We are at a strange moment in history:
It is now an act of rebellion to protect one’s government.
Billionaires versus Democracy
Billionaires manipulate media and governments to the point of being anti-democratic. Political candidates who oppose them find themselves facing very-well funded opponents. It is therefore rare that citizens have the opportunity to vote for candidates who prioritise citizens’ needs over billionaires’ interests. This is either not real democracy or it violates the spirit of democracy.
What it means to be a billionaire is to own stock in prosperous (or soon to be prosperous) companies. The stock value is determined by investors. Therefore, investors “elect” billionaires by buying stocks. Fortunately, investors are profit-oriented. Their political preferences are those which increase profits. Investors are inherently apolitical, because those who are not profitable are not investors for long. Investors are potential (albeit fleeting) allies to the countries in which they live.
Profit Management Culture
The only means of fighting politically active billionaires is by depriving them of profits. When investors see that certain business leaders are not good for profits, they find other leaders in which to invest.
This means that democracy must be something other than voting. It means profit management. Anything that is not profit management is no expression of the will of the people. It is, at best, some process in which the will of the people is merely considered.
Citizens must form a culture of selective consumption: boycotting some products and services, while favouring others. Some choices are general and persistent, some targeted and short term. This is the only way to impress investors and discipline billionaires.
From Economic Strife Comes Political Change
The American revolution (1765–1783), before it degenerated into armed conflict, was waged through boycotting and smuggling. The culmination of that economic struggle was the “Boston Tea Party,” which many readers here shall have heard of.
The American Revolution was conceived and operated from America’s taverns and inns. The Green Dragon Tavern, which still exists in Boston today, was known as “the headquarters of the revolution.” Pamphlets and flyers were the principal means of disseminating information. So-called “committees of correspondence” were networks of trusted friends who assured the authenticity of the written material they forwarded from town to town.
Take Social Media in Your Hands
We mean that literally! At a time of unprecedented technology and information exchange, face-to-face communication has ironically become essential. When pro-democracy activists meet in the real world, they may make real-world decisions together. This means participating in trusted local organisations and pamphleting through them. A pamphlet is not a meme in a feed; it is not subject to demotion by an algorithm; it is part of the real world; it is persistent, present, available. A collective decision reached among friends and allies is not click-bait.
Look for groups that are active in your neighborhood or city. If there are none, put up a flyer with your mastodon handle. You might be surprised that there are many people who share ideas with you — or enough.
Some generations are called upon to play a significant role in the history of civilisation. The last crisis we faced was in 1939, and it was disastrous, arguably because it was not addressed sooner. When history calls for sacrifice, the answer is never “no,” but rather, “how much?”
