Scott Galloway (15:12)
Welcome back onto our final question, which comes from Reddit. User Sincerely True Asks. Hi Scott, I recently finished why Nations Fail, and there's a section on preventing authoritarianism. They recommend mobilizing a broad segment of society, including unions, churches and business organizations. How can the Democratic Party or other movements better mobilize business organizations and leaders in the fight for democracy when so many have backed Trump? Oh God, I wish I knew. I have been shocked at how little resistance and pushback there's been from the corporate world. And I'm not sure you're going to find it from corporations. Because in America it is so tempting to just try and get from a million and worth to 3 million to 5 million, from 1 billion to a billion. America's just all pretty much about how much stuff you have, because how much stuff you have is really the healthcare you can provide yourself and your children, the opportunities you can provide your children. How hot or not hot your husband or your wife is, how interesting a part is, how nice of vacations. The market has become so stratified. When I was a kid, my dad's boss had a slightly bigger house. We kind of lived in the same neighborhood and we all were at the same summer club or country club. He had a Ford Thunderbird, my dad had a Grand Torino. I mean just slightly better life, but it was in striking distance. Now people who don't make a lot of money are flying Spirit airlines and watching drunk people physically abuse each other and then having to deplane while everyone while this guy gets escorted off by airport security and really rich people get to fly on a Gulfstream 650 where they can watch Netflix and do FaceTime on the plane and have some really hot dude bringing the mimosas on the plane. And, oh, if they're 30 minutes late because they want to grab an additional 30 minutes with their kid over dinner, they just text their pilot. I mean, the Delta between what it means to be middle class and what it means to be rich in this country has gone from 3 inches to fucking 2 million miles. And so the incentives to make the incremental decisions to become wealthy are just so incredibly dramatic. And one of the best ways to get wealthy right now is to play into the authoritarian's handbook. People start showing up with golden, grave, tacky trophies and saying, I love spending time with Melania. Jesus Christ, Tim Cook, what a fucking coward you are. Literally what a coward you are. Right up there with Bob Iger, literally Neville Chamberlain in a cashmere sweater, minus the dignity. All these people bending a knee. And now why do they do it? Because they feel a lot of responsibility. Their fiduciaries for their shareholders and the temptations to make more money are so huge. And Trump, to his authoritarian credit, has created a bright blue line path between kissing his ass and ignoring democracy and not engaging in capitalism and engaging in cronyism. Because you will get richer, right? So these guys, if we're waiting on the better angels of companies, of CEOs to show up, don't hold your breath. You know, Sam Altman, all these fucking douchebags showing up and bending a knee so they can get richer, so they can get their 8 billion instead, you know, from 7 billion. I've been hugely disappointed. What can they do? I don't know. I don't think it's up to them. I think it's up to us. I think 7 million people showing up for a protest is important. I think voting is really important. I am moving back to the United States early because I want to be in the fight. How am I going to be in the fight? I'm going to use my social media platforms and this platform and my writing to try and inform people around what I think is going on, why I think it is wrong, and methods for pushback. I think donating money to candidates. I'm going to try and bring a bunch of candidates on my other podcast, Raging Moderates, to elevate their profile. I'm going to give some money. I'm going to do a tour and try and bring attention to Democratic candidates for Congress. I don't think we can rely on the better angels of companies. I think it has to be voters. I think it has to be citizens. I think it, it has to be protest. I think it has to be talking to your friends about what's wrong with this. I think it has to be. I'd like the idea of a national economic strike where people stop buying shit on a certain day or targeting certain companies with specific ass. So I think there are things we can do, but I think waiting on the better angels of CEOs. Don't hold your breath. It never fucking happens. We're always hoping that Sheryl Sandberg is different because she cares about gender balance. She wrote a book about it, despite the fact she came up with a business model to encourage teenage girls to start cutting themselves. She cares. She cares. And then it was Sam Altman with his hushed tones. His hushed tones. These are fears we worry about, you know. Thank you Senator for the question. Fuck you with your synthetic relationships and deciding that porn's okay. By the way, the collision of porn and synthetic relationships for young men is a disaster waiting to happen. What happens when a 15 year old boy approaches a girl at the cool kids table and gets rebuffed? And there's a word for that, it's called being a 15 year old boy. And decides, you know what? I have this incredible synthetic AI brought to be my musk or Sam Altman that will perform erotic acts for me and tell me I'm great and is funny and knows exactly how to keep me glued to my computer. And before I know it, I lose all mojo to talk to strange women or spend money trying to take a woman to a movies. I don't talk to my dad, I don't talk to my sister. And I wake up 30 years old in a basement playing video game, obese and anxious. That is literally where we're headed. Too much. Too much. So I think it's more vocal pushback. But boss, if we're waiting on corporations, the army isn't showing up. Thanks for the question. That's all for this episode. If you'd like to submit a question, please email a voice recording to officehoursofgmedia.com Again, that's office hourspropertymedia.com or if you prefer to ask on Reddit, just post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we just might feature it in an upcoming episode. This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez. Our assistant producer is Laura Gennar. Drew Burroughs is our technical director. Thank you for listening to the propg pod from propg Media.