The 2017 solar eclipse was the best of times and the worst of times for capitalism: On the one hand, NBC News reported that it would cost American employers almost $700 million in lost productivity from their employees, which is really sad. On the dangerously bright side, however, entrepreneurs saw that employers’ loss could be their gain and flooded the market with cheaply made counterfeit eclipse glasses, precisely the kind of creative destruction (of their victims’ retinas) that makes the economy thrive.
Unfortunately, Conan’s Andy Richter fell victim to one such job creator, as he explained on Monday night. Fortunately, Richter tested them out before the eclipse, so he escaped his encounter with free trade and open markets with his vision intact. Unfortunately, he tested them out on a cameraman named Jessie. Fortunately, Jessie managed to hang on to his job even after looking directly into the sun. Unfortunately, he’s not as good at it anymore. Fortunately, the video of Jessie suffering catastrophic eye damage is hilarious and we’ve embedded it right here. But fortunate or unfortunate, good or bad, one thing is certain: This is the age of foolishness.
