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Hyper-Capitalism

Hyper-Capitalism

Hyper-capitalism — also called late-stage capitalism — is what happens when material resources, lifestyle activities, and everything in between becomes both commodified and consumable. In hyper-capitalistic economies, products get invented that no one needs or wants. Celebrities are revered like gods. Inequity is everywhere, and citizens internalize the idea that their worth is measured by some mysterious combination of career success and amassed material goods.

Many argue that the United States has entered its hyper-capitalist era, as Americans report that the relentless demands of trying to keep up results in working longer hours, increasing loneliness, and lowered life satisfaction.

On today’s show: A conversation with New York Times bestselling author Kirsten Powers about the ways in which Americans are experiencing the effects of hyper-capitalism in real time.

 

Here’s a preview:

[5:00] A laundry list of hyper-capitalism’s consequences in 2024

[11:00] Europe doesn’t consume way America does. They’re not as lonely, either

[15:00] Taking a good, hard look at our disordered American beliefs

[19:00] Implications associated with our very American celebrity worship

[26:00] Pay for what you get? Not in this case! Debunking the privatized healthcare myth

[33:00] Musings on nationwide learned helplessness

 

 

Hyper-capitalism — also called late-stage capitalism — is what happens when material resources, lifestyle activities, and everything in between becomes both commodified and consumable. Many argue that the United States has entered its hyper-capitalist era, as Americans report that the relentless demands of trying to keep up results in working longer hours, increasing loneliness, and lowered life satisfaction. On this episode of the Sustainable Minimalists podcast:  the ways in which Americans are experiencing the effects of hyper-capitalism in real time.
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Saying No To New

New things are everywhere—and they’re causing us to disconnect from what we value most.

In a world that constantly tells us that new is better, our relentless pursuit of material wealth is costing us money, time and happiness. Worse, when we define ourselves by what we own rather than who we are, we reduce our lives to a single, superficial dimension.

On today’s show, New York Times journalist Eric Athas offers advice for stepping away from the cycle of constant buying, saying no to shallowness, and discovering the right kind of “new” in our lives.

Here's a preview:

[8:00] We're wired to become bored the familiar, and other truths to newness

[16:00] Consumption has costs! (In fact, it robs us of our finite attention, dilutes our capacity for genuine enjoyment, and misaligns our pursuit of happiness.)

[26:00] Musings on the ways in which overconsumption leads to superficiality

[37:00] Put down the trinket! Redefining what it means to experience novelty, growth, and freshness without relying on a transaction

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