Public Assembly: Democracy Needs Movements, Not Campaigns
Hakeem Jefferies recently stated that Democrats have no leverage. As the son of late Brooklyner, I thought he’d have more fight in him… Introduction: The Failure of Traditional Political CampaignsPolitical campaigns have long been the default mechanism for civic engagement, but they are deeply flawed. Campaigns are short-lived, transactional, and often serve only to consolidate […]
For Their Own Good: Why Elites Must Be Curtailed to Prevent Oligarchy and Collapse
Throughout history, unchecked elite power has been a primary driver of societal instability, collapse, and human suffering. Elites, motivated by the desire to protect and expand their wealth and influence, often capture state mechanisms, transforming governance into oligarchy—a system that serves the interests of the few at the expense of the many. Aristotle, in his […]
South Sea of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s Bitcoin Rights Bill: A Modern South Sea Bubble in the Making? In a bold and unprecedented move, Pennsylvania recently passed the Bitcoin Rights Bill, recognizing Bitcoin as legal tender and proposing the creation of a state-managed Bitcoin reserve. Touted as a forward-thinking policy to attract blockchain enterprises and diversify financial assets, the legislation has […]
French Liberals and Collaboration with Vichy and the Nazis
The collaboration of French liberals with the Vichy regime and, indirectly, with Nazi Germany is a complex and controversial aspect of French history. This involvement arose from the interplay of political, ideological, and economic dynamics of the interwar period, culminating in the German occupation of France from 1940 to 1944. While not all liberals actively […]
The Decline of Polity: From Neoliberal Oligarchy to the Edge of Tyranny
Aristotle’s concept of polity — a governance system that balances the collective will of the many with the rule of law for the common good — has been steadily eroded in modern democracies, particularly in the United States. This decline has given way to a neoliberal oligarchy, where political and economic power is concentrated in the hands of […]
The Common Threads of Control: MLMs, Cults, and Fascist Movements
Throughout history, certain organizations, ideologies, and business models have thrived on manipulating individuals to act against their own interests, funneling their time, resources, and loyalty toward causes that primarily benefit a select few. This manipulation — most notably seen in multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes, cults, and fascist movements — relies on deep-seated psychological and social […]
This Should Not Have Been a Close Election
America stands at a critical juncture. By Aristotle’s measure, we are no longer a polity—a balanced state ruled by the collective will of the many for the common good. Instead, we have slid into an oligarchy, where the wealthy few exert outsized control over our laws, culture, and collective future. The recent election, marked by […]
Democracy and the Placebo Effect
The Placebo Effect in Democracy: Perception, Expectation, and Outcomes The placebo effect, commonly associated with medical contexts, is the phenomenon where individuals experience changes—often improvements—simply because they believe an intervention will produce those effects, even when the intervention has no active therapeutic value. In product marketing, the placebo effect refers to the phenomenon where consumers […]
Public Assembly: Transforming Civic Engagement Through Unity and Impact
In our previous posts, we explored the concept of the “coincidence of wants” in traditional civic engagement and how Public Assembly aims to revolutionize this dynamic. Today, let’s delve deeper into how this transformation occurs and the powerful tools at your disposal as a member of Public Assembly. From Isolated Voices to Collective Power In […]
Beyond the Coincidence of Wants: Uniting for Impactful Civic Engagement
In the previous part of this series, we delved into the concept of the “coincidence of wants” in politics and civic engagement—a phenomenon where disconnected individuals express their individual preferences without coordination or collaboration. This fragmented approach often results in a scattered and ineffective response, leaving the collective power of the people largely untapped. But […]