The Met Gala returned Monday night like a jeweled funeral procession for the American century, and there waddling up the marble staircase came Jeff Bezos, swollen with protein powder, compound interest, and the unmistakable glow of a man who has not heard the word “no” since the Bush administration.
Jeeze-us, I love your writing. If the illustration is to be believed, they all have the mini cleft dimple on their chins. On a more serious note, despite my general optimism about the potential of humanity to transform our current trajectory, I must admit your piece, scary as it is, accurately describes exactly what we are “up against.“ Sadly, these guys are not inventions (like bogeymen, invented to frighten children into good behavior.) They’re products of our culture; a culture where possessions count more than relationships, where anger is (often intentionally) misplaced and ignorance of the interconnected nature of all things prevails. Greed, anger and stupidity — the Buddha identifies these as the root causes of suffering and the obstacles to spiritual liberation. (3 poisons) Thank you for shedding light on these tragic figures… serves as a reminder to ponder deeply ways I /we can affect the changes we need to survive this era.
Not sure what to make of this piece. I thank all those entrepreneurs who succeeded in bringing products and services to our lives that we truly wanted, and who created job opportunities where they might not otherwise exist.
You know, sometimes it happens that the one who invented the game turns out to be a player as well—and the consequences for that player are exactly the same as for everyone else.
Wonderful, Bret. Especially this statement: ". . . and there waddling up the marble staircase came Jeff Bezos, swollen with protein powder, compound interest, and the unmistakable glow of a man who has not heard the word “no” since the Bush administration."
Okay, Bret, I surrender. Who is the best and funniest, most insightful commentator on today's reality? You are! I'm just glad you've got Coltrane on your team or I might not trust you otherwise. Trane, I trust totally.
Excellent piece.
Jeeze-us, I love your writing. If the illustration is to be believed, they all have the mini cleft dimple on their chins. On a more serious note, despite my general optimism about the potential of humanity to transform our current trajectory, I must admit your piece, scary as it is, accurately describes exactly what we are “up against.“ Sadly, these guys are not inventions (like bogeymen, invented to frighten children into good behavior.) They’re products of our culture; a culture where possessions count more than relationships, where anger is (often intentionally) misplaced and ignorance of the interconnected nature of all things prevails. Greed, anger and stupidity — the Buddha identifies these as the root causes of suffering and the obstacles to spiritual liberation. (3 poisons) Thank you for shedding light on these tragic figures… serves as a reminder to ponder deeply ways I /we can affect the changes we need to survive this era.
Thank you, Karla.
Not sure what to make of this piece. I thank all those entrepreneurs who succeeded in bringing products and services to our lives that we truly wanted, and who created job opportunities where they might not otherwise exist.
I guess it's up to us to weigh net good over net harm and see how the scales balance.
I agree that is probably a true measure of their value to society.
Nailed it!
You know, sometimes it happens that the one who invented the game turns out to be a player as well—and the consequences for that player are exactly the same as for everyone else.
the final act, indeed
Brilliant
Wonderful, Bret. Especially this statement: ". . . and there waddling up the marble staircase came Jeff Bezos, swollen with protein powder, compound interest, and the unmistakable glow of a man who has not heard the word “no” since the Bush administration."
Okay, Bret, I surrender. Who is the best and funniest, most insightful commentator on today's reality? You are! I'm just glad you've got Coltrane on your team or I might not trust you otherwise. Trane, I trust totally.