The Velvet Rope Economy

How Inequality Became Big Business

By: Nelson D. Schwartz

Narrated by: Jason Culp

From New York Times business reporter Nelson D. Schwartz comes a gripping investigation of how a virtual velvet rope divides Americans in every arena of life, creating a friction-free existence for those with money on one side and a Darwinian struggle for the middle class on the other side.

In nearly every realm of daily life--from health care to education, highways to home security--there is an invisible velvet rope that divides how Americans live. On one side of the rope, for a price, red tape is cut, lines are jumped, appointments are secured, and doors are opened. On the other side, middle- and working-class Americans fight to find an empty seat on the plane, a place in line with their kids at the amusement park, a college acceptance, or a hospital bed.
We are all aware of the gap between the rich and everyone else, but when we weren't looking, business innovators stepped in to exploit it, shifting services away from the masses and finding new ways to profit by serving the privileged. And as decision-makers and corporate leaders increasingly live on the friction-free side of the velvet rope, they are less inclined to change--or even notice--the obstacles everyone else must contend with. Schwartz's "must read" book takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of this new reality and shows the toll the velvet rope divide takes on society.

Great book!

This is a wonderful reminded of the U.S. Society and Globalization classes I took so many years ago. Lots of facts, but not overwhelming. Everyone should read/listen to this book!

Two Weak Examples

Closed Shopping Malls and Ruby Tuesday Restaurants were weak examples. Other than those two problems, the book was insightful and important. Better to learn now what economic choices we have made rather than risk a Lenin-like revolution in the United States. Excellent read.

Eye-opening book

Money talks this book opens up your eyes to how having a little bit of money i.e. a lot of money makes life easier. One of the reasons I stack bitcoin every day.

Flabbergasted

As I listened to the book, I went through many emotions. This is a must read if you are looking to grow your business, or if you want to understand the disparity between groups of people.

Eye-Opening

The narrator is engaging and able to bring quoted characters to life. The book content is eye-opening. Once you hear about the pernicious applications hidden in plain sight, you see the velvet rope everywhere. It’s a great read that shows how the country was and the small, but impactful, players across industries that influenced the classist divides today.