Fascists love Star Wars. Even though the whole point of Star Wars is that fascists suck, and that the universe would be better without them.
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Omegareplied to Natasha Nox πΊπ¦π΅πΈ last edited by
@Natanox @mekkaokereke @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch I'll challenge you to find a single S&P 500 company that doesn't engage in sketchy practices like monopoly practices, and/or disregard public health and the environment.
Now, look around your neighborhood, and, if there are any left, how many of small local businesses would you say are engaging in those kinds of practices.
Size creates both power over, and distance from regular folks. The perfect ecosystem to breed sociopathy.
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mekka okereke :verified:replied to Omega last edited by
@omegaprobe @Natanox @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch
1) Small businesses do more wage theft than big businesses. Wage theft disproportionately affects Black people.
2) Small businesses are more likely to have explicitly racist policies than big businesses. I've experienced more racism from small businesses than big businesses.
3) Almost all organized crime, is small business owners. Seriously, all of it. Like, every mafia. Extortion. Kidnapping. Arson. Murder.
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mekka okereke :verified:replied to mekka okereke :verified: last edited by
@omegaprobe @Natanox @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch
This isn't some big business bootlicking. I'm not defending megacorps. I'm just popping the fantasy balloon of "small business means good."
Good means good. Bad means bad. There are terrible people everywhere.
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Omegareplied to mekka okereke :verified: last edited by
@mekkaokereke @Natanox @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch I haven't said that being a small business owner makes you immediately good. I've said, and I maintain, that the kind of power that comes with owning a small business is not the kind of power that will corrupt you to your core.
And while small businesses can definitely cause a lot of localized damage, the kind of planetary scale destruction big businesses engage and protect on a regular basis is simply beyond their reach.
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mekka okereke :verified:replied to Omega last edited by
@omegaprobe @Natanox @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch
1) Yes, the kind of power of owning a small business gives you, can corrupt you to the core. Do you know anyone that has ever owned a strip club? Owned a restaurant? Do you know anyone that's ever worked as a dancer, or in food service? Do you know anyone that's ever had their wages stolen?
2) 100 restaurants serving 1000 diners a day, is 100,000 diners a day. 1 mega chain serving 100,000 a day, often does *less* environmental impact
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mekka okereke :verified:replied to mekka okereke :verified: last edited by
@omegaprobe @Natanox @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch
And in terms of environmental destruction, I don't think you're hearing me that most organized crime is owned by small business owners. One of the most profitable rackets, is environmental destruction. Eg:
1) Take contract to safely dispose of something. Then just dump it.
2) Forge documents saying that something that was not produced sustainably, totally was produced sustainably.
3) Recycle. Leave heavy metal everywhere.
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Omegareplied to mekka okereke :verified: last edited by
@mekkaokereke @Natanox @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch Again, organized crime. When big recycling corporations send the 80% of all the crap that's not recycled to Indonesia, they're not committing any crimes, are they?
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Natasha Nox πΊπ¦π΅πΈreplied to Omega last edited by
@omegaprobe @mekkaokereke @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch Small interjection: Can we agree that it's a systemic issue (i.e. capitalism)? As smallest common denominator?
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Omegareplied to Natasha Nox πΊπ¦π΅πΈ last edited by
@Natanox @mekkaokereke @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch I do agree, these are systemic issues, but systems are made of people. So if you ask the question (and I do) "how do we create systems of governance and economies that don't unavoidably lead to corruption", it's fundamental to understand how people get corrupted.
For that, you need to look beyond the situation in the US, and find commonalities with other countries with different idiosyncrasies. Because none of this is unique to the US.
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Natasha Nox πΊπ¦π΅πΈreplied to Omega last edited by
@omegaprobe @mekkaokereke @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch Not just "how", but also "why". I'm convinced most corruption, especially with "common people" who ain't super rich, takes place due to a mix of existential fear and necessity (next to things like lack of education, opportunities or just bad luck in life). Our performative culture and focus on money (more money = more success) reinforces this.
The reasons for unethical behaviour are quite different for the two groups we talk about.
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Natasha Nox πΊπ¦π΅πΈreplied to Natasha Nox πΊπ¦π΅πΈ last edited by
@omegaprobe @mekkaokereke @fanf42 @brunogirin @michael_w_busch tl;dr
Universal Basic Income would be a good thing. there's zero evidence to believe we'd become complacent (on the contrary, people became more productive in every study). Also obviously universal healthcare.Eliminating existential fear and providing any basic service (incl. education) while upholding liberal values is the best cure for society-wide unethical / illegal behaviour. That's my point of view on this whole thing.