The Biggest Lottery
Our economy operates as a big lottery.
What's interesting is that the lottery creates a 'pyramid' structure, and the pyramid is expanding. The greater the accessibility, reach, and scale of top tier talent (be it in music, art, tech, whatever), the tougher it is for the low end to scrape by. Technology magnifies marginal differences in performance and the result is that local production is not competitive; second place winners are dead, but the first-place prize is larger than ever.
A highway links a town to the nation, and a local baker is snuffed out. He bags scones at Starbucks now. He was member of a middle class once sheltered by inefficiency, now completely exposed. Ironically, a niche still exists which caters exclusively to the wealthy winners who aren't satisfied with the commoditized goods they helped develop, market, and scale out. The local blacksmith is now this guy (bestmadeco.com)... but how many of these can you really have?
Consequences which we already start to see:
The real problem isn't the mere lack of middle-class jobs, but what happens when people can't afford to play the lottery any more. That is when shit will hit the fan.
What's interesting is that the lottery creates a 'pyramid' structure, and the pyramid is expanding. The greater the accessibility, reach, and scale of top tier talent (be it in music, art, tech, whatever), the tougher it is for the low end to scrape by. Technology magnifies marginal differences in performance and the result is that local production is not competitive; second place winners are dead, but the first-place prize is larger than ever.
A highway links a town to the nation, and a local baker is snuffed out. He bags scones at Starbucks now. He was member of a middle class once sheltered by inefficiency, now completely exposed. Ironically, a niche still exists which caters exclusively to the wealthy winners who aren't satisfied with the commoditized goods they helped develop, market, and scale out. The local blacksmith is now this guy (bestmadeco.com)... but how many of these can you really have?
Consequences which we already start to see:
- People are increasingly squeezed into playing the lottery; it's either double down or die in a sad gutter.
- College. More competitive & expensive than ever because it's seen as a prerequisite to even get in the game.
- Parent-subsidized young adults in the city. And with that, delayed 'true adulthood'.
The real problem isn't the mere lack of middle-class jobs, but what happens when people can't afford to play the lottery any more. That is when shit will hit the fan.