bandits get away
Go to a movie theater and watch Furiosa. They won’t make them like that soon.
Last week, I watched The Thomas Crown Affair, 1968. It’s a bad movie, well made. It even made money, as bad movies could when you wouldn’t think of spending $12 to call a friend and tell them to avoid it.
The movie claims to explain why a rich man would steal money. It doesn’t. But if you want to see Steve McQueen fake laugh or Faye Dunaway convince you she’s in a much better movie, it’s streaming.
Sadly, such a story, well told, would be revolutionary today.
The billionaire who finds a planner who plants guys on the inside. The loudmouth they hire to distract the crowd outside, then rile them up when the law shows up.
I don’t have it in me to tell you the story you already know. We’re in a vicious loop where would-be oligarchs are effectively destroying the state, which in turn makes the majority of voters lose faith in state capacity.
Except the power to punish. There’s always support for hatred. Especially when it’s focused on those who are defenseless. Children. Immigrants, the descendants of the enslaved. Women.
So, instead of the story you already know let me share two ideas you might not.
#1
Idealism is what comes after realism, not in its place.
To change reality you have to know reality very well.
The more you know it, the more you’ll want to change it.
#2
As a Cuban refugee, I grew up devouring detailed accounts of the inefficiencies of “communist” economies.
Planned economies hide ugly truths.
In Loops, I have the lead character (Vivica Fox) say:
“We’ve tried planned economies. They don’t work.”
To which her counterpart (Feliz Ramirez) replies:
“They’re all planned economies. The only difference is who they’re planned for.”
You are very welcome to tell me that the billions of dollars spent on the metaverse, crypto, generative AI are the hallmarks of an efficient system.
And I will tell you about a heist.
On YouTube
I thought the Red Lobster bankruptcy was bad but the details are worse:
Gresham College has excellent lectures and this one is especially good:
Postscript
You’ve been following the news about Google’s “AI” search rollout? I don’t want to be right anymore. I want to be wrong. But things will get worse before they get better. If they do. Have you tried the paid search engine Kagi?
P.P.S.
Go see Furiosa!