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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.
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This (excellent) article doing the rounds is basically the wonky economics version of the premium mediocre argument americanaffairsjournal.org/2019/11/the-re
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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