this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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Unpopular Opinion

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Hatred often makes you want to hurt people, but people hurt peope in the name of greed more often, and not only with less potential for guilt, but is often the cause of delusional accolades and reassurance both from within oneself and from others.

Hypothetical:

A CEO lays off 10,000 employees that helped that company succeed, solely to increase earnings and not because the company is hurting, not only seriously hurting 9,997 people, but causing 3 to commit suicide.

A bumpkin gets in a fight with someone he hates the melanin of because he's a moron and kills them.

Who did more damage to humanity that day? They're both, I want to say evil but evil is subjective, they're both highly antisocial, knowingly harmful behaviors, yet one correctly sends you to prison for a long time if not forever, while the other, far more premeditated and quite literally calculated act, is literally rewarded and partied about. Jim Kramer gives you a shout out on tv, good fucking times amirite!

Edit: and this felt relevant to post after someone tried to lecture me about equating layoffs to murder.

"Coca-Cola killed trade unionists in Latin America. General Motors built vehicles known to catch fire. Tobacco companies suppressed cancer research. And Boeing knew that its planes were dangerous. Corporations don't care if they kill people — as long as it's profitable."

https://jacobin.com/2020/01/corporations-profit-values-murder-culture-boeing

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[–] thecam@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago (15 children)

Interesting thought. However greed is part of human nature, since we humans like to get as much resources as possible.

[–] AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (10 children)

Hatred is too, yet we recognize that flaw/failing/deficit/defect in ourselves and attempt to minimize it's effects by educating children that it is bad and not socially acceptable and with punishment if practiced to a harmful degree.

I argue practiced greed should be treated similarly. Greed is a vice and a personal failing. Modern society seems to have complety abandoned this fact. It's part of our darker nature right next to hatred. It's one of the most prominent devils on our shoulders, not angels. We should be teaching kids that harming someone else, even if allowed, if it gives them the opportunity to get more or "succeed" is deeply wrong, and even wanting a lot more than others no less deserving than you is wrong, not "rational self-interest."

[–] thecam@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago (9 children)

True, hatred and greed is embed in human nature. However making laws against greed will likely not solve much but discentivise productivity. Or as libertarians will say "cause atlas to shrug".

[–] cedarmesa@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)
[–] thecam@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

You make a fair point, however when you work for someone, that is your choice. To shop at a business is your choice. If you do not like a business, do not work for it and do not shop there.

Stealing from someone is stealing from a person who took time to produce that item. In the case of s store, the store had to buy the product from a distributor.

So theft is still inmoral. Is theft greed? Yeah it could be and in most cases its greed and selfishness. However the thief in most cases can buy the item but chooses not to.

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