so efficient at destroying anything its path. This includes the entire planet. Capitalism without restrictions will destroy itself and take us down with it every time. It’s a system that has no built in moral mechanisms so it’s incapable of controlling it’s worst impulses.

      The closest I can describe myself is left libertarian. This philosophy combines the best ideas of libertarianism, which places a premium on freedom and personal responsibility, but with the left’s understanding that freedom itself doesn’t solve every problem and that there is minimum standard of decency that any worthy society should strive for.

      These minimum standards of decency would include, but are not limited to, not allowing anyone to starve (even if they are total screw ups), not allowing people to hunt, consume, and pollute animals to extinction (even if it’s on “their” land), and not allowing people to cut down every tree on the planet even if they did “pay” for the “right” to do so.

      So while I believe all drugs should be decriminalized, exchanging sex for money should be allowed, and people should be able to sell their organs if they choose, I also think that ensuring a level playing field and setting up restrictions on abusive and predatory behavior is legitimate. I don’t think libertarianism, as a philosophical ideal, can realize it’s full potential without these government enforced restrictions.

      I know the Libertarian party feels otherwise but that’s because they are mostly dominated by sociopaths who’s only concern is their right to exploit others. I think anyone who truly values freedom understands that when your freedom to maximize your potential totally crushes another person’s chance to realize theirs, you’ve betrayed the whole concept of freedom.

      • Anh says:

        Thank you for your very insightful response. I will have to think more about what you said because you brought up some good arguments . If only there was room here to have a hearty, good-spirited debate between a revolutionary Marxist like myself and a well-learned left libertarian like yourself 🙂

        Best wishes to you brother!

  6. Pamela says:

    Glad to see your work available. Ran into you at Community TV late 90’s, early 2000’s. I often think of a cartoon of yours…..at least I think it’s yours. It’s ‘let’s hang Bob.’ Bob objects. ‘Ok we’ll vote on it.’ ‘All in favor of hanging Bob, raise your hand.’ ‘All against?’ (Only Bob raises his hand) I didn’t see it in the archives. I’ll look for you on Facebook also. I’d like to post that cartoon!

  7. Birdy says:

    Dear sidewalkbubblegum.com.

    I enjoy reading your cartoons I truly do.

    But you know that thing? Yes, that little image displayed on a tab or next to the address bar?

    That’s called a favicon. Please change it.

    Yes, I know you host your site using Bluehost but that doesn’t mean you can’t change it by replacing the favicon.ico in your public_html folder.

    • Clay Butler (The Sidewalk Bubblegum Guy) says:

      Yes I know. I’ve been building websites for a living for over a decade. I just don’t care. My clients come first and they keep me busy enough. Think of me as the awesome mechanic who drives a junker car or the accountant who always files an extension on their own taxes.

  8. Emyfer Mae says:

    Good day! Your works are great! We’d like to use some of your comic strips in your religious, spirituality archive for our upcoming Church newsletter in the Philippines. We’ll give you proper credit! ^^

    Cheers!

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