Dinosaurs were eventually replaced by agile clever Mammals.
Cavemen were eventually replaced by Farmers.
Horse and Buggies, by the Automobile.
In the natural course of events, the grand river of progress, flows with a great many bends and turns. Some of them helpful to the many. Some of them not so much.
File Clerks and Typists have been replaced by Office Automation workers.
Teachers trying to reach a wider audience, now have YouTube in their enlightening Toolkits.
Photographers who used to support a burgeoning Film Processing industry, now have become adept at producing their own art, from their own Digital-studios.
All steps forward, thanks to that wonder of the free-flowing economic river ... and its endless synergistic search to find that leveling sea ...
In a truly free market, if you build a "better mouse trap" -- the world will beat a path to your door ...
At least that's the way it's suppose to work, in the hallowed halls of Economic Schools, according to Free Market theorists of old.
If you build it ... If it meets a need, or solves a common problem -- then the Dollars will come ... once you price it appropriately, of course.
Supply and Demand. Ebb and Flow. Work and Rec-create.
Well that grand apple cart of give and take, of ebb and flow, can now be overturned, by the Mega-market players, who have enough market clout to abruptly change the "natural course" of the river, all on their own.
Markets are now no longer subject to the whims and preferences of consumers alone; they must now defend against the unseen Predators from above. From the bull-dozing Private Equity firms, who somehow have escaped the utilitarian sidebars of the Market's Invisible (level-seeking) Hand.
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There is a "natural course" of things, in business as in life.
As exemplified by Kodak which is declaring Bankruptcy after 130+ years of productive business.
Primarily because of the natural course of consumer decisions, which taken as a whole has been switching from Film to Digital Cameras, for many years now.
One sector loses jobs, as another sector gains them.
That is the natural course of what those learned Economists call Creative Destruction.
But in contrast to that, the kind of Creative Destruction which Private Equity firms, like Bain Capital engage in does not follow such a "natural course." Bain's Destruction is driven from different forces.
It does not follow the demands of consumers, but rather the demands for easy wealth, for their own private investors, who fund them, who empower them. They look to convert the sweat-equity of others, into their own Private Fortunes. That is their wealth hoarding way.
Bain Capital enforces an "accelerated timeline" to turn a company around to profitability, to get the consumers to jump on board. They rush the Creation phase for a Company, all the while tallying up its entire net worth, into their own future earnings column.
And while the Bain Game Clock ticks down to the finally quarter, the corporate coaches running the show, resort to gutting the company resources, downsizing its workers, selling off its assets. Feigning a Hail Mary pass, while over-leveraging the Companies debts -- so that its Destruction will be complete, when the clock finally does run down.
And if the Company did not rise to lead their market sector, to win its division ???
Well then a quick and rapid dissolution into Bankruptcy is in their free market cards. Bain pockets the wealth, the workers and previous owners pocket the pain. ... Next!
That is a whole different sort of Destructive demise, from which companies like Kodak, go through just given millions of individual consumer decisions (ie. the Invisible Hand). Bain Capital's Destruction phase is an Artificial form of Destruction. It is planned. It is forced along, irrespective of our Consumer choices.
Bain's is the Destruction, by "the sink or swim" method. They throw fledgling, struggling companies into the grand river, without a line-line, and wait for the Company to rise to the top, and get to shore, by the sweat of its brow.
And if it doesn't? No matter. Bain stands to inherit the company assets anyways. No Big Whoop -- to private equity investment firms. It's just another American Business Make-over to them. Only no one gets a new house, when they're done.
Such is this Unnatural force of 'Corporate Raiders' Creative Destruction. Those ivory tower Economists had better break out their calculators again ... It seems one of their 'creations,' as escaped from their Free Market invisible zoo.
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There are Consumers and there are Producers; and now there are Super-Consumers/Predators who see the entire system, as being at their beck and call.
Your livelihood can be cast aside like so many cobwebs ... no matter the service you've performed, no matter the productive niches you've filled ... No matter the promised Benefits, that you've earned. Through your life-time of dedicated work.
The Dinosaurs of old, have nothing over this crowd. This Wealth Hoarding extreme-make-over sliver of society.
Free Markets, look out! There's a new Super-Consuming Dino-Predator in town ...
They call themselves Private Equity Investment firms. As if that takes the sting out of the threat they pose.
Destruction by drowning, is still a very hurtful, unnatural way to go ...
Now if only we could build a Super-Predator Mouse Trap large enough for the likes of them ... of course, they'd probably just buy out the company if we did ...
That's just their Predatory way. To the swift go the spoils ... all under the guise and cover of Free Market enterprising. Where the Consumer, no longer decides the course of the economic river ... on which, we all must ride.