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What a myopic comment, and dripping with unwarranted vitriol. The world absolutely _should_ work that way. Companies _should_ have half a brain to realise that
by exergy 8y ago
What a myopic comment, and dripping with unwarranted vitriol.
The world absolutely _should_ work that way. Companies _should_ have half a brain to realise that selling bottled water is bad for the environment, that fracking causes earthquakes, that sugar is the root of all dietary evil, that tobacco is carcinogenic, that overfishing causes unspeakable damage to ocean life, that SUVs are colossal wastes of space and fuel...
All the companies doing the above are providing wildly popular goods and services. And a lot of them are perfectly legal too.
Your suggestion implies that all this is just dandy, thank you very much, so take your hemp clothing and your vegan sandals and your do-gooderness off of my property and gtfo acting as a "self appointed guardian".
What kind of extreme libertarian hard-on does a man have to possess to believe that all of this is how society SHOULD work?
I deeply resent this sentiment that you have to take the good with the bad of a free market society because there is no alternative. Of course there is! Regulate these idiots into the ground! While this is clearly a pipe dream, that's a long way away from the statement that this is how society _should_ be.
- ggg9990 8y agoIt’s not a pipe dream in Northern Europe.
- Humdeee 8y ago> What a myopic comment, and dripping with unwarranted vitriol. For those who are vocabulary stunted (like me apparently): myopic: nearsighted. vitriol: cruel and bitter criticism.
- Lurker397412 8y agoFor those who don't English good: vocabulary: how many big, confusing words you know. stunted: not grow big. nearsighted: not see far. criticism: what assholes say they're giving you, when they call you dumb.
- mulmen 8y agoI disagree with you at a philosophical level. Companies exist to satisfy demand and earn a profit. The benefit to our capitalist democratic system is that the people in power both commercially and politically are beholden to the demands of the people. We define morality in terms of demand. That can happen through legislation or through personal accountability. The public brain trust remains in control, this protects us from the ultimate danger, a well-intentioned yet myopic autocrat.
- dredmorbius 8y agoSo long as rent-seeking and externalities exist, "profit" is by no means aligned with increasing common weal.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- mulmen 8y agoI should have been more clear in my original comment. I have no opposition to regulation and consider it a crucial part of any capitalist system. I disagree with the idea that companies should be expected to make these moral value judgements themselves.
- dredmorbius 8y agoGresham's Law details why a regulatory framework, rather than voluntary action, is required. That firms are able to dismantle, oppose, co-opt, or avoid such frameworks is very much part of the problem. I'd like to see vast changes in liability and increased veil-piercing abilities.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]