How Private Equity State Capitalism consumes democracy—and how we name, feel, and fight back
Reclaiming our voices in a world designed to take them away
Sometimes, the system moves so fast and loud, it leaves us quiet. We feel it in the news, in our jobs, in our everyday lives. Things are changing, but we’re unsure how or why. The pressure builds Our voices shrink.
That silence Is not just personal; it’s structural.
It’s part of the plan.
So, we gather.
-
- To speak again.
- To breathe together.
- To find language that helps us name what’s happening—and respond with power.
On Friday, May 2, 2025, thirteen of us came together for a Symphony ’77 Inquiry Circle Three were new. A shared curiosity connected us:
A New Word & Beginning
We believe: If we want a new beginning, we need a new word.
-
- In the beginning is the word.
- And the resistance follows.
We grounded this session in the framework of our book:
How Private Equity State Capitalism Consumes Democracy: From Extraction to Resistance in the Age of Authoritarian Rule.
We wrote our book to help people “make sense” of what they’re feeling—not just economically or politically, but emotionally and spiritually.
We describe a system called Private Equity State Capitalism (PESC). PESC isn’t just about markets—it’s about domination. It works by:
-
- Extracting value from everything: schools, pensions, housing, even our attention
- Concentrating that value into the hands of a few—those with the power to change laws, rewrite rules, and erase accountability
PESC wants control. Accountability gets in the way of extracting and concentrating. PESC must consume democracy—not all at once, but piece by piece, until there’s nothing left to protect the public.
Our book is a tool for naming the system—because if we don’t name it, we can’t resist it.
Who—and What—PESC Is Coming For
PESC is not vague; it has clear targets.
It comes for:
-
- Public schools, reducing learning to profit margins
- Healthcare systems, where illness is an industry
- Prisons, where punishment becomes investment
- Housing, where homes are hedge fund assets
- Transportation, like Amtrak, under constant threat of privatization
- Journalism, where local news collapses and the highest bidder “buys” truth
- Pensions and retirement, where our own savings fund the takeover
And it comes for people:
-
- Workers, jobs cut, and dignity
- Black and brown communities, who face extraction layered with surveillance
- Seniors, who become burdens
- Young people, whose lives are data points for investor returns
- Truth-tellers, labeled “radical” for simply naming injustice
PESC comes for what matters most.
It treats our lives as markets, and if we don’t recognize who it’s targeting, we risk becoming its next resource. It will come for you and me.
The Liberation Matrix: Five Ways to Respond
That’s why we introduced the Liberation Matrix—a framework for layered resistance:
-
- Micro Resistance – Everyday choices we make
- Meso Resistance – What we build in community
- Macro Resistance – How we shape systems and policy
- Transcendent Resistance – Connection to history, spirit, and story
- Sovereign Resistance – Personal healing, agency, and truth-telling
These aren’t steps. They’re entry points And during the circle, people found themselves at each level—reflecting, grounding, and connecting resistance to their real lives.
What We Heard from the Circle
The discussion revealed shared truths:
-
- Despair is not the end—it’s the beginning of clarity.
- The American Dream was an illusion for most.
- Confusion is by design—not accident.
- Even our retirement accounts may be fueling extraction.
- We need language that brings clarity, not distraction.
We weren’t just sharing thoughts.
We were remembering what we already knew—and speaking it out loud.
A Stillness That Speaks
We began and ended with Liberationness Meditation—a practice of embodied reflection.
Stillness isn’t silence.
It’s space.
And in that space, we found the breath to speak again.
Our Inquiry Circle: Where Curiosity Meets Connection
Our Symphony ’77 Inquiry Circle is not a lecture. It’s not a class. It’s a space where curiosity meets connection.
We don’t gather to debate—we gather to remember.
To explore what hurts, what heals, and what helps us return to truth.
Each voice adds a note.
Each session shapes the next movement.
Together, we’re writing a liberation score.
What’s Next: The Symphonic Matrix
Next month, we move from language to sound—from naming to vibration.
We’ll explore The Symphonic Matrix, guided by the music of Florence Price, the first Black woman composer performed by a major U.S. orchestra.
We’ll ask:
-
- What does resistance sound like?
- What rhythms carry us when words run dry?
- What does it mean to move as one?
Until then, we invite you:
-
- Find your word.
- Speak it.
- Let it guide you.
- Let the resistance follow.
Want to join our next Inquiry Circle?
Stay connected at https://themeditativist.substack.com
More reflections, writings, and liberation tools at https://whatsonjeromesmind.com