WEEK 2 - ENtrepreneurship in late-stage capitalist society

“Late capitalism,” in its current usage, is a catchall phrase for the indignities and absurdities of our contemporary economy, with its yawning inequality and super-powered corporations and shrinking middle class.

Today, “late stage capitalism” refers to the social and financial inequities of capitalism in the technological age. The term highlights the hypocrisy and outright foolishness of capitalism as it hurtles towards its self-fulfilling prophecy of doom.

Here are a few examples of late-stage capitalist lunacy.

  • Tiffany marketing an “eco-friendly” sterling-silver straw for $375

  • Gucci is selling sneakers with a “worn-look” for $700.

  • Nordstrom is selling fake muddy jeans for $425.

  • A $100 cheeseburger or a $1,200 bottle of glacier water.

  • A new study that proves electric vehicles are more damaging to the environment than fossil-fueled automobiles.

  • Congress refuses to fund failing infrastructure or feed and house the nations homeless, but sees the need to allocate the military with a budget of $700-billion.

  • The world’s richest man – Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, could buy every homeless American a home, and still, have a personal fortune in excess of $19-billion.

ASSIGNMENT: THINK PIECE
due 9/14/02

  • please read the below articles

  • Where do you think we’re headed? What do you think are/will be the driving factors for changing the current state, true or false, of capitalism? Where does the entrepreneur in this climate survive/thrive/perish? What is a solution that your venture can contribute to?

  • Make the argument to the reader that you understand the current state of capitalism and have a keen belief of what comes next.

FORMAT CHOICE?