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"When global capital in the form of index funds, holding companies, private equity groups, and hedge funds own everything, competition plummets to communist-grey. Everything starts to look and taste the same. People will do anything for not only for real quality, but simply for real variety."

Banger by everyone's favorite disgraced propagandist about Erewhon and modern ESG consoomerism.

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I’m not sure I saw reference to Samuel Butler’s novel, "Erewhon, or, Over the Range," written to ridicule utopian fantasies: NOWHERE. I am not at all surprised that a business attempts to make use of ridicule, wrongly, to flog its products.

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Good call, I should’ve added this

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Sep 5Liked by Isaac Simpson

How does one pronounce Erewhon

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Air uh Juan

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My God, that smoothie looks like the kind of decorative agate slabs they sell in New Age gemstone and mineral shops. Nice juxtaposition against the "Israel Kills" graffiti.

I like that your globalist frozen beef is courtesy of "NPC Processing, Inc."

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Great writing as usual. The fact that you left the judgement (horror show vs utopia) up to the reader was smart and unsettling. The digression into the grocery store “lounge area” seemed sadistic as I was reading it, but set the stage for what followed. Next time you’re in the bay area, I’d love to hear a similar assessment of Berkeley Bowl and the cultural status of Trader Joe’s in the mix.

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"NPC Processing" - sometimes they actually do write some good jokes. 🤓

Love this sort of colourful writing, to me very reminiscent of Lovecraft and Algernon Blackwood.

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Up here in Justin Trudeau's crazed Dominion, those chairs are known as "Muskoka Chairs", named for the lake in Ontario where they apparently originated from. Muskoka, the region, is now the elite cottage preserve of the very same bored, rich kids who attempt to ferment revolutions from the elaborate lakeside mansions of their parents before returning to their Critical Post-Colonial Political Economy classes at Queen's, McGill, and the University of Toronto. Parents who, indeed, run private equity and hedge fund groups.

If Erewhon ever expands to Canada, it's in Muskoka where it will it find its true home.

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The funny thing is, they actually think they're The Best People.

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