3 ms·

Another dimension besides just the economic outcomes is the constant appearance of normalized, or even celebrated, impropriety. There's no real accountability f

Another dimension besides just the economic outcomes is the constant appearance of normalized, or even celebrated, impropriety. There's no real accountability for exploiters and no meaningful restitution for the exploited in pretty much any domain. Institutions which advertise themselves as society's equalizers (e.g. "Nobody is above the law") regularly prove to be either nakedly inadequate in the best cases or even active promoters of predation in the worst cases. So people stop believing in the premise. Impartial institutions, or at least the believable perception of impartiality, is perhaps the most essential component to sustain "Western society". For example, I strongly suspect that if any real accountability and real restitution had followed in the wake of something like the 2008 financial crisis, we'd see a lot less radicalization today.

rsa4046 4y ago
> For example, I strongly suspect that if any real accountability and real restitution had followed in the wake of something like the 2008 financial crisis, we'd see a lot less radicalization today. Very much agree with this — an opportunity stupidly discarded.
- skfingngihg 4y ago
  Obama parlayed it into a Netflix deal and donations to his favored causes. He used it, just not to help people.
gruez 4y ago
>is the constant appearance of normalized, or even celebrated, impropriety. Can you provide some examples of such "impropriety"? >For example, I strongly suspect that if any real accountability and real restitution had followed in the wake of something like the 2008 financial crisis, we'd see a lot less radicalization today. What would this look like? My impression of the 2008 financial crisis was that the factors were so varied and the responsibility of a single actor so diffuse that it was very difficult to actually convict anyone of causing the multi-trillion disaster.

rsa4046 4y ago

> For example, I strongly suspect that if any real accountability and real restitution had followed in the wake of something like the 2008 financial crisis, we'd see a lot less radicalization today. Very much agree with this — an opportunity stupidly discarded.

skfingngihg 4y ago
Obama parlayed it into a Netflix deal and donations to his favored causes. He used it, just not to help people.

gruez 4y ago

>is the constant appearance of normalized, or even celebrated, impropriety. Can you provide some examples of such "impropriety"? >For example, I strongly suspect that if any real accountability and real restitution had followed in the wake of something like the 2008 financial crisis, we'd see a lot less radicalization today. What would this look like? My impression of the 2008 financial crisis was that the factors were so varied and the responsibility of a single actor so diffuse that it was very difficult to actually convict anyone of causing the multi-trillion disaster.