#silent majority

Hey, German-speakers! Through a very weird set of circumstances, I ended up owning the rights to the German audiobook of my bestselling 2022 cryptocurrency heist technothriller Red Team Blues and now I'm selling DRM-free audio and ebooks, along with the paperback (all in German and English) on a Kickstarter that runs until August 11.

In democracies, we're told, politicians exist to reflect and enact the popular will; but the truth is, politicians' primary occupation is thwarting the will of the people, in preference to the will of a small group of wealthy, powerful people.

That's an empirical finding, based on a study of 1,779 policy outcomes, which concluded that:

economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B

The policy preferences of the public would give the leadership of any mainstream party the fantods. Here's a remarkable thread where the economic anthropologist Jason Hickel summarizes recent polling on public preferences:

https://x.com/jasonhickel/status/1953126243118813556

"Capitalism does more harm than good" (56% globally; 69% in France; 74% in India)

https://www.edelman.com/news-awards/2020-edelman-trust-barometer

In 28 of 34 countries, the majority are anti-capitalist:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecaf.12591

A majority of Canadians, Australians and Britons aged 18-34 believe "socialism will improve the economy and well-being of citizens":

https://jacobin.com/2023/03/socialism-right-wing-think-tank-polling-support-anti-capitalism

62% of Americans aged 18-30 "hold favorable views of socialism" (61% of Democrats have a positive view of socialism vs 50% who are positive on capitalism):

https://www.cato.org/blog/81-say-they-cant-afford-pay-higher-taxes-next-year

Majority of youth climate group members blame "a system that puts profit over people and planet" and 89% say that system is capitalism:

https://www.climatevanguard.org/publications-all/mapping-the-global-youth-climate-movement

Majority support a national job guarantee (72% UK, 78% US; 79% France):

https://www.jasonhickel.org/blog/2023/11/24/how-popular-are-post-capitalist-ideas

Majority of Americans support workplace democracy (unions, worker shareholders and board seats):

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/what-do-americans-want-from-private-government-experimental-evidence-demonstrates-that-americans-want-workplace-democracy/D9C1DBB6F95D9EEA35A34ABF016511F4

Majority of Britons support public ownership of services (education, healthcare, rail, water, postal service, parks); 64% of Americans support universal public health care; 64% support public options for internet, child care, and housing;

https://www.jasonhickel.org/blog/2023/11/24/how-popular-are-post-capitalist-ideas

74% of Britons support national, permanent rent-controls; 71% of Bay Staters and 55% of Californians agree:

https://www.jasonhickel.org/blog/2023/11/24/how-popular-are-post-capitalist-ideas

72% of Americans support a living wage; 87% of Britons agree:

https://www.jasonhickel.org/blog/2023/11/24/how-popular-are-post-capitalist-ideas

84% of Europeans support a millionaires' tax; 69% of Americans agree:

https://wid.world/document/international-attitudes-toward-global-policies-for-poverty-reduction-and-climates-change/

Majority of people in 40 countries want 4:1 maximum pay ratios for CEOs and their lowest-paid workers:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691614549773

Force of Freedom

part 3/3: kurapika workshop/ silent majority whodunnit

Did you know General Gloryvand if you did how much of his comic book was accurate recounting of events?

Are you familiar with the super team The Force of July? They were created by a corrupt US politician and they're controversial enough I'm almost hesitant to call them superheroes. Some people think they were willing collaborators with their boss. Others think their ideology left them blind to actual reasons for his actions

US: Glory was the sad result of the US government trying to have a mystery man of their own they could keep under wraps. Me: We recently talked on my blog about something along similar lines with the Creature Commandos US: Something like that, yes. The rift between the US Government establishment and the Squadron was always larger than we let on to the public Me: Hoover specifically went to his grave frustrated on his total inability to dig up dirt on any of you. US: It was an understanding we had as comrades. We all trusted on another to the hilt, even if we never spoke as individuals. If you were Squadron, it made you blood, no questions asked. Me: No wonder they kept Glory under the radar US: Same reason they kept all their other "enhanced assets" under our radar. The moment we would have found out, we would have planted our feet and placed them under Squadron protection. As it was, Glory ended up getting batted around at the whims of the military command structure. Me: His missions were rather less...glorious than his comic books made them seem, from what I've read. US: It was a lot of skulking about on the western front, giving the hotfoot to nazi administration in France or the Low Countries. A lot of snapping necks in the dark. Me: Not exactly banner material US: And then after the war they all but brainwashed him and tossed him to the wolves. By the time he remembered who he was he was so jumbled in the head all he could do was make speeches. Me: He died of a heart attack not long after his reawakening US: Not many of us mystery men had the luck to be born immortal

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Rage is an emotion Kara can't let go. For her, Krypton came to end not that long ago and now, she's been grounded by her baby cousin Kal-El to the small town of Smallville, Kansas. Now, Kara must process her problems and anger, all the while the DEO is still onto her, especially with what she did to one of their own.

My person did Earth 101 Supergirl while @wesker20 @earth-101-unstoppable-supergirl did Unstoppable Supergirl

Art by Eccentric Radiant