Celebrate Capitalism (tm)

1. Ipso
2. Casey
3. NeLaNi
4. Spaghetti

The following notes on "Our 4 Guidelines" are addressed to all registered CPL's (Creative Project Leaders) of the Celebrate Capitalism™ campaign.

They're useful reading, however, for anyone who'd like to better understand how we do and do not approach campaigning.

In your role as an authorized CPL (Creative Project Leader) you need to do your best to stick to the following 4 Guidelines.

1: The Ipso Guideline

Meet Ipso Earthling.

The Ipso Guideline is about being in orbit and staying in orbit. That's the "orbit" of the campaign's principles and policies.

As a CPL ("Creative Project Leader") you should do your best to work within the campaign's principles and policies.

The Ipso Guideline is also about "getting back into orbit" if and when you ever get out of orbit.

For instance, if in the role of a CPL, I'm conducting a discussion group and I start promoting my own personal ideology (for instance, Objectivism, since I'm an Objectivist) or promoting the political party I'm in (for instance, the Liberal Party of Australia) that would put me out of orbit because promoting a particular ideology or political party is prohibited for all authorised CPL's.

"Oops! Excuse me, I think I just stepped out of orbit! Let me clarify that [my ideology] and [my Party] are NOT endorsed by the campaign! I'm supposed to stay within the orbit of The Bernstein Declaration. [ big smile ]

Now where were we?"

The important thing to keep in mind here is that it's not the end of the world if you err.

Don't get uptight about it. Just note the "overshoot" and return. Get back in orbit.

People understand this. And people appreciate that you are doing your best.

Finally, there are issues on which Celebrate Capitalismâ„¢ does not currently have a formalised, official position. Those issues are all "out of orbit".

That doesn't make them wrong. And it doesn't mean such issues should be avoided.

On the contrary, the campaign welcomes and encourages vigorous discussion and debate on everything relating to liberty, the role of government, the defense of rights, the promotion of creative thinking, etc.

The point is that if you or your colleagues do touch on any such issues during a Celebrate Capitalismâ„¢ event, it's important to make it clear to your audience at all times what's in and what's out of orbit.

I know you'll do your best on this. Thank you.

2: The Casey Guideline

Meet Casey Alexander Lionheart.

The Casey Guideline clarifies the campaign's approach to successful activism.

What makes for successful activism when it comes to Capitalist Ideals?

We hold that pro-Capitalist activism is, must be, and should be, of an entirely different nature to anti-Capitalist activism.

1. First of all, success is about IDEAS - not mob size.

The quality of your thinking and your ideas is far more important than the quantity - the size - of your mob.

Here are 1001 people.
A thousand of them hold idea "A".
One of them holds idea "B".
How many ideas are there?

Just two.

1001 people. 2 ideas.

Think about it. It makes sense.

The Melbourne Celebrate Capitalism team held a street event recently. There were about a dozen of us.

By pure coincidence, on the same day a large anti-capitalist rally was also being held, which came right past us. There were about 15,000 (fifteen thousand) of them. Impressive, I suppose (even if totally useless).

But for the individual in the street, there were only two fundamental ideas being presented.

Who made the biggest impression on the thinking person?

The 15,000 screaming, hysterical purveyors of nihilism or the 12 good humoured, easy-to-talk-to promoters of liberty and the good things in life?

No contest.

Here's a photo from that fine day.

Can you count to 1?

1 idea X 15,000 people = 1 idea.

2. Secondly, success is about learning - not preaching.

The best activist is the one who takes ideas seriously and applies ideas to his/her own life. Set an example!

I'm here to learn. To improve my knowledge, my understanding, my thinking.

Those who preach at others are not valued as highly in this campaign as those who demonstrate a love of learning and a dedication to self-improvement.

3. Thirdly, success is about opening - not closing.

This third aspect of success is about how we "sell" our message.

This is summed up by one of the campaign's key slogans:

"We Invite the World!"

The approach we use is to invite.

We invite people to think about Capitalism.

We invite policy makers and political parties and public servants to try some Capitalism.

We invite people to attend our events.

We invite people to get involved.

You can control invitation.

You simply can not control whether or not your invitations are accepted or turned down or ignored. It's impossible!

You have succeeded when you have invited.

I know that sales manuals go on and on about how to "close" a sale. I know that sales managers measure success by the number of sales their sales force makes.

We don't do it that way. (For one thing, those methods are often manipulative and immoral.)

We measure invitation. So, keep on inviting. Keep on inventing new ways of inviting. Invite people and welcome them.

That's success.

3: The NeLaNi Guideline

Meet NeLaNi of Kushubi.

The NeLaNi Guideline is about the campaign's strict "NON-endorsement" policy.

That's why NeLaNi looks so strict, right?

Celebrate Capitalism™ does not endorse any ideological, political, or religious groups.

Important: NON-endorsement does not imply any sort of criticism or rejection.

If your Capitalism Day™ event is being hosted by a political, ideological, or religious group, you need to make it clear that your group (like ALL groups) is NON-endorsed.

Question: Isn't PRODOS - the campaign's founder and global coordinator - an Objectivist (a follower of the philosophy of Ayn Rand)? Doesn't that mean that Celebrate Capitalism™ is an Objectivist project?

Answer: PRODOS is an Objectivist. However, Celebrate Capitalismâ„¢ is not, has never been, and will never become, an Objectivist project. Anyone who agrees with the Bernstein Declaration and is happy to work within the goals and guidelines of the campaign is warmly welcomed.

4: The Spaghetti Guideline

Meet Spaghetti Gonzalez.
The Spaghetti Guideline is about being positive and constructive.

Why?

Is it just because we want to be nice people?

Not at all. It's a matter of integrity.

Consider the anti-capitalist movement. They have integrity.

The violence and thuggery of their demonstrations, their hysterical screaming down of debate and dissent, their mindless mass protests which are meant to intimidate the community into submission instead of debating the issues - all this is perfectly consistent with the society they seek to create: A society of state plunder and coercion. A society that undermines creativity, individualism, human happiness, technology. A stagnant, boring world of mindless slaves.

Their nihilist methods are consistent with their nihilist "vision".

Your Celebrate Capitalismâ„¢ project should be consistent with Capitalist Ideals. It should be consistent with the love of freedom and the glory of human creativity.

That's why we do not do "counter-protests". We do not do negative campaigns.

That's why your project must be positive - even festive when possible. That's why our online directory of authorized project formats is located at FestiveProjects.com - to emphasize this.

Leave the negativity and knocking to the Nihilists.

"We focus on what we are FOR!"

To register as a CPL please use THIS FORM.

Please also read about the Celebrate Capitalism (tm) campaign's 3 Broad Goals.