SOLVED! FROM THE ARCHIVES! - "Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted" (Original Air Date: 5-26-24)

SOLVED! FROM THE ARCHIVES! - "Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted" (Original Air Date: 5-26-24)

Author: Best of the Left: Perspectives on Politics, Culture, and Economics December 7, 2025 Duration: 1:02:23

Re-Air Date: 12–2-25

Unless you were a member in May of 2024, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and B.Y: before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:

Ch. 1 - How supply and demand economics is not about "distribution of goods with the greatest efficiency" and is instead about nothing more than predatory greed

Ch. 2 - How what we value as humans goes far beyond the price of commodities

Ch. 3 - More examples of "enshitification" as companies reach inside our homes to control things we already bought

Ch. 4 - How companies are restricting functionality to extract even more from us

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REFERENCES:

WELCOME TO PRICING HELL - The Atlantic

The Gap Between the Price You See and What You Pay Is Getting Worse - The Wall Street Journal

Welcome to the Golden Age of User Hostility - The Atlantic

My Printer Is Extorting Me - The Atlantic

Bought a Model Y? Tesla may charge you to use the battery's full range - Yahoo! Finance

Corporate America Knows We're Miserable. Is a Toilet Bomb the Answer? - The Wall Street Journal

 

EXTRAS:

00:12:53 "Not everything that counts can be counted" by Billy Bragg

00:42:41 Best of the Left Ep. #1629 - "Hitting Where it Hurts in Our Era of Negative Partisanship: Messaging left-wing politics amid cultish politics" (Air Date: May 2024)

00:48:44 Best of the Left Ep. #1628 - "New Era of Antitrust for a New Era of Capitalism, Mega-Corporations and Big Tech" (Air Date: May 2024)

 

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Produced by:

Jay! Tomlinson

Thanks for listening!


For over fifteen years, Best of the Left-Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy has served as a vital, human-curated digest of voices from across the progressive spectrum. Instead of presenting a single opinion, each episode is built around a specific theme-from economic inequality to climate policy to cultural shifts-and weaves together insightful commentary from a diverse array of journalists, activists, and thinkers. This approach allows you to efficiently grasp the nuances of complex issues by hearing multiple expert angles in one sitting, all while discovering new commentators and sources you might not have encountered otherwise. The result is a richly layered analysis that algorithms simply cannot replicate, offering depth and context often missing from the daily news cycle. Since 2006, this award-winning podcast has cut through the noise, drawing from hundreds of independent and established sources to provide a coherent, thoughtful examination of the forces shaping our society and governments. Tuning in means joining a long-running conversation dedicated to understanding and advancing democratic principles, social justice, and a more equitable economy, all through the focused lens of leftist thought.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
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