13 Comments
User's avatar
Arthur Rosch's avatar

Late Stage Capitalism\

2026

Is this late stage capitalism?

People watching endless commercials disguised

as content, watching hypnotized

as the reasons to stay home multiply Covid

the madhouse of freedom, that’s America

where Freedom is ridiculous

and everyone’s opinion

matters, such a big deal, (your opinion)

I can give you a break, (I can I can), I can let you

go on about nothing, walk the streets with a sign

saying nothing, late stage capitalism

manipulated and focused greed,

through the screens, on the devices

helpless to disengage (what am I doing?)

late stage

helpless to engage (I’m doing this is what I’m doing)

capitalism, schism, minimism, monism

monetism, hypnotism, religionism

late stage catechism

I’ve run out of ism, run out of my ism, don’t even say it

cuz I’m old and getting older at the same speed as

everyone else.

This is late stage capitalism.

Bret Primack's avatar

Your comment reads like poetry

Arthur Rosch's avatar

That's because it's poetry.

Justin E. Schutz's avatar

You’re a pretty kool cat Arthur. You pretty well described the division isms that are so difficult to sort a way to any anywhere through.

Arthur Rosch's avatar

Thank you Justin. I consider myself to be a very cool cat. Very old cool cat but that just makes it better.

Justin E. Schutz's avatar

I’m an old cat too. Big fan of Brett.

Arthur Rosch's avatar

Amen to that. I think I'm related to Bret in some obscure way. I would be proud to be a member of his family. I think we're fourth cousins.

OT's avatar

I do think the end result of AI is most likely going to be catastrophic for us but I still absolutely love this message. Being able to dream up fiction and applications and prompt them to reality is the coolest thing ever IMO.

With the barrier of entry so low, I could totally see more and more free and secure OSS applications for the masses. That's my current dream for mutuality. It will be a very interesting ten years.

Bret Primack's avatar

If Trump remains in office, there will be none more humanity left on planet earth in ten years.

Manuela Thiess Garcia's avatar

This does beg the question: how will we survive? Certainly in trump world, social services will be all but gone, and most certainly, the powers that be will not give a shit. Am I missing something?

Bret Primack's avatar

That is the $64,000 question.

NJH's avatar

Very well postulated, as it’s important to see how AI could be a social positive. I recall Musk preaching that years ago, that AI would allow us infinite fun and play - such is his juvenescent thinking.

I do see that 64K question of egregious wealth divide being a bigger issue than AI’s social future.

A storming of the Bastille in the US is now not complete conjecture. The tech bros know this and are now planning their defense or exit. The US cannot sustain this divide nor inherited wealth transfer much longer, it flies in the face of the (outworn) Puritan ethic, and a fire may well be lit, both on the left and right..

Safeer's avatar

Corporate greed has made the world a worse place. I have been preaching against it for a long time. I think it is important to stay close to the “ground”. Metaphorically and literally. Remember those who live in towers can fall but those that live on the ground cannot.

And one must also be literally connected to the ground, which is nature. Man came from nature and to nature he returns. So get as much sunlight as you can, breathe as much fresh air as you can, move and work out as much as you can. Learn and grow fruits and vegetables if you can. Socialize with animals again, we have been doing it through out human history. And most importantly do this even if you have to sacrifice your work. Even if you have to take time away from your work. Even if your manager doesn’t like it when you only work 8 hours. Do not be deluded by the masses, they know not what they do.