Xcap

Noun. Short for Extreme capitalist. Antonym of woke. Someone with an unshakeable faith in and support for: manipulated markets to transfer wealth from the poor and vulnerable to the wealthy Elite; small government and thus limited to zero social safety nets and social justice programs (such as universal health and DEI initiatives); greed and selfishness being the prime human driver instead of collaboration and inclusion, to justify and perpetuate the trickle down system that sustains the privilege of the 1%; other humans being commoditised machines (interchangeable and disposable) only necessary in the production of wealth unless or until actual machines and/or AI can replace them; the natural world and resources only having value when used to enrich the Elite irrespective and in spite of consquent harms including to broad humanity; and the drive to win at wealth accumulation justifying any and all behaviours.

Xcaps thus typically exhibit anti-social traits and prejudicial behaviours ranging from unconscious bias to overt bigotry on the basis of class, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc, and sew seeds of populism and division. 

Even when belonging to one of those marginalised subgroupings themselves, Xcaps hate of wokes and ‘wokism’ overpowers their broader sense of social justice.

Xcaps have succeeded in having their system of Extreme capitalism entrenched in former liberal capitalistic democracies by corrupting the political system, buying the major political parties and their power brokers on either side of the former political divide, thereby pulling the political centre to the right. 

Xcap politicians conflicted by donations to their parties, and by their self-interest in extracting rents (wealth and privilege) from their position of political power, argue in support of Extreme capitalism; that contemporary markets are best able to lead and solve the problems collectively faced by humanity with inequality an unavoidable byproduct. 

Xcap politicians have not, however, answered the question of why their roles remain necessary in a system where they have abdicated their responsibility to lead, instead focusing efforts on consolidating their own power – from those who would disrupt the cosy relationship between narrowing dominant political parties – thereby increasing their agency to extract additional self-interested rents from their political power.

The late 2024 murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of a major American health insurer, by 26 year old ivy league graduate engineer Luigi Mangione was the first challenge to the Xcaps’ domination.

Instead of condemnation for murder, many American citizens took to social media to condemn the actions of health insurers,  considering their executives guilty of murder, and valorising Mangione for his actions. 

As 2025 draws near, along with it the commencement of potentially the most oppressive US Government since slavery was abolished, led by an alpha Xcap Donald J Trump, Xcaps are faced with a choice between continuing along their path of being confined to ever-shrinking islands of egregious prosperity guarded more and more aggressively from the tired and poor whose ranks grow in size and desperation, leading to a Mad Max Darwinian state and potentially civil war(s) which will likely bring a violent end to the era of Extreme capitalism …

OR

Xcaps can voluntarily relinquish their power in a safely controlled manner, and co-operate in instituting genuine social justice with compassionate inclusion the overriding imperative.

Possessing all of the political power at this present moment, Xcaps can collectively and individually argue their own utility and co-operate in The Great Reset to place all of humanity on an optimistic and sustainable path, or continue to live selfishly in the moment in a world decreasingly hospitable especially to Xcaps until their inevitable demise …

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2024