Conversation

Some meta-commentary on why this article is important. It kills the wishful belief that 2-of-3 coalitions are still possible right now. In 2016, capitalist (C) and working classes (W) allied to hand professional elite class (P) a bloody nose. C+W>P triangle inequality.
Quote Tweet
This (excellent) article doing the rounds is basically the wonky economics version of the premium mediocre argument americanaffairsjournal.org/2019/11/the-re
Show this thread
1
24
Wishful thinking 2020 scenarios: W+P>C (A New Hope, Warren, Sanders, Biden) C+P>W (Bloomberg, Harris.... Empire Strikes Back, ) W+C>P (Trump re-elected) None of these work, so likely outcome is incumbency win for Trump.
3
2
All three are under different patterns of identity stress and economic stress (yes even the capitalists; the r>g theater does not run itself) that they need help from the other two to solve but there is so little trust no broad alliances are possible. Only uneasy splintering.
Replying to
The on,y way out is to abandon these broad class divisions entirely and seed very small scale W+P+C coalitions that both work and capture the imagination in a way that creates a *new* basis for trust.
1
5
SV promised to be that: W = under the API labor with rewards and dignity of industrial work and the self-determination and flexibility of digital. P = over-the-API work to turn capital into returns for C, more humane work for W C = real new wealth from software eats world
1
5
If it had worked it would have created a new basis for trust. What SV actually delivered: W = increasingly stressful gig economy with Ponzi scheme capital on top, automation nipping at heels P = build an API based on adtech and financialization C = fake returns over new wealth
2
10
I think the reason is it was too large scale. Even blue cities economy that SV tried to solve is too big. A workable minimum-viable 3-way coalition of WPC has to start much smaller. Like a single medium-sized city not yet rendered 💀 by financialization, nimbys and Chinese buyers
3