Dispatches from our depressingly K-shaped economy
These are the best things I found on the internet this week!
What’s up everybody,
I just got back from downtown Los Angeles where I saw my beloved OKC Thunder complete the sweep of the Lakers in the NBA Playoffs. Crazy game, crazy finish. We’re coming for those back-to-back championships
From sports arenas to airlines to theme parks, I can’t stop noticing examples of our increasingly K-shaped economy. Wealth disparity between the richest .1% and everyone else is insane, and more and more service companies have catered their offerings to that top end of the market.
I’m exploring several of those use-cases in this week’s “conversation starters,” a roundup of the best, most interesting and most entertaining content on the internet in the past week. Spread the word!
What’s the coolest story or thing you found on the internet this week? Reply to this email and shoot me a link. Would love to hear from you!
If you’ve flown at all in recent years, this is a must read. You must’ve noticed the trend of more premium offerings at higher prices. In this fantastic but disheartening feature in New York Mag, Delta Airlines gloats about its ability to cater to its richest customers. The strategy seems to be to make the cheap seats as miserable as possible so people want to upgrade. Tsk tsk!
Meanwhile, according to JD Power’s annual survey of 11,000 airline passengers, the best airline for economy seats is…Southwest Airlines. So I’m questioning its veracity.
It turns out that Disney Parks aren’t just absurdly overpriced, their business model is closer to indentured servitude. Our Long Read of the Week comes from the New Yorker, which describes young people who work at Disney to get free admission and then spend all their paychecks at the parks, and families who go tens of thousands of dollars into debt to visit. Happiest debtors on earth?? Insane.
Headlines That Require No Context: Should schools get rid of homework? Some educators are saying yes. (Wow, so…daycare?)
Do you hate dealing with car salesmen? A guy in North Carolina has built a business around negotiating with the car dealerships for you, and is making millions every year. At $1,000-a-pop, it might be worth it??
For my parents’ generation, owning a home was both a status symbol and the most reliable wealth-building tool. But this personal finance expert on the Steven Bartlett podcast breaks down the math of renting vs. buying for young people today—and kind of convinced me that long-term renting is better! (At least in a place like Los Angeles…)
I know most people are over it, but I just can’t get enough of the Stephen Colbert farewell tour. On this stop, The Hollywood Reporter got every current and past late night host to ask Colbert a question about his post-CBS future. The responses are funny and heartfelt (like the man himself!).
Thanks for reading and sharing! Of course we’re talking The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Friday…gird your loins!