When the show Shark Tank premiered, I made the mistake of watching the first few episodes. Everything gross about capitalism was on display: gaudy displays of wealth, poor people begging rich people for the chance of a life other than a destitute one, rich people condescending to those poor people under the guise of tough love, and all of this was packaged under the most familiar of capitalist motifs - the rags to riches story. Here was a show that offered proof positive that a good idea and hard work was all you needed to get ahead. As you might guess, I didn't last more than a few episodes.

The reason I gave it a try in the first place was because I had been watching the British version, Dragon’s Den, for years. And I didn't find that show off-putting in the same way.

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