I was also wondering if this is a continuation of the socks as a social construct thread.
Unlike you, however, I don’t consider the idea to be “hippy shit” at all. In fact, I’ve often thought that we might be better off without corporations. Entrepreneurship is what we need, not impersonal investment.
Isn’t the tension between Gatsby’s great image and his complex, problematic actuality kind of the point of the story?
(My bonus interpretation: it’s also about how America looks like Gatsby’s lavish party spot from afar with its green pier light beckoning, yet once you get close it’s more like the valley of ashes, its people downtrodden and consumed by jealousy to the point of violence)