A man’s colleagues gave up their own paid time off so that he could rest and recover while undergoing treatment for cancer. A little girl couldn’t afford running shoes, so she taped plasters to her feet, drew a Nike sign and ended up winning the race. A California college set up a safe parking lot for homeless students to sleep peacefully in their cars.
They may seem like feel-good stories, but there’s something a lot more sinister lurking beneath the polished headlines. It’s called late-stage capitalism, and it’s trying to trick us into thinking it’s wonderful. There’s an entire Facebook page that’s dedicated to outing “Dystopian late-stage capitalism horrors repackaged as heartwarming stories.” It’s filled with posts that are nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Bored Panda has put together a bunch of the best of them. But be warned, you may begin to feel like you’ve been sucked into a dystopian film while scrolling through this list.
Meanwhile, change strategist, complexity researcher and cognitive scientist Joe Bruwer references the "mental disease of late capitalism" in a piece he penned online. He writes that many of us carry shame about being broke or struggling, when it's not really our fault.
"The system is performing exactly as it was designed to," he argues. "That is why wages have stagnated in the West for 30 years. It is why 62 people are able to have the same amount of wealth as 3.7 billion. It is why politicians are bought by the highest bidders and legislation systematically serves the already-rich at the expense of society."
Bruwer believes that change is coming but in the meantime, we should take back our power while we wait for the tide to turn.
"Those billionaires who rigged the game don’t get to tell me what I should or shouldn’t say to my friends. If I am struggling financially it is because the financial system is morally corrupt," he says. "This truth is a mantric elixir — repeat it to yourself every time the habits of your mind whisper that it is your fault."
#29
Avivo Village in Minneapolis is an innovative shelter designed to provide people experiencing homelessness with a safer and more stable place to stay. Instead of large dorm-style spaces typical of many shelters, it offers small, private, lockable rooms inside a warehouse, giving residents greater dignity, security, and personal space. Beyond providing warmth and safety during harsh winters, the community also connects residents with essential services such as mental health care, addiction treatment, and housing support. By combining shelter with comprehensive assistance, Avivo Village aims to help people move beyond temporary emergency housing and toward long-term stability.
16points
#32
A mom, her two teenagers, and an army of volunteers have hand-rolled 10,000 seed bombs and turned LA's burn zones into a wild meadow of poppies, sunflowers, and yarrow.
The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed or damaged more than 16,000 homes and buildings, took out 28 people, and forced more than 200,000 to evacuate last January.
Climate scientists found the hot, dry and windy conditions that drove the fires were about 35% more likely due to 1.3 degrees Celsius of global warming caused primarily by the burning of oil, gas and coal.
Then came the second disaster.
Soil testing across the burn zones revealed shocking lead contamination. LA County's Eaton Fire Soil Lead testing found that 571 properties had lead levels between 81 and 200 parts per million, levels that can cause premature birth, developmental damage in fetuses, and behavioral and learning problems in children.
Researchers also detected elevated levels of arsenic, cobalt and chromium, all known carcinogens.
The Army Corps of Engineers refused to test the soil, breaking with longstanding federal practice. Families had to scramble for answers on their own.
In an incredible piece for National Geographic, writer Dana Goodyear describes returning with her husband and two children to the scraped concrete pad where their home used to be. They hurled handfuls of seed bombs into the void.
Seed bombs are doughnut-hole sized clumps of native seeds, compost, and clay. You toss them onto bare ground. The clay shields the seed. The rain wakes it up. The plant does the rest.
What began as one grieving family became the Seed Bomb Project.
Goodyear and her teenage son Rummy hosted workshops at schools and community centers. Neighbors, kids, and other fire survivors rolled thousands by hand. Companies donated compost. Seed banks sent seeds.
Then something remarkable happened. Some of the native plants they scattered, including bush sunflowers, actually draw arsenic and lead out of contaminated soil.
The flowers are not just beautiful. They are cleaning up the mess polluters made!
This spring, the burn zones are exploding with poppies, sunflowers, and yarrow. A community wrecked by climate disaster and stiffed by federal cleanup is healing itself, one tossed seed at a time.
This is what working people have always done while billionaires tally their winnings. We show up for each other. We refuse to let our neighborhoods disappear.
The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed or damaged more than 16,000 homes and buildings, took out 28 people, and forced more than 200,000 to evacuate last January.
Climate scientists found the hot, dry and windy conditions that drove the fires were about 35% more likely due to 1.3 degrees Celsius of global warming caused primarily by the burning of oil, gas and coal.
Then came the second disaster.
Soil testing across the burn zones revealed shocking lead contamination. LA County's Eaton Fire Soil Lead testing found that 571 properties had lead levels between 81 and 200 parts per million, levels that can cause premature birth, developmental damage in fetuses, and behavioral and learning problems in children.
Researchers also detected elevated levels of arsenic, cobalt and chromium, all known carcinogens.
The Army Corps of Engineers refused to test the soil, breaking with longstanding federal practice. Families had to scramble for answers on their own.
In an incredible piece for National Geographic, writer Dana Goodyear describes returning with her husband and two children to the scraped concrete pad where their home used to be. They hurled handfuls of seed bombs into the void.
Seed bombs are doughnut-hole sized clumps of native seeds, compost, and clay. You toss them onto bare ground. The clay shields the seed. The rain wakes it up. The plant does the rest.
What began as one grieving family became the Seed Bomb Project.
Goodyear and her teenage son Rummy hosted workshops at schools and community centers. Neighbors, kids, and other fire survivors rolled thousands by hand. Companies donated compost. Seed banks sent seeds.
Then something remarkable happened. Some of the native plants they scattered, including bush sunflowers, actually draw arsenic and lead out of contaminated soil.
The flowers are not just beautiful. They are cleaning up the mess polluters made!
This spring, the burn zones are exploding with poppies, sunflowers, and yarrow. A community wrecked by climate disaster and stiffed by federal cleanup is healing itself, one tossed seed at a time.
This is what working people have always done while billionaires tally their winnings. We show up for each other. We refuse to let our neighborhoods disappear.
13points
#35
RETIRED COUPLE BOOKS 51 BACK TO BACK CRUISES BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER THAN A RETIREMENT HOME.
Australian retirees Marty and Jess Ansen have turned retirement into a permanent cruise adventure. Rising costs made living on land less affordable, so they opted for continuous voyages, with meals, cleaning, entertainment, and health care included. Since June 2022, they've been living full-time aboard cruise ships, exploring ports, meeting travelers, and enjoying a care-free floating lifestyle. Their story shows that retirement doesn't have to mean staying in one place, it can mean turning life into a budget-friendly, endlessly adventurous journey at sea.
Australian retirees Marty and Jess Ansen have turned retirement into a permanent cruise adventure. Rising costs made living on land less affordable, so they opted for continuous voyages, with meals, cleaning, entertainment, and health care included. Since June 2022, they've been living full-time aboard cruise ships, exploring ports, meeting travelers, and enjoying a care-free floating lifestyle. Their story shows that retirement doesn't have to mean staying in one place, it can mean turning life into a budget-friendly, endlessly adventurous journey at sea.
12points
