Thread by @polotek

See this is where it gets tough. I admit I never considered this aspect of a product like Liquid Death.

But we have to be smarter than this. We cannot spin up a whole capitalist machine, with all the inherent exploitation, because people don't want to feel awkward at parties.

https://twitter.com/taco_x86/status/1370788580356980738

My initial phrasing did come off as flippant. I apologize for that. I'm engaging with this thought quite seriously. It may be more than a "feeling awkward" problem. I'm still skeptical that a capitalist solution is what is needed there.

https://twitter.com/polotek/status/1370819996993998849?s=19

I think if you're gonna be anti-capitalist, you do need to be serious about addressing the problems people have. We know capitalism only provides surface level solutions. But a lot of people will pay for those in absence of something more permanent.

I'm not a "no compromise" anti-capitalist obviously. I think it's largely inescapable and sometimes useful. But I do think we need more thought put into the real tradeoffs of capitalist solutions. A product like Liquid Death is net negative in my mind.

The industry around productizing water is harmful in itself. We are already seeing water problems even in our developed nations. It has been a problem in less developed nations for decades. We are hurtling towards global water problems. This isn't the way.

https://twitter.com/Mantia/status/1370823606951845890?s=19

Folks like Josh helped me to understand this key issue a while back. It's pretty important to understand this dynamic. Where mass market capitalism is what makes a product affordable to those who really need it.

https://twitter.com/joshsusser/status/1370823455453581312?s=19

It's similar to how insurance works. Insurance only becomes affordable if the vast majority of people pay for it but aren't using it. But when you need it, it's a lifesaver.

(Insurance is a long game though. Everybody needs it at some point over the course of their lives.)