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If you stop and think about it, almost every business is a scam of sorts that relies upon the weaknesses of human nature to thrive. In a lot of cases we're too

If you stop and think about it, almost every business is a scam of sorts that relies upon the weaknesses of human nature to thrive. In a lot of cases we're too lazy to do it ourselves. Or we need it NOW. Or we're too stupid to care or we're overwhelmed by other emotional factors. All these things and more impede our ability to make a clear distinction between value, cost and need. It's really hard to tell the difference between late stage capitalism and fraud. They're only divided by a thin legal line full of semantics and double speak. Words dont seem to have meanings. ie) Guaranteed, Free, Unlimited, etc. We've become entrapped in a web of tort law and legal ridiculousness. So in the end this guy tells it like it is... He's the known known, the honest thief.

rockemsockem 2y ago
People want stuff and want to accomplish more than they have time to do on their own. I have no idea why you want to twist that into dark desires and laziness.
- DudeOpotomus 2y ago
  There are entire departments at large corporations that do nothing but think of ways to sneak in more fees and higher costs. Its endemic throughout corporate Americas largest industries. Insurance Banking Finance Media Energy Software All are infused with opaque business practices and layers of legal protections hiding behind 1000 page contracts.
  - rockemsockem 2y ago
    That's absolutely true. And it's also true that most Americans don't work at large corporations and that most companies are not large. https://www.bls.gov/charts/county-employment-and-wages/establishments-by-size.htm https://www.bls.gov/charts/county-employment-and-wages/estab...
- DudeOpotomus 2y ago
  Shrinkflation is one very clear example of this in action. Is selling a candy bar that is half the size of the packaging yet the same cost as it was before they shrank the product fraud or is it just business? It fits the definition of fraud more than anything...misrepresenting the outcome by hiding the facts. Seems pretty fraudulent to me...
  - rockemsockem 2y ago
    No argument here. But most Americans don't work at large corporations and that most companies are not large. https://www.bls.gov/charts/county-employment-and-wages/establishments-by-size.htm https://www.bls.gov/charts/county-employment-and-wages/estab... The parent post said that most businesses are fraudulent and pointed at practices by large businesses.
idkdotcom 2y ago
I agree with this "It's really hard to tell the difference between late stage capitalism and fraud". The best example to illustrate this principle is the unholy alliance between Big Pharma and the government, particularly the FDA. Big Pharma lobbyist write the rules that the FDA enforces and the most ambitious people working at the FDA, after a few years, leave to work at Big Pharma. The covid19 pandemic exposed the public at large to the way this unholy alliance works, but there have been numerous cases of abuse by the Big Pharma companies who consider paying fines like these https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_pharmaceutical_settlements https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_pharmaceutical... a cost of doing business. In the context of AI, we are assisting to another of these abusive practices in the making particularly if an FDA-styled agency is created to regulate AI.
- DudeOpotomus 2y ago
  Yes, and it is so much worse. We have very few actual choices for major services and are forced into business with them because life without these services is next to impossible. Think about the tax code as an example. We literally have to buy software or pay a professional to decipher the madness. It's by design in order to keep all these people and companies profitable! Or shrinkflation. Is selling a candy bar that is half the size of the packaging yet the same cost as it was before they shrank the product fraud or is it just smart business? It fits the definition of fraud more than anything...
mondobe 2y ago
I think it depends on what you consider a weakness of human nature. We're susceptible to sugary foods, even though they're bad for us: are bakeries frauds? If we suddenly stopped feeling emotions tomorrow - if we all started acting totally rationally, how many industries would fall apart, even though we're theoretically way more efficient? The same goes for our need for convenience and luxury. We could have all survived on brick phones or Blackberries, but we now employ so much of our population making slightly-more-luxurious iPhones. At some point, these impediments are what cause us to grow.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
sanderjd 2y ago
Ok I just stopped and thought about it, and concluded that this is BS. I'm glad that all these businesses exist, so that I can specialize in a particular kind of work, and they can specialize in doing things I don't do, and then I can transact with them using a standard medium of exchange to trade my special skills for theirs. None of that has anything to do with "the weaknesses of human nature" or laziness, or false urgency, or an impeded ability to distinguish value, cost, and need. It's just a trade of my time for theirs, on terms I find acceptable. There is nothing fraudulent about any of this. The coffee shop I bought my coffee from this morning and the restaurant I bought my lunch from this afternoon did not fool me, I just enjoyed drinking the coffee and eating the food they prepared, and considered their prices fair. No semantic legalities or double speak or meaningless words required, I just wanted some goods and services, and was happy to purchase them. That's honest, not thievery.
- DudeOpotomus 2y ago
  You honestly feel this way about your bank, your cell provider, your health insurance company, your insurance company? When you read your bills, and see countless arbitrary fees, do you feel as if you're in a personal relationship with the service and in control? The small shop owner or tradesmen, sure. The giant corp with no human connection and nothing but a walled presence? No way.
  - sanderjd 2y ago
    Yes, all of those businesses provide me useful services. Do I have my criticisms of all of them? YES. Does that mean they are scams that rely on human weaknesses to thrive? No, that would be a very naive and, frankly, silly conclusion to draw. This isn't boolean math, there's a whole continuum between "everything is perfect" and "everything is a corrupt scam".
    - DudeOpotomus 2y ago
      Someone is naive, that's a fact... Good luck negotiating or even communicating with ATT or American Airlines or any major provider of services you think you buy... Let alone your hospital bill, your car insurance, your health insurance or your taxes... The list goes on and on and on. We're what they call "Captive customers". You literally have no choice. It's actually astounding that you support this stuff let alone respect it. However, in a world where people put tattoos of Tesla on their bodies, it makes sense.
3minus1 2y ago
> every business is a scam of sorts that relies upon the weaknesses of human nature to thrive Yes, the next time you go to buy a computer or mobile phone you should just skip it because it's a scam. Just manufacture and assemble the hardware yourself and create the operating system/ecosystem of apps while you're at it. It just pure laziness not too. Or maybe consider that capitalism and the division of labor benefits you massively.
totallyhuman 2y ago
I'm not convinced that "laziness" is a weakness of human nature. Businesses are ultimately a way to specialize production without central planning. Allocating some people to bake all the bread in a factory frees up other people who would otherwise have to spend an hour or two every day baking bread. Or from a market perspective, you're willing to pay a premium for not having to put in the labour. Businesses certainly can be exploitative, but I don't think all or even most of them are by nature.

rockemsockem 2y ago

People want stuff and want to accomplish more than they have time to do on their own. I have no idea why you want to twist that into dark desires and laziness.

DudeOpotomus 2y ago
There are entire departments at large corporations that do nothing but think of ways to sneak in more fees and higher costs. Its endemic throughout corporate Americas largest industries. Insurance Banking Finance Media Energy Software All are infused with opaque business practices and layers of legal protections hiding behind 1000 page contracts.
- rockemsockem 2y ago
  That's absolutely true. And it's also true that most Americans don't work at large corporations and that most companies are not large. https://www.bls.gov/charts/county-employment-and-wages/establishments-by-size.htm https://www.bls.gov/charts/county-employment-and-wages/estab...
DudeOpotomus 2y ago
Shrinkflation is one very clear example of this in action. Is selling a candy bar that is half the size of the packaging yet the same cost as it was before they shrank the product fraud or is it just business? It fits the definition of fraud more than anything...misrepresenting the outcome by hiding the facts. Seems pretty fraudulent to me...
- rockemsockem 2y ago
  No argument here. But most Americans don't work at large corporations and that most companies are not large. https://www.bls.gov/charts/county-employment-and-wages/establishments-by-size.htm https://www.bls.gov/charts/county-employment-and-wages/estab... The parent post said that most businesses are fraudulent and pointed at practices by large businesses.

idkdotcom 2y ago

I agree with this "It's really hard to tell the difference between late stage capitalism and fraud". The best example to illustrate this principle is the unholy alliance between Big Pharma and the government, particularly the FDA. Big Pharma lobbyist write the rules that the FDA enforces and the most ambitious people working at the FDA, after a few years, leave to work at Big Pharma. The covid19 pandemic exposed the public at large to the way this unholy alliance works, but there have been numerous cases of abuse by the Big Pharma companies who consider paying fines like these https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_pharmaceutical_settlements https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_pharmaceutical... a cost of doing business. In the context of AI, we are assisting to another of these abusive practices in the making particularly if an FDA-styled agency is created to regulate AI.

DudeOpotomus 2y ago
Yes, and it is so much worse. We have very few actual choices for major services and are forced into business with them because life without these services is next to impossible. Think about the tax code as an example. We literally have to buy software or pay a professional to decipher the madness. It's by design in order to keep all these people and companies profitable! Or shrinkflation. Is selling a candy bar that is half the size of the packaging yet the same cost as it was before they shrank the product fraud or is it just smart business? It fits the definition of fraud more than anything...

mondobe 2y ago

I think it depends on what you consider a weakness of human nature. We're susceptible to sugary foods, even though they're bad for us: are bakeries frauds? If we suddenly stopped feeling emotions tomorrow - if we all started acting totally rationally, how many industries would fall apart, even though we're theoretically way more efficient? The same goes for our need for convenience and luxury. We could have all survived on brick phones or Blackberries, but we now employ so much of our population making slightly-more-luxurious iPhones. At some point, these impediments are what cause us to grow.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

sanderjd 2y ago

Ok I just stopped and thought about it, and concluded that this is BS. I'm glad that all these businesses exist, so that I can specialize in a particular kind of work, and they can specialize in doing things I don't do, and then I can transact with them using a standard medium of exchange to trade my special skills for theirs. None of that has anything to do with "the weaknesses of human nature" or laziness, or false urgency, or an impeded ability to distinguish value, cost, and need. It's just a trade of my time for theirs, on terms I find acceptable. There is nothing fraudulent about any of this. The coffee shop I bought my coffee from this morning and the restaurant I bought my lunch from this afternoon did not fool me, I just enjoyed drinking the coffee and eating the food they prepared, and considered their prices fair. No semantic legalities or double speak or meaningless words required, I just wanted some goods and services, and was happy to purchase them. That's honest, not thievery.

DudeOpotomus 2y ago
You honestly feel this way about your bank, your cell provider, your health insurance company, your insurance company? When you read your bills, and see countless arbitrary fees, do you feel as if you're in a personal relationship with the service and in control? The small shop owner or tradesmen, sure. The giant corp with no human connection and nothing but a walled presence? No way.
- sanderjd 2y ago
  Yes, all of those businesses provide me useful services. Do I have my criticisms of all of them? YES. Does that mean they are scams that rely on human weaknesses to thrive? No, that would be a very naive and, frankly, silly conclusion to draw. This isn't boolean math, there's a whole continuum between "everything is perfect" and "everything is a corrupt scam".
  - DudeOpotomus 2y ago
    Someone is naive, that's a fact... Good luck negotiating or even communicating with ATT or American Airlines or any major provider of services you think you buy... Let alone your hospital bill, your car insurance, your health insurance or your taxes... The list goes on and on and on. We're what they call "Captive customers". You literally have no choice. It's actually astounding that you support this stuff let alone respect it. However, in a world where people put tattoos of Tesla on their bodies, it makes sense.

3minus1 2y ago

> every business is a scam of sorts that relies upon the weaknesses of human nature to thrive Yes, the next time you go to buy a computer or mobile phone you should just skip it because it's a scam. Just manufacture and assemble the hardware yourself and create the operating system/ecosystem of apps while you're at it. It just pure laziness not too. Or maybe consider that capitalism and the division of labor benefits you massively.

totallyhuman 2y ago

I'm not convinced that "laziness" is a weakness of human nature. Businesses are ultimately a way to specialize production without central planning. Allocating some people to bake all the bread in a factory frees up other people who would otherwise have to spend an hour or two every day baking bread. Or from a market perspective, you're willing to pay a premium for not having to put in the labour. Businesses certainly can be exploitative, but I don't think all or even most of them are by nature.