4 comments

1. I really appreciated the thoughtful discussion you two had in this episode, I hope folks of all percents (%) can engage in this kind of level-headed dialogue. Thank you for your podcast, it is always one of the highlights of my week. – Anthony

2. Great conversation — and a fitting end to synthesize the conversation by discussing Apple/Steve Jobs.

3. It’s refreshing to finally hear two intelligent people have a conversation about the OWS movement.
   As I’ve expressed in other places, the broad range of grievances that the protesters share can be very frustrating to detractors. Critics still can’t pick one issue (or leader) to demonize or make fun of to any real effect, therefore the movement continues to grow in its sloppy, uncouth and confounding way.
   The overarching premise of the OWS movement is “the one thing we all have in common is that we are the 99% who will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.” It’s born not only out of frustration and anger in the current system, but also out of a sense of newfound hopelessness. For the first time many feel like the cards are stacked against them and that no matter how much education they invest in, how much they work, pay in taxes, or how many calls they make to their elected representatives, they are not being heard. At the core, as with any protest, what they want is to be heard.
   While the message is certainly plutocratic, the aim, I believe, is to stir debate around issues that fall under the topic of greed. There doesn’t need to be a cap on success any more then there needs to be a plug on responsibility. Your open ended link to Apple and it’s corporate choices were jarring and perfect.
   By its very nature there’s going to be divergent views. Put a group of passionate people together and some will be articulate about political, social and economic imperatives, and some will be clueless. Even though their messaging may be cluttered with assorted opinion that varies wildly from city to city, or tent to tent, they’re are still on message.
   That is what many miss. Right now the action is to get a populace that is often placated by watching amateur dancers, singers or actors perform on television., to instead spend a little more time actively debating and acting on some of the important issues of our time. It’s about education and discourse. They are attempting to influence the conversation. By that measure they’re gradually succeeding, which is pretty damn impressive for a leaderless cause.

4. Mitch and Joseph, this was a fantastic discussion! So thank you for that.
   One thing I’d like to add to the conversation is an interesting approach by Simon Mainwaring (RSA Presentation – youtube.com/watch?v=1lh9rsqOoVM)
   Simon wrote a wonderfully thought-provoking book called We First that centers around a point that was discussed in the podcast — evolving capitalism.
   A few important points:
   – Consumers want a better world, not just better widgets
   – Build purpose into strategy (For businesses)
   – Practice mindful consumerism (Joseph touched up on this)
   – Push brands for social contracts
   – Mutual self-interest
   – The future of profit is purpose
   It was an inspiring read and well worth it.
   Thanks again!

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