America Is Now One Big Subscription Service
Will The Latest Incarnation Of End Stage Capitalist Grift Blow Up In It's Face?
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Thanks to the RLP podcast hosted by Jack Morgan for the enlightening thoughts expressed that inspired this brief article.
Here's a good question:
Have you noticed that somehow along the treacherous way, the entirety of American life became a subscription service?
I came across this podcast (linked below) and was caught unaware.
Younger people, IMHO, are far more open-minded when it comes to throwing old, dysfunctional ideas into the trash bin of history, and criticizing the inadequacies, hypocrisy, and contradictions of current systems of governance and financial regulation.
It's like waking up like Charlton Heston did in Soylent Green only slightly before its too late to do something. Apparently, what the “people need most” is subscription services, and plenty of them.
They were talking about how America is now essentially a subscription service, and the clever, yet insidious nature of this scheme, is, I'll give "them" credit, pretty astounding.
This is across ALL consumer items, tangible and non-tangible.
Think of "news" set behind paywalls.
You click through to your favorite article only to be denied.
Jeff Bezos Washington Post claims democracy dies in darkness, but if you're not subscribed, well, sorry, you're still in the dark.
Don't just stand there in the dark, subscribe now!
For example, I bought a printer 15 years ago, and I can't remember the last document I printed at home. NOW, in 2025, your printer, which you pay for in part or in full through cash or credit, STILL DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU, and its features WILL NOT WORK unless you are SUBSCRIBED to your printer. EVERY MONTH.
The ultimate Catch 22: You can't have a paper copy without a printer, but your printer won't work without a subscription.
(Note in this screenshot from HP, they offer “hassle-free printing” because they’re kind enough to give you, the hapless consumer, “subscription relief” when the irony is the hassle is BECAUSE of HP)
Many frustrated consumers find this out too little too late, even savvy younger people familiar with tech.
In the past, when people could afford to pay outright or make payments for an item like a car or a refrigerator, they owned the item, or at least could expect they would eventually own it within a reasonable time period, unlike the 6 to 8-year auto loans on used cars.
So, as consumer and manufacturing industries struggle along, the latest grift in "late-stage capitalism" seems to be the subscription service.
Imagine: Someone pays 60,000 dollars or more for a car, yet to use features like a heated steering wheel, seats, or GPS navigation,(you guessed it) a MONTHLY subscription is required.
So in addition to payments, insurance, maintenance costs, fuel, etc. you also have to subscribe to unlock the car’s "premium features" service even though you are already paying through the nose. These are features ALREADY INSTALLED on the car, you just can't use them.
"Why You Might Need to Subscribe to Get Certain Features on Your Next Car
Some automakers are planning monthly or yearly subscription fees for certain features already installed on your car"
Even refrigerators aren't really "owned" by the purchaser. Let's see what the good ole Google AI has to say about it:
"Subscription services for refrigerators and cars include services that provide access to cars or fridge filters for a monthly fee.
Car subscription services
Care by Volvo
A subscription service from Volvo that offers access to a Volvo XC40 for a set period of time. It combines aspects of a car lease and a vehicle subscription.
Subscribe with Enterprise
A subscription program from the rental car company Enterprise that offers access to cars, insurance, maintenance, and roadside assistance.
Loopit
A car subscription software that automates billing and payments, and allows drivers to customize their subscription.
Fridge filter subscription services
FilterEasy: A subscription service that provides access to fridge filters. It offers pleated filters, free shipping, and plans that start as low as $16 per filter.
Car subscription services allow drivers to access a line of cars without having to make down payments or worry about long-term loan commitments"
The latest is physical retailer Wal Mart charging 100 dollars a year for the valued consumer to be allowed to access "perks". You STILL, of course, have to check yourself out, and I heard that, if this is enacted, only paid subscribers will have the "privilege" of doing self checkout, a job which, in ancient times, was done by humans, but these slow, clunky mammals were apparently standing in the way of a gorious AI future on Earth, if not maximized Wal Mart profits.
"Walmart Plus is a subscription service from Walmart. Priced at $98 per year (or $12.95/month on a rolling basis), it includes perks like unlimited free delivery on more than 160,000 items as well as fuel discounts at more than 2,000 Walmart and Murphy USA fuel stations. The latest perk includes free access to Paramount Plus at no extra cost. Walmart Plus comes with a free 30-day trial."
So, for better or worse, everything from TV to Movies to Music to Cars to Shopping is now a privilege, and Klaus Schwab’s prediction, that you will own nothing and be happy, a step closer.
Have you subscribed to America yet? Hurry! reduced prices for a limited time only!
Worth a watch: