Zero Sum Empire

November 1, 2021

Hustle Culture and Radio Propagandists: Jay-Z and John Catsimitidis

Housekeeping: We take a minute at the start to talk about a new segment we are introducing, tentatively called “The Mindset Segment.” We are taking suggestions for a better name. In the News: Only one topic this time: The Pandora Papers. A massive leak of private financial records revealed that the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people siphon wealth into black holes of secret offshore accounts, and most of it is perfectly legal. We already knew this, but I guess we know it even more now? We also talk a little bit about how both tax evasion and financial records leaks have changed as a result of The Computer Age. Billionaire #1: Jay-Z 1/10 on the David Koch Memorial Asset Liquidation Index As Joe points out, it would be extremely unusual if you, the person reading this, did not already know who Jay-Z is so I’ll skip the bio. Joe soft launches the mindset segment with an exploration of the key concept of Jay-Z’s career and outlook: Hustling. We talk a bit about the history of the concept of hustling, from the con artist to Black hustling to “hustle and grind” people. In the end, though he was at one time a crack dealer, it doesn’t seem like Jay-Z has done a tremendous amount of harm compared to most of the people we talk about, so he only got a measly 1. Billionaire #2: John Catsimitidis: 6/10 on the DKMALI John “Cats” Catsimitidis made his fortune with a chain of Manhattan supermarkets called Gristedes. He is a mean, paranoid man who uses his great wealth to spread hatred and fear of the powerless and vulnerable. Lucky for us, he’s incredibly ineffective. He’s very involved in New York Republican politics, as are his children. If you want to get a sense of who he is, just imagine a guy who believes all the same things as Rudy Giuliani but is less articulate in expressing those ideas. Links: https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/global-investigation-tax-havens-offshore/?utm_source=pocket_mylist Jay-Z: Subway lady: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydYYyD9c_A Dyson bio: https://www.amazon.com/JAY-Z-America-Michael-Eric-Dyson/dp/1250230969 Catsimitidis: Unanue Humanitarian Award: https://www.amny.com/news/goya-foods-president-robert-unanue-receives-humanitarian-awards/?utm_source=pocket_mylist Cats family takes over NYC GOP: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/17/nyregion/giuliani-republican-party-nyc.html?utm_source=pocket_mylist Story on Cats’ Daughter: https://guestofaguest.com/new-york/nyc-society/the-tackiest-heiress-in-new-york-is-also-the-face-of-the-manhattan-republican-party?utm_source=pocket_mylist Editorial by Cats and Bernie Marcus: https://www.wsj.com/articles/making-money-is-a-patriotic-act-11565737046?utm_source=pocket_mylist