Entrepreneurial Spirit

Celebrated as a transcendent, morally attuned and even Divine force, the "entrepreneurial spirit" continues to hold extraordinary force and power in the Western imaginary. It is certainly one of capitalism's most potent narratives, lending an aura of grace to the otherwise fairly base motive of self-interest. Although Ronald Reagan was not the first to exalt this mystical drive, he definitely popularized it and placed it firmly in the mainstream of liberal discourse, where it maintains it's power today. In fact with the rise of the gig economy and the tech-geek hero model, the Spirit is held out as the new savior and those endowed with it's blessing objects worthy of our worship.

In the popular culture, this "spirit" combines courage, determination, brilliance and exceptionalism, leading Regan to declare those post-Carter years "the age of the entrepreneur". All that was needed was to get government out of the way so the supernatural energy of these alpha Americans could be unleashed. Unlike simple workers, these heroes view risk as opportunity. The spirit helps them envision the possibilities to which the rest of us remain blinded, and they are driven, imbued with a passion for making their dreams come true. At a time when our other mythical heroes (soldiers, cowboys, adventurers, etc.) have fallen on hard times, this Warrior for Capital Accumulation fills the vacuum and his/her virtues are extolled on both sides of the "political" aisle (binary Dem-Repub- Lib- Conservative).

The Spirit also serves as the answer as to why socialism can never succeed. Collectivism smothers the egoistic Spirit, hence undermining the foundation of morality, not to mention stifling all ambition and pride (not to be confused with egotism). It is this dominant narrative which pushes the libertarian Silicon Valley "start-up" mystique, with its "high creatives" in their incubators, busily conjuring new revenue streams from a monetized, transactional commons.

And it is the narrative that must be buried as the mystical, romantic bullshit that it is.