Land of Losers
Odds of 'making it' in America aren't much better than a slot machine, and those odds ain't good.
I loathe Las Vegas. The city’s main attractions —gambling, free-flowing booze, druggie nightclubs, all-you-can-eat buffets, random sex and prostitution, excessive climate control, etc .—are a catalog of acts that most every religion and spiritual practice forbids. Las Vegas would be nothing without hoards of miserable people reveling in their most destructive impulses and addictions, yet watching ads for the Las Vegas tourism board or an Ocean’s 11 sequel shows something different. The PR-agency concocted Vegas—a Vegas devoid of gambling debts, hangovers, overdoses, STDs, obesity, etc. —is a fun and glamorous place with great entertainment for all ages.
During my last visit to Las Vegas, roughly 15 years ago, I devised a simple way to accurately convey what happened in Las Vegas. Currently, when someone enters a casino they hear a din made up of slots mid-spin and bells announcing slot winners. My simple intervention entails muting the sounds coming from the handful of slot winners and amplifying the sounds of those losing. I envision machines belching a big, tromboney “wah-wah” for every loser, and there are a lot of losers. According to Investopia, slot machine odds range “from a one-in-5,000 to one-in-about-34-million chance of winning the top prize when using the maximum coin play.” If every Las Vegas loser was publicly announced in the casinos —or every drunken arrest, late-night overdose, etc —I think it’d be tough to portray Las Vegas as anything other than the hellhole that it is.
America’s lifestyle and economy function much the same way Las Vegas does. The American media machine celebrates the handful of people “winning” in today’s rigged socioeconomic conditions, telling you about their habits, inferring that you too can be a Musk, Zuckerberg, Bozos, Buffet, Kardashian, etc. And while that same media might cover the plight of immigrants and wage slaves, the coverage lacks proportionality. There are around 3,200 billionaires in the world, which barely constitutes a rounding error for the world’s 7.8 billion total population. Even the world’s 59.4 million millionaires —a population that’s grown largely due to America’s reckless debt-fueled fiscal policies of the last decade —represents .75 percent of the world’s population. The odds of being or becoming a billionaire or millionaire if you’re not already one, and the odds that billionaire and millionaire habits will affect your fortunes are lower than the slot machines for all practical purposes.
I write all this to reiterate my profound lack of faith in today’s social, economic, political, and (anti) spiritual power structure in supporting human or planetary health and flourishing. Will Biden, Trump, RFK Jr. or whoever win the presidency? Will millionaire and billionaire government and business leaders amend policies and industrial practices to thwart the climate crisis that can easily wipe out the majority of life, humans included, on earth? These questions are academic at this point. The game where the House always wins is the problem. The more important question is whether you’d play a game where your chances of winning were less than one percent, and maybe far lower? I wouldn’t. It’s time for new games and new players.
Song of the day:
Certainly overall I agree.
However, Lost Wages is an interesting place. Even though your description is true, I like visiting. Because their business model is to fleece the tourists, flights, rental cars, and hotels are inexpensive, while Red Rocks Conservation Area is a great running, climbing, and hiking winter destination. Since I have zero interest in the tourist scene, I inexpensively enjoy visiting.
I know residents and they like it as well (and don't go to the Strip either). It's a well run city and ironically fairly low crime.
A good example, is Lost Wages has reduced per capita water use 48%! They got serious and started banning grass lawns 15 years ago - they are a model of water conservation in the US. Phoenix is the worst but it's easier to critique LV.
What’s more amazing to me is how little a million dollars is today.
I still think it is very possible for people in the US to become millionaires if they practice good stewardship from an early age and choose a spouse of similar characteristics.
It is helpful if it was modeled that having everything now is a loosing proposition. Find a vocation, have a family, be part of the community, and indulge in your desires sparingly early on.
You’ll never always have it figured out. Money is a tool we have to have access to. Having a pile of it gets you no where if you are empty inside and are not charitable.
I will celebrate my 40th year with the company this year. I started by driving the truck, mixing paint, and unloading the trucks. What am I still doing here? Making myself more valuable everyday.
Las Vegas. I hate that place. Been there twice for work conferences. I was out running at 5am while the majority seemed to be just stumbling in. Never saw so many prostitutes in my life at that time of day.