Oligarchy, Broligarchy, LOLigarchy
Eyes Wide Open...
A cartoon
Continuing the theme of Eyes Wide Open…
Similar to PLUTOCRACY (government by the wealthy) but OLIGARCHY has the additional connotation of corruption.
In 2025, we are seeing the rise of a new form of government:
Turns out BROLIGARCHY is such a new word it hasn’t made it to traditional dictionaries yet, the above defintion comes from Wikitionary. The full definition is:
“A small group of ultrawealthy men who exert inordinate control or influence within a political structure, particularly while espousing views regarded as anti-democratic, technofascist, and masculinist.”
That was too many words for my cartoon, so I asked Chat GPT for a definition, hoping for something pithy… (while fully aware of the irony of asking AI) - their response:
Broligarchy: A world where tech billionaires put AI in charge of everything, including defining words like “Broligarchy” for citizens who used to do that themselves.
They added:
Let me know if you want an ad-free definition, but that requires a Premium Democracy Subscription. 😂
Bloody hell, it looks like we have a new form of comedian, too! Then I just got carried away and asked them how they would describe a LOLigarchy, having just had a good chuckle:
LOLigarchy: A government so corrupt and ridiculous that it feels like a joke—except the punchline is always at the citizens’ expense.
I think that needs to be added to the dictionary too:
Note, “Mine, Mine, Mine” is said in exactly the same tone of voice as the seagulls in Finding Nemo - click here for your viewing pleasure if you have forgotten!
This post leans heavily to the Eyes Wide Open side of our reality at the moment, I shall pendulate between Eyes Wide Open (seeing clearly everything that is wrong) and Hearts Wide Open (everything we can do to cope, resist and build a better world).
Glimmers and sparks*
My glimmers for today are:
Seeing the rising sun hit the Telstra tower at just the right angle to make it glow and jump out from the mountains.
A cold icy pole on a sweltering afternoon - summer is really dishing out its last gasp.
Discovering a microbat in our bedroom, we couldn’t relocate him outside in the morning, I’m hoping in the dark tonight I will be able to coax him out - he is tiny, about 5cm long but with a wing span of about 15cm and does the most amazing silent swooping.
Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?
From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,
*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.
A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.
I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments or by hitting reply (if you don’t like sharing publicly).
Glimmers: my wife is recovering from her recent surgery and even more recent hospitalization for pneumonia. We were able to go out for Chinese food this week, which thrilled us both. She’s been shut-in almost all winter except for medical stuff. Also, I threw in the towel on building a mandocello from scratch and did something I wouldn’t recommend: I ordered a seven-string guitar kit from Amazon and (God willing) will be converting it into a mandocello. The reason I wouldn’t recommend using an Amazon kit as a platform is because I’ve seen a lot of reviews from buyers who ran into issues such as ill-fitting parts and improperly seasoned wood. (There are others sources for quality kits like Guitar Kit World and BYOGuitar that sell kits that are more reliable and consistent in quality. Guitar Kit World has fantastic online support for first-time builders.) The reason I went with Amazon is mostly the price. The fact that I’m going to modify the kit will void any warranty, and since I’ve built quite a few electric guitars from scratch I’m confident that I will be able to remedy any problems that might stop a beginner in his tracks. The kit has arrived and I’ve inspected it and inventoried the parts and everything looks good. I’ll be documenting the building on Substack (photos and text only, no video, as I don’t have a proper camera). Gillian, if you and your little friend decide to build a stringed instrument I’ll give you all the help I can, just let me know what you’re planning. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube, and the best one I’ve seen is a three-part video by a Belgian guy on his channel Tchiks Guitars. This guy’s channel is so much fun that my wife watches it with me, even though she’s never played an instrument in her life. Thanks for sharing this fine post. It’s always a pleasure to see you in print!
Read too many things tonight that were filling me with a rising panic. Thankyou for this Gillian, laughing at a LOLigarchy is just the lightness I needed!
Today's glimmers: doggo cuddles before work, always birds - spotted 5 New Holland Honeyeaters singing a gorgeous song as they splashed around in the bird bath this evening and an absolute ripper of a sunset.