Case 1: A company cafeteria
The company had a cafeteria that served nutritious food. Lunch might consist of a salad with grilled fish on top, with a side of whole wheat bread. All washed down with a glass of water.
Then the dining area was opened up to competition. The cafeteria was replaced with a vast food court, where multiple vendors competed to attract workers to their business. They gave the workers the food they actually wanted. Now workers dined on yummy foods, such a juicy steaks, potatoes soaked in butter, burgers with bacon on top. For dessert there was cherry pie, ice cream, and chocolate cake. All washed down with bottles of wine, mugs of beer, and shots of whiskey.
And they lived happily ever after.
Case 2: The news media
TV stations offer three bland news shows—CBS, NBC and ABC. Each provided a half hour of exactly the same sort of news, at precisely 6:30 in the evening.
Then cable came along and opened the news media to competition. Then the internet arrived, and there was even more competition. They gave the public the news they actually wanted. The public wanted to believe that they were virtuous and those on the other side were evil. They wanted to believe that their goals were being thwarted by nefarious conspiracies organized by powerful interests. They stopped dating people with different political views. They stopped speaking with family members who disagreed with them. They stopped hiring people that supported the other candidate. They stopped using the medicine used by people on the other side.
And they lived happily ever after.