Hi pal, In 2019, Levi’s hired a couple of friends to help create their annual Pride campaign. When my wife and I got asked to appear in it, we enthusiastically agreed. I remember what I was thinking about while on set, with the cameras pointing at us, standing there engulfed in my wife’s familiar embrace; I thought about our fifteen-year-old selves and how far we’d come. Over the last twenty years, we went from being ridiculed and rejected for our sexuality to being exploited for it in the name of selling jeans. In our highly transactional, consumerist-steeped society– where Levi’s and Apple are the modern Medicis, paying directors to create art in the form of ads – acceptance cannot be uncoupled from commercialization. As shallow and exploitative as rainbow capitalism can be, it seems like the natural, inevitable sign of progression in a consumerist society. Personally, I look back on the experience fondly. After experiencing so many moments of rejection, I find joy in seeing a sweet, young newlywed moment memorialized. What’s your take on rainbow capitalism? Don’t be shy; hit reply. Your friend,
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1. 😨 I’m Terrified Of Losing My Job & Not Having Enough Emergency Savings (Paco for R29) This month I tackled a reader’s concerns about their emergency savings – how much is enough? And how do we save up when life is so expensive? 2. 🔨 Why America has so few carpenters (The Hustle) 3. ⌛ The Decade of Cheap Rides Is Over (Slate) How American life was changed by a subsidy Uber and Lyft can no longer afford. 4. 🤳 TRUTH Social Is the New Trump Steaks (The New Republic) TRUTH Social is supposed to compete with Twitter. So far, it’s been a mess. And Trump may go back to Twitter anyway. But it still could work out to be a killer grift. 5. 🤓 A bookkeeping thing - Do You Need to Pay Quarterly Taxes? (HYG Original) 6. 😧 ”Are We in a Recession? (No) (The Big Picture) “Given the economic data, it is startling (if not foolish) to state we are in a recession right now. As noted, ‘low unemployment, continued job growth, and other signs of economic health’ make that timing moot. Second, because the economy is cyclical, it means a recession is always coming. (It’s called a ‘Business Cycle’ for a reason).” 7. 😰 The bad vibes economy (Vox) “This sense of dread is so pervasive that it might surprise you to hear that many aspects of the US economy are generally in good shape right now. The unemployment rate is low, and the labor market is strong. Job openings are at near-record levels, and many workers who want to find something better are doing so. Household and corporate balance sheets are strong. Business profit margins are coming down some but are not disastrous. The stock market is faltering, but the worst troubles seem to be concentrated to the high-flying tech sector that was bound to cool off a bit. Stock market investors are still much wealthier than they were five, 10 years ago. The elephant in the room is, of course, inflation, which is high and, for most consumers, just incredibly annoying. Rising prices are cutting into wage gains for workers. The average price of gas nationally was $4.91 as of June 7, climbing just as many Americans get ready to hit the road for the summer.” 8. 💪 Surviving inflation one plasma donation at a time (Washington Post) “Money seemed to be the main concern in the chatter that circulated in the waiting room at the plasma center. Each time she went, she listened to others talk about it, how to get more. Without realizing it, she had wandered into a corner of the economy where poverty, medical research and corporate profits intersect. Two-thirds of the world’s plasma supply comes from the United States, in part because the country allows companies to pay for plasma.”
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