Satan Can’t Stand Mockery…Neither Can the Left

devil, mockery, leftism, abbeville institute, lew rockwell, snowflake buddies, satire, parody, satismVia Abbeville Institute: “It is said that the one thing Satan cannot stand is mockery. The primal sin is pride, and a swollen ego can handle intellectual assaults; what evil cannot handle is someone making fun of it.

Contemporary Leftism is an evil system, for it prides itself in transcending natural human limitations by force of will. Human nature is denied, and human nature is considered by Leftists to be infinitely malleable. Over time, this ideology pushes Leftism into more and more absurd positions, to the point that the only proper response is mockery.

Lewis Liberman, in his hilarious “children’s book,” Snowflake Buddies, succeeds through an “ABC” exercise for “kids,” cartoons, word games, and other clever illustrations to make contemporary Leftism look as silly as it is.” Read the rest of this excellent Abbeville Institute review of our book at The Devil Hates Mockery. Also check it out at Lew Rockwell!

Laugh at Statists, Leftists & Neocons!

snowflake buddies, leftism, parody, satire, cartoon, graphic novelFeatured on Lew Rockwell.comAbbeville InstituteDissident Mamaand  more – it’s our First Book from Shotwell PublishingLike a comic book or graphic novel, it’s filled with 30 AMAZING full-color illustrated pages of satire and parody. Also includes 12 crazy activity pages and an amazing dystopian short story! And don’t miss our store with all the awesome stuff you WANT in order to make a cool statement to everyone you know. Find our store RIGHT HERE!

Source: Libertopia Cartoon – Satan Can’t Stand Mockery…Neither Can the Left

A Valediction

I started the blog that would become The Great Fiction on February 15, 2012. Almost exactly seven years (and two name changes) later, I’ve decided …
Source: The Great Fiction – A Valediction

Damn straight MAGA’s the new Battle Flag!

“It is un-Christian to wear a MAGA to the March For Life.” That was the social-media pronouncement from a really nice guy I know. What would make a usually mild-mannered Christian post such hostility?

Moreover, this statement came a whole week after the brouhaha surrounding the male students from Covington Catholic High School. A whole week after them being smeared as “racists” by the mainstream media and its dutiful enablers.

A whole week after being berated as “bigots” who were “intentionally smirking” and in need of a good punch. These kids are obviously “would-be school shooters,” which was shown by their either engaging too much or too little. They’re clapping and doing “tomahawk chops!”

No, no, I mean, “Just standing there is harassment!” Ah, screw it. Let’s just stick with “Toxic males parading their loathsome white skin in front of an ‘indigenous’ man is outrageous!” I mean, who could argue with that?

My friend’s post came a whole week after the Covington teens received death threats for “disrespecting a ‘Native American and Vietnam veteran,’” and in front of the Lincoln Memorial no less. So “painful.” The blue-check marks on Twitters assured us that these “privileged” hooligans were chanting “Build the wall,” which all forward-thinking people know would be a “monument for white supremacy.” The horror!

A whole week after fellow Christians, their principal, their hometown mayor, and even a few Catholic bishops pegged them as “shameful,” urging the teens to seek forgiveness for their dastardly transgressions. “Repent for existing, white boys,” says the Bible, Book of Racial Reconciliation, Chapter 6, Verse 66.

And did I mention they were from Kentucky?! Ack, that’s in the South, right? Pffft, figures. That’s where all the Klan dwells in trailer parks and, plotting against our otherwise tolerant and unified rainbow-nation. “Diversity is our strength … minus crackers! Love trumps hate … except when it comes to godly young men!”

Who needs enemies when the archbishop in your own Catholic diocese throws you under the bus – then deletes his soon-to-be-proven mistakes but with no apology? Such justice.

My friend’s virtue-signal came a whole week after the young pro-life attendees were compared to segregationists of the Civil Rights era. “Bunch of modern George Wallaces and Bull Connors!” A whole week after media thugs dug into Convington school history, unearthing such alleged gotchya gems as “Covington kids wore black face!” and “Covington censored a gay valedictorian!”

A whole week after the globalist goons in the media supposedly scavenged every piece of video footage, only to find one snippet of one kid making an off-color comment to a budding feminist. They’re all “little Bret Kavanaughs” and “potential rapists,” they declared. Traditional Christian “misogynists” who are anti-abortion because they seek to oppress women.

A whole week after “professional” media hounds were somehow unable to unearth the truth: that all these dangerous claims were patently false. Instead, news outlets spent a whole week treating with kid gloves confirmed-liar and non-vet Nathan Phillips, who then gave cover to the real instigators and only legitimate racists, the Black Hebrew Israelites.

I don’t use the word “racist” lightly, but if it still has any meaning at all, the pure venom of these Black Hebrew haters fits the authentic definition. (See link at the top for details of events as they really unfolded; it’s a little something called evidence.)

So, not only did these young students do nothing wrong, but they handled themselves with aplomb and deserve a freakin’ medal for exhibiting such restraint during this unimaginably ugly situation. If I was Nicholas Sandmann’s mom, I’d be busting with pride.

And thank God for the tireless reporting of alternative media; honest citizens spreading revealing videos and reliable articles; savvy media consumers who screenshot and share; and internet archivers. Without them, we’d never know the truth, nor would we have had our spotlights as laser-focused on the shysters.

Some “conservatives,” like Scott Adams, rushed to judgment but actually apologized and seemed genuinely remorseful. But others, like Bill Kristol, deleted his posts bashing children and then conveniently stopped having an opinion. And some, like Ben Shapiro, deleted negative tweets, offered no apology, but then began defending the boys only when it seemed politically palatable. Such solidarity.

Calling for violence against children – truly unconscionable. This creep Aslan is actually touted as some kind of “religion expert” and is one of the media’s go-to “faith” guys. No one should be listening to this monster.

When “conservative” publications like National Review run an article on its religion page entitled, “Covington students might as well have spit on the cross,” you know that being a young white boy is indeed NOT the privileged position in our society, and there sure as hell ain’t no “supremacy” going on. Few too are the allies of bold Christians, especially ones who stand their ground against “people of color.”

Despite the facts, though, not everyone threw their support behind the obvious victims. The New York Times described the Covington parents as “swiftly circling” in defending their sons against media lies and others described them as “lawyering up.” In using loaded language, the apparatchiks attempted to turn sympathetic readers against the teens and their understandably protective parents.

Despite the mounting evidence, the loony leftists opted to cling to their MAGA hats as undeniable proof of racism. They demanded that the hat is akin to cross-burning, even though it was the Convington kids who were virtually lynched in our 4G civil war. The MAGA hat was equated as the “new Battle Flag.” Gasp!

You can always count on moral preening from struggling actresses. I doubt even casting-couch sex will get you as many job offers as will bashing your own race. No Hollywood empathy to be had for white Christian boys.

“The MAGA hat speaks to America’s greatness with lies of omission and contortion,” the Washington Post reported with customary hysteria. “To wear a MAGA hat is to wrap oneself in a Confederate flag. The look may be more modern and the fit more precise, but it’s just as woeful and ugly.”

If you think baseball hats are overrated and flags are just sky cloth, you’re missing the point. To lefties and their duped allies, there is nothing as evil and sinister and deadly as alleged “racism.” It even beats actual murder. So maligning symbols and recklessly linking them with bigotry serves a unified end purpose: propagating cultural Marxism.

If you dare to possess such a “banned” item, well, don’t throw yourself on the mercy of the commie kangaroo court. Don’t accept your guilt and plead for racial-sensitivity training, so maybe they’ll give you your life back, shattered as it may be.

Instead, say “Damn straight MAGA’s the new Battle Flag, and we ain’t running away from it. Those are my brothers in arms!” Don’t let ignorant fools dictate what is reality or tell us what we can wear, fly, say, do or not do.

It’s time we all grow a pair, stop wasting our precious time and minimal political capital castigating others we see as more “deplorable,” and unify. As the progressives like to say, “Solidarity breaks chains.” Let’s be free, y’all.

Be sure to check out my addendum, “5 survival tips for non-leftists.”

Source: Dissident Mama – Damn straight MAGA’s the new Battle Flag!

Infographic: Act Violently Against Peaceful People???

statism, infographic, graphic design, communism, socialism, democratic socialism, libertarian, voluntaryismTaxation is Theft? Is Statism helpful? The above infographic was created to help illustrate the difference between Communism, Socialism (and Democratic Socialists), Conservatives, Minarchists and Voluntaryists. Granted, the Voluntaryist category could likely include agorism, ancaps and libertarians – although some libertarians may fall into the minarchist category too. But it depicts how four of the schools of political thought use violence, force or coercion in order to fund police, muh roads (ha ha), healthcare, unemployment, universal healthcare, housing, food and more. Meanwhile, the bottom category utilizes voluntary relationships to acquire desired services. Thoughts? Let us know in the comments section!

What’s Everyone Talking About?

snowflake buddies, leftism, parody, satire, cartoon, graphic novelFeatured on Lew Rockwell.com, Abbeville Institute, Dissident Mama and  more – it’s our First Book from Shotwell PublishingLike a comic book or graphic novel, it’s filled with 30 AMAZING full-color illustrated pages of satire and parody. Also includes 12 crazy activity pages and an amazing dystopian short story! And don’t miss our store with all the awesome stuff you WANT in order to make a cool statement to everyone you know. Find our store RIGHT HERE!

Source: Libertopia Cartoon – Infographic: Act Violently Against Peaceful People???

5 survival tips for non-leftists

If you read my last blog, “Damn straight MAGA’s the new Battle Flag!” you may be asking yourself, “But what can we do? How can we counter progressivism? How can we ‘conservatives’ fight the madness?”

Well, here are 5 suggestions – ideas that I think the “Covington kids” controversy made abundantly clear but need to be fully realized and boldly executed. Hopefully, you will agree.

1. Never trust the mainstream media.

Ever. Not only them, but the knee-perk panderers and spineless “apologizers.” If we can break through the corporate press’ influence on misinformation and those who enable it, we can cut off all these liars at the knees. When will moderates and conservatives learn this lesson?

Be a skeptic and don’t take things on face value just because some “expert” told you so. Dig and do your own homework. Or at the very least, lean on dependable, trustworthy alternative news sources. Being red-pilled can feel pretty lonely some time, but there’s actually a lot of cool dissidents out there. Connect.

I think the fallout from the Covington brouhaha actually proves there’s a growing resistance to the leftist narrative. Everyday folks stood up, called out PC lies, fake news, and true injustice, bravely withstanding the name-calling and shaming.

The ground swell of people speaking out should embolden us, as should the quislings eating crow and hysterics doubling down. Sure, once a lie is spinning around the ether, it’s difficult to reel it back in and stamp it out. But with a unified voice, we can make this happen.

CNN working on their next “news” story.

And don’t get fooled by the fake apologies. See them for what they really are: tricks. Tell the elites trying to convince us that we need to lighten up on the “indignation” to go to hell.

Tell ya what, I’ll “put the phone down and go do something productive” when leftists stop labeling my sons as Hitler incarnate. No one’s buying your “Poor me, I hurt my hand hitting you” crap. Nice try, honey.

2. Make ’em say it.

Anyone pushing propaganda must be confronted, especially someone “reachable.” That’s what I did with my friend who called the MAGA hat “un-Christian.” I began by seeking clarification.

“Are you saying a Trump hat in and of itself is anti-Christian?” I wrote in the comments. “If so, are you questioning the salvation of people who where MAGA hats?”

Interestingly, he responded in a personal message, “I think the hat is anti-‘Love another as I have loved you.’” He also deleted his original post, but we kept the one-on-one going.

Me: “Thanks for responding, but that still avoids my original question. To me, this seems like an opinion, which is fine. I have lots of opinions, too! But are you suggesting that Trump supporters like me are un-Christian? If so, you need to say that, and not tiptoe around the issue. And if that is indeed your position, isn’t that an example of you not loving me as Christ loves you?”

Him: “There are some people who wear the hat who are racist in general and promote negativity through the hat. I am sorry if I offended you and I normally don’t get into politics and I don’t know consider myself a Democratic or a Republican.”

Then he asked for my forgiveness as a fellow Orthodox. I wanted to say “If you don’t know what you’re talking about, dude, you should probably keep your ill-informed opinions to yourself.” But I told him no forgiveness was necessary, I appreciated the dialog, and to reach out to me if he ever wanted to know what the “other” side thought. Perhaps he’s just never met a persuasive deplorable before.

Anyway, the point of my sharing this conversation is that if you hold a person’s feet to the fire by asking questions, not ceding any ground, and staying on the offense, they’ll be forced to call you a racist to your face. But chances are they won’t, and maybe, just maybe you can bridge-build and not bridge-burn.

3. Fight to win.

Progressives don’t want to co-exist. They don’t play fair. They play to win, as should we.

Use as fodder the fact that the hateful, illegal, immoral, and violent antics of cultural Marxists have innumerable negative consequences in our real everyday lives. Understand that conservatives don’t have the “privilege,” but we do have truth. We might not be rewarded on earth, but doing right is pleasing to God.

You wanna play identity politics, comrade? Well, this is it, and we aren’t playing to lose. And now’s the time we non-leftists started standing up for one another, instead of cowering in the shadows, hoping they go unnoticed by the mob.

This young man reminds me so much of my eldest son, who’s only 11. It breaks my heart what he and his family have been through – and for nothing, other than to promote anti-whiteness and godless leftism. Destroying innocent lives means nothing to cultural Marxists. Is this the kind of hateful world we want for our children?

Know full well that the left’s ceaseless activism is a full frontal assault on our sons and daughters, and we should do whatever it takes to protect our families. This is a struggle for survival.

4. Pick a side.

Please stop selling out your brothers in arms. Stop saying it’s “both” sides that need to check their civility, as many smart but too-altruistic conservatives claim, or describing as adversary any right-leaning bedfellow. It will never score you enough political capital to cover your own ass. Guaranteed.

Even the wary must rise up. We either pull together to fight no matter who is targeted, or we lose. This may include backing highly unpopular figures like so-called “neo-Nazis” from Charlottesville, alleged “white supremacists” like Allen Armentrout, supposed “enemies of the state” like Ross Ulbricht, or falsely purported “racists” like Rep. Steve King.

I know the anarcho-tyrants have a stranglehold on dictating what’s acceptable opinion, and what dissenters and even intellectually curious people should be labeled. Pushing back against the power elite may result in a nonconformist getting fired, shunned, censored, or doxxed and destroyed.

Despite the high stakes, though, coalitions must be made. No matter how much you try to distance yourself from less popular “scoundrels,” to cultural Marxists, you are the same as Hitler. No amount of pleading, virtue-signaling, facts, or logic will change their brainwashed minds.

MAGA people, it’s time to ally with Southerners who love their ancestral symbols. You’ve felt the burn of the masses, some who are tricked by bad history and others because they believe in the leftism and globalism, not love of country. We Southern folks get it.

This man is not my brother. He is my enemy. To him, there’s simply no love for “wypipo.” We must unify against evil, even when it’s a “bishop” pushing it. In fact, that’s when Christians should be the loudest.

Conservative Christians, it’s time to unapologetically stand with the MAGA guys who seek to protect their homes and families, just as my Confederate ancestors did and we unReconstructed are still doing. We all value tradition and detest the false religion of progressivism.

The left hates what we each hold dearest, and thrives on dividing and conquering us in order to burn the whole damn thing down. This singular goal is what they feel gives them value and purpose.

We share in wanting the cultural Marxists out of our lives and out of our wallets. Our commonalities make us equally targets of the aggrieved-minority industry. And if you haven’t felt the sting of the mob yet, just wait. Your time will come. One day you will be the oppressed yet called “oppressor.”

Since we’re all in the progressive cross hairs, why not join together into one huge, unstoppable pain in the ass? Let’s hold our ground, like brave young Nicholas Sandmann did, and have each other’s back when we do. Don’t fear identity politics. Embrace it.

Plus, we better get used to coalition-building with other “hate” groups before Kamala Harris becomes president. If that tragic event befalls, it will make these chaotic times seem tame in comparison. Power in numbers, y’all.

5. Pray.

I’m not sure if any of my suggestions will be enough to make the country “great again,” especially since Trump caved to Pelosi and obviously isn’t willing to build the wall. It may be too late for this thing called ‘Murica. But with God and the power of prayer, anything is possible.

Source: Dissident Mama – 5 survival tips for non-leftists

Episode 113 – Collateral (1:05:31)

We are joined by Mike C. to discuss the Michael Mann, Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx vehicle, Collateral.

This is a tense thriller centered on a cabby with bigger dreams who is holding himself back while waiting for perfection, meanwhile, his opposite who improvises with ruthless efficiency in his job as a hitman brings the cabby to a point of self-actualization under extreme pressure in a bid to save his own life and another.

Vincent (Tom Cruise) is a cool, calculating, contract killer at the top of his game. Max (Jamie Foxx) is a hapless cabbie with big dreams and little to show for it. Now, Max has to transport Vincent on his next job – one night, five stops, five hits, and a getaway. And after this fateful night, neither man will ever be the same again. Tonight everything is changing… Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs a powerhouse cast that also includes Jada Pinkett Smith in this stylish thriller that critics call “A Pure Adrenaline Rush” (Access Hollywood).

Never miss an episode. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to get new episodes as they become available.

Continue reading “Episode 113 – Collateral (1:05:31)”

Voluntaryist Origins II – Digital Comic Sent Out!

digital comic sent out voluntaryist origins II

Hello, Voluntaryist fans!

It is with great excitement that I can announce the comic design process has been completed!

So with that, I present to you the Voluntaryist Origins II comic in digital form. The download link should have been sent to your e-mail. If you did not receive it and were supposed to, please contact me right away at mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com. I want to make sure you get it.  ( :

Thank you so much, everyone, for your extraordinary patience and kind support as I know it was frustrating to have to wait longer than expected for our estimated delivery.

Now that the digital process has come to a close, I have ordered the physical copies of the comic and game cards. The turnaround time for that depends on how fast Ka-Blam can get the comics to me, which is usually contingent on convention traffic. Fortunately, this isn’t convention season, so I expect a little faster processing time, though they gave me a “by-or-before March 1st.”

Once I do get the printed comics, I will update everyone and ask that anyone who has changed addresses to let me know of your new address so I can be sure to get your perks to you.

I’m looking forward to personally compiling and signing off on each of your perk packages, and cannot wait for you to show off the cool extras I’m throwing in.

Because this took extra time, I am going to wait to launch my next campaign until I have shipped out these perks. I want everyone to be confident in the work and the successful completion first before asking for your trust again on the next comic issue.

And, you can believe this: I have worked extra hard to ensure that, going forward, there will be even smoother, higher-quality output. You’ll get to see it especially when the next teasers come out for the continuing Origins story campaign.

As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns, I’m here for you and will make myself available to speak with you concerning anything on the comic process and delivery. You can reach me at mr.voluntary(at)gmail(dot)com.

I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I did in bringing it to life.

Looking forward to more comic culture in liberty,

-J ( :

Source: Volcomic – Voluntaryist Origins II – Digital Comic Sent Out!

Libertopia Cartoons on Blast Off! With Johnny Rocket!!!

Blast Off Johnny Rocket, Libertopia Cartoons, podcast, graphic art, graphic design, illustration, libertarian, ancap, voluntaryism, agorismFrom the Launch Pad itself, it’s Libertopia Cartoons on Blast Off! With Johnny Rocket! Wow, both Julie Wilder and I (Lewis Liberman) are super STOKED to share with you this totally AWESOME discussion with one of the titans of libertarian radio! Don’t miss it!

Blast Off Johnny Rocket, Libertopia Cartoons, podcast, graphic art, graphic design, illustration, libertarian, ancap, voluntaryism, agorismJohnny Rocket says, “Frustrated? Annoyed? Tired of establishment elitists not listening to YOU? Our friends from Libertopia, are award-winning illustrators and also a husband and wife power duo! Lewis Liberman and Julie Wilder join us to discuss alternative media, and what the liberty movement needs to do in order to gain a foothold in changing the culture. Lewis and Julie are both graphic designers and have both been hard at work at it for years trying to make a difference! Join us this week for this amazing show about media and the path we must take to make ‘taxation theft again!’” Check it out at the following link:

Blast Off! With Johnny Rocket Episode 30: Media Madness (with Libertopia Cartoons)

snowflake buddies, leftism, parody, satire, cartoon, graphic novel Also don’t miss our First Book from Shotwell PublishingIt’s like a libertarian comic book or graphic novel filled with 30 AMAZING full-color illustrated pages of satire and parody. Also includes 12 crazy activity pages and an amazing dystopian short story as it appeared on Lew Rockwell.com! Also don’t miss our AMAZING store with all the awesome stuff you WANT in order to make a cool statement to everyone you know. Find our store RIGHT HERE!

Source: Libertopia Cartoon – Libertopia Cartoons on Blast Off! With Johnny Rocket!!!

Capitalism is not "A System of Competition"

Capitalism – A System of Competition?
Capitalism has often been described by as “a system of competition” by its adversaries, or a system “based on competition.” Naturally, this assertion is usually coupled with a spirited oration on how this “tooth n’ nail” competition psychologically corrupts us – pitting man against man in a “race to the bottom.”
Many of capitalism’s most vocal advocates have, themselves, imbibed this premise uncritically. They leap to a fervent defences of competition, extolling its virtues – real or perceived. In my view this is a mistake. To accept without evaluation the presupposition that capitalism is a system of competition – in contrast to other hypothetical systems of cooperation (namely socialism and communism) – is to frame the very debate itself in leftist terms and play the game on an unfairly tilted game-board.
Competition is Fierce for Government-Controlled Resources
This is not to say that those who defend competition do not raise some worthy points. For example: If not competition, then what is the alternative? Is there to be one central provider of each good and service available who gets to decide on our behalf how it is best to be produced and then allocated? Add to that, that if competition is wrong in the market, then why not in the political sphere? Surely democracy is out of the question if competition is a corrupting factor, because what do political candidates do if not compete for office? Think of the competition this generates between political parties, not to mention the ensuing competition between firms and individuals for preferential treatment from politicians and legislators, competition between lobbyists, think-tanks, and voters, to receive benefits out of the public purse. If the free and voluntary section of society is a system of competition, how much more so is government? Surely democracy is a “system of competition.” Politicians are competing for the very machinations of control in our society. For the right to pass and enforce laws which apply to everyone (whether they agree with them or not) and to force them to pay for their enforcement. They are not simply competing for market share where the winner of the competition is the one that satisfies the most demand. We can sidestep the more mundane economic arguments in favour of competition for the moment, such as the case that it increases efficiency and cheapens goods while driving innovation, as we are all familiar with them already.
Capitalism is a System of Voluntary Exchange
Nonetheless, parsing what is essentially a sociological debate – a meditation upon the effects of an economic environment upon the soul of man – in socialist terms; basing it upon left-wing premises without examining their foundation is to cede too much ground. A comical equivalent would be for a leftist responding to the clichéd assertion of the American right that “Hitler was a Socialist!” by arguing that many of his labour policies were successful in improving social conditions for the working class.
This is not to say that competition is necessarily an evil either. The problem lies in defining capitalism as “a system of competition” – in comparison to other systems which are somehow “cooperative”; that is a rhetorical ploy. Those who profess it may honestly believe it to be so, but it’s not true. Capitalism is not “a system of competition” any more than any other system. Capitalism (at least in its free-market, laissez faire ideal) is a system of thevoluntary exchange of goods and services in the absence of physical coercion, theft, compulsion or fraud, predicated upon the fundamental right to own and accumulate property.
Or, for brevity: Capitalism is a system of voluntary exchange, predicated upon the right to own property.
One might even venture, therefore, that capitalism is a system of voluntary cooperation.
Granted, this definition still leaves room to debate the morality of accumulating property. Or perhaps whether the “negative” right to ownership when it comes to the rich should take precedence over the “positive” right to healthcare or education at their expense when it comes to the poor. We can even debate whether the relationship between capitalists and their employees are really free of coercion given the power disparity between the two groups. Indeed these are debates I delight in exploring further. However, there is no justification for defining capitalism as a system based upon competition.
Because Scarcity is a Fact of Life, Competition will Exist under Any System
The reason for this is that while the voluntary exchange of goods and services may give rise to a certain amount of competition, competition does not give rise to the voluntary exchange of goods and services. Scarcity does. In any situation of scarcity of resources, there is bound to be some form of competition over those resources (as well as over how those resources are allocated). To exemplify the mistake that is being made here, consider the uncontroversialstatement: “The fact that things exist gives rise to motion.”; Now,if I wereto concludethat because of this, “motion itself gives rise to the material world,” that would be a weird conclusion to reach. Motion is a feature of the material world, not what defines it or gives rise to it. Similarly, competition is a feature found within acapitalist economy, but it is not its defining feature, noris it only a feature of capitalism…
If we have a system that allows voluntary exchange, some competition is bound to arise out of that, but that would happen under any system. Even if you had a completely communistic society, which was centrally planned and involved no exchange of money whatsoever, people’s time would still be limited. If you were a film maker in this society, you would probably want as many people to see your films as possible. As would every other film-maker. Thatwould put you at least somewhat in competition with them. Does this mean that communism, too, is a system of competition? Certainly you would be competing for the only customer – the sponsorship of the state. Corruption and cronyism would surely be the result. Who gets their film made and who doesn’t? Who allocates the highly desirable job of being a film-maker over the undesirable job of being a street-sweeper or refuse collector, and how can their favour be courted? The competition will commence, but instead of being decided by the free and voluntary exchange of film-goers, investors and film-makers it will be decided by someone else, I would argue, in a rather more authoritarian fashion.(For a particularly vivid and chilling illustration of how communism substitutes market competition over customers [which is at least tied to the provision of desirable services]for the completely unmeritocratic competition over gaining favour from the corrupt power structure of the state, I refer the reader to Ayn Rand’s first novel, We The Living.)
Competition is a feature of living in a world of scarcity and would exist in any system. Socialism cannot do away with competition – nor can any other system.Therefore it is wrong, both logicallyand polemically, to define capitalism as “a system of competition” in contrast to socialism;let alone define communism – a system where individuals will have to compete for the favour of authorities who make decisions on their behalf – as a system ofcooperation.
Scarcity Means Competition Extends Beyond the Economy
The implications of these facts reach intoany circumstances of scarcity beyondthe economy. For example, supposingtwo friends each invite me over to dinner of an evening, I might have to make a choice between their invitations which will result in one of them losing out on my company. Does this then mean that friendship is a system of competition?
We can’t see all of our friends all of the time, or even all of them at the same time. Even if we do, we are bound to have to split our attention between them. In addition to that we can only maintain so many close friendships at once, and we definitely can’t be friends with everyone. All of this means that inevitably we have to make choices. We each make decisions on who to make and maintain friendships with based upon our value judgements, conscious or unconscious. Perhaps based on how happy we feel around them, how long we have known one another, how much we have in common, how much we trust someone or how loyal they have shown themselves to be, how much they educate, enrich or enlighten us, or perhaps based upon what roles roles they allow us to fulfil in their lives. There can be countless other reasons. The fact is we decide. People who feel that they will benefit from our company, for whatever reason, will make attempts to spend time with us. We will invariably begin to make choices on who to spend time with based upon our values, schedule, and what other activities we are willing sacrifice to see them. These are basic facts of life, but they hardly make friendship a system of competition.
Similarly, on the market, our time and resources are limited. We make value-based judgements about choices of products and services to consume based upon what utility we think they will bring to us, sacrificing some options to others. Maybe we will choose a coffee shop based on which has the best tasting coffee, or maybe based on which provides the nicest atmosphere, or maybe based on which is closest, or where the customer service is best, or which is the cheapest, or which we have gone to the longest and therefore find familiar, or perhaps even based on which we think has the best ethos – for example, because they are a social enterprise that only sells fair trade produce and deliberately seeks to employ and train disadvantaged people. The fact is we decide. Each service provider believes they will benefit from our custom and will make attempts to attract us, placing an upward pressure on the quality of services and a downward pressure on price which we may correctly identify as a form of competition. Since human beings are not infallible, sometimes someone might buy a coffee that they don’t end up liking, but over the long term the competition is likely to be won by the satisfaction of customers.
Free to Choose
The miraculous wonder we miss when we focus our attention upon the competition which derives from choice is the ability to choose itself. For example, supposing two commercial events are being held on the same evening. Each perspective patron will want to choose whichever event appeals to them the most, and for whatever reasons they choose based upon what they value in an event. Now, to simply mention that these events are “in competition” would be to completely miss the crucial point that event-goers (who are in the majority compared to event-organizers) have a choice of two events which they may prefer to go to one of rather than one alone.
There is no necessity for competition implicit in the market either. If both events are in jeopardy due to a lack of patrons, then their organizers can always put their heads together and create one bigger, better event. Or they can choose distinct themes that are aimed at different audiences, or perhaps they will agree that it would be in their interests if one of them moved their event to a different night, and they could cross-promote one another. This is part of the free choice the market affords, unless the government has passed laws against it, calling it “collusion.”
The defining feature of the market, clearly, is not competition, but choice. The freedom to choose. It is only when event organizers can go to the government to force people to buy tickets, or shut down other events, or get preferential legislation passed to make it easier for them to advertise, or regulate the market so tightly that only established events-managers can survive, that we see competition become the dominant force. Coercion has entered the market which is no longer free. This is not free market capitalism but what we observe in many sectors of our society today – crony capitalism, or “neo-liberalism” as some may call it. (Unfortunately the failings of “neo-liberalism” are endlessly pinned on the market economy itself rather than the state’s nefarious influence in the market.)
It is worth mentioning that there is actually far more cooperation involved in providing people with goods and services than competition. You have to cooperate with buyers, sellers, managers, employees, suppliers, customers, advertisers, promoters, marketers, collective buyers, and so on. Leonard E. Read (1898-1983), founder of the Foundation for Economic Education, illustrated this in his most famous essay, I, Pencil, first published in 1958. In it he noted that not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make a pencil. He goes onto explain that the cedarwood is sourced from Oregon and the logs milled in California. The graphite is mined in Ceylon, mixed with clay from Mississippi, then treated with a hot mixture which includes candelilla wax from Mexico to increase its strength and smoothness. The six coats of lacquer come separately from the growers of castor beans and the refiners of castor oil. In fact, when you include those who manufacture and transport the equipment involved in these processes you cannot help but marvel at the fact that millions of people have a hand in its creation. They are working in concert, in cooperation, and as a result you can get a pencil for pennies.
To the extent that it is free, the self-interest of the producer is subordinated to the hardly antisocial end of meeting the desires of others. A producer wins the competition only by organising a vast degree of cooperation in the service of satisfying the demand of consumers. This means producing things that regular people like you and I value enough to part with their scarce resources for. To the extent the government interferes in the market, firms are enticed to compete over government contracts, subsidies, preferential legislations, and so forth. This is a corrupting factor in the market as companies no longer have to focus on serving consumers but doing whatever it takes to beguile officials. Sometimes that may well be providing the best service, but this becomes far more likely as the end user is no longer the buyer. Instead they may lobby, bribe, or bait with promises of high paying positions for officials after they leave office. In my book Universal Basic Income – For and Against I note that according to The Sunlight Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that aims to make government more accountable and transparent, “For each of the 5.8 billion dollars spent by America’s 200 most politically active corporations between 2007 and 2012 on federal lobbying and campaign contributions they got $741 in return in kickbacks and benefits. This poses a tremendous problem because as soon as it becomes more profitable for a business to lobby the government than serve their customers then lobbying will become their top priority. This is why government is often a corrupting actor in the economy rather than a referee. The mutual benefit of politicians and big business getting in bed together often outweigh those of serving the public. These incentives drive companies to misallocate resources by making products that the general public doesn’t want profitable, and products that they do unprofitable. In other words, the government has become the client of these corporations rather than their customers.” The competition has turned sour.
Those free-market advocates who extol the virtues of competition may point out that every service provider is, in one sense, actually competing with every other product that someone can possibly conceive of buying with their money, and argue that is a good thing as encourages firms to really try their best to create things that will please people in order to earn their cash and do business with them. Still, it cannot be said that capitalism is a system of competition – because competition is not the basis of the system, but choice. The freedom of consumers to choose gives rise to trial and error between competing service-providers attempting to draw a profit by catering broadly to as many consumers as possible or narrowly to meet certain niches depending upon their expertise and predilections. As human desires are infinite, there will likely always be incrementally more beneficial ways of meeting those desires, and thus infinite scope for innovation. What the market allows is for different producers to fill different niches. Buyers are able to compare the relative merits and drawbacks of competing products and vote with their cash on which they feel will better meet their needs according to their own values. Producers themselves are able to observe innovations in the marketplace and attempt to improve upon whichever products or services are already available. Customers will ultimately be the arbitrators of which models are successful and which will be weeded out the market. While there is clearly some competition in this process, overall it is a system of cooperation between buyers and sellers to reach a mutually satisfying voluntary exchange. In comparison to a centrally planned economy (or sector of an economy) where the amount of trial and error is very limited, and the state must roll out a one-size-fits-all solution scarcely tested against other possible solutions – a little competition between service producers might be worthwhile in exchange for a greater degree of autonomy and cooperative communication between service users and service providers which takes the form of supply and demand.
The beauty of the free market, when it is allowed to function, it that it is a constantly self-correcting and self-optimising system. Producers can reflect upon what is available and look for gaps in the market, or improvements upon existing services, and the public will quickly be able to provide signals of what is serving them and what is not by which variations they choose to part with their money for. Over time this leads to a general improvement in the standard of service available to them and decrease in cost which is probably why most of the products we buy are pretty decent. If someone sells a faulty watch then we have somewhere else to go for watches. If we did away with choice in the name of eliminating competition, if there was a design flaw in one watch it would have already been rolled out to every store and it would be too late. What is more if someone could think of any small way to make the watch better, more accurate, more durable, more energy efficient, the new model would probably not hit the market for fear of someone making another improvement upon it making all of those obsolete as well.
The Primary Feature of Capitalism is Choice, Not Competition
So to review, because people make choices with scarce resources and limited time, competition will be an inherent part of any economic system so long as there is scarcity. The primary feature of free market capitalism is not competition, but choice. Rather than moderate the amount of competition in an economy, state intervention will replace competition to serve customers on a voluntary basis with competition over gaining the favour of whoever is responsible for allocating resources within government. Instead of competing to serve their customers as best as they possibly can to achieve the biggest market share – firms can, will, and do, compete for government favours, and to have their products “rolled out” by the state to as many people as they can using public funds or subsidies out of the public purse. This is where the real “tooth and nail” begins.

Source: Seeing Not Seen – Capitalism is not "A System of Competition"

Dissident Mama: “Snowflake Buddies” – song of the real resistance”

dissident mama, libertopia, snowflake buddies, book review, leftism, satire, parody, cartoonLibertopia Cartoons is proud to share an amazing review from Dissident Mama, a homeschool parent of 3 children. Her impressive and extremely popular site is filled with intellectual and cleverly written articles that smash Leftism and Statist nonsense. She writes in regards to Libertopia’s Snowflake Buddies that, “As a parent, I see this as an educational book filled with conversation-starters of current events, history, politics, culture, economics, and faith. Help your children start to pull back the veil, question post-Christian ‘authority,’ and get those logical and critical-thinking juices flowing.”

She notes how her eldest and his 10-year-old twin brothers love reciting the short quatrains accompanying each letter of the alphabet. They giggle while narrating the simple but astute rhyming scheme of Mia the Marxist’s “commie blog” and “State-run gulag.”

dissident mama, libertopia, snowflake buddies, book review, leftism, satire, parody, cartoon“Liberman, the brainchild behind Libertopia Cartoons, is a firm believer in the influence visual art holds over people.” Dissident Mama notes. “But to be successful, one must have both the aesthetic and content, he says. In other words, eye-catching graphics and truth, which is precisely why the right (or thin libertarians or traditionalists or conservatives or whatever you want to call non-leftists) typically dominate meme warfare…We should all be ‘thinking about ways we can use art, creativity, and maybe even a little bit of fun to help ‘sell’ our messages,’ Liberman explains in an Abbeville Institute article. And Snowflake Buddies does that in spades.”

“Snowflake Buddies is a bold middle finger to these “men without chests” as C.S. Lewis described the leftists of his day. It’s a brilliant and effective way of saying to the haters, ‘We won’t capitulate to fools. We will not comply. We ain’t skeered. And we drink leftist tears.’”

Read the entirety of this excellent review over at Dissident Mama, and check out her other amazing articles while you’re there!

Get SnowFlake Buddies Right HERE!

snowflake buddies, leftism, parody, satire, cartoon, graphic novel Check out our First Book from Shotwell Publishing! It’s like a comic book or graphic novel filled with 30 AMAZING full-color illustrated pages of satire and parody. Also includes 12 crazy activity pages and an amazing dystopian short story as it appeared on Lew Rockwell.com! Also don’t miss our AMAZING store with all the awesome stuff you WANT in order to make a cool statement to everyone you know. Find our store RIGHT HERE!dissident mama, libertopia, snowflake buddies, book review, leftism, satire, parody, cartoon

Source: Libertopia Cartoon – Dissident Mama: “Snowflake Buddies” – song of the real resistance”