• squaresinger@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    The concept of a “corrupt industry” doesn’t really make sense.

    Corruption only works in non-profit/political/governmental contexts. It’s when you have a job that requires you to value some specific higher goal more than your own personal benefit.

    The whole purpose and the higher goal of an industry, same as capitalism in general is personal benefit. A capitalist cannot be corrupt. Or to put it differently: The thing that would make e.g. a public servant corrupt is the modus operandi of capitalism.

    Edit, since a lot of people don’t seem to get it:

    Corruption means that you have some higher purpose that is corrupted in favour of personal gain.

    Capitalism has no higher purpose than personal gain. A capitalist prioritizing personal gain is not corrupt, he is a capitalist.

    Saying a capitalist is corrupt is like trying to make water wetter or trying to burn a fire.

    What we call corruption for a public servant is ideal behavior for a capitalist.

    • CeeBee_Eh@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      A capitalist cannot be corrupt.

      Alex, I’ll take stupid things said on the internet for 800.

      • squaresinger@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        To be corrupt, you need to have another purpose than personal enrichment that you are corrupting in favour of personal enrichment.

        The whole goal of capitalism is personal enrichment. There is no other purpose that could be corrupted.

        It’s like saying that you make water wet or that you burn a fire.

        • CeeBee_Eh@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          corruption

          noun

          • dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.
          • squaresinger@lemmy.world
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            23 hours ago

            What’s dishonest or fraudulent about a capitalist doing capitalist things?

            If you think there’s some honest, genuine and honorable capitalists out there, you must be really credulous.

    • Atropos@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I think I get what you’re saying -

      When we say corrupt, we mean someone is manipulating something for personal gain and otherwise would have a different purpose.
      
      Capitalism is just for personal gain.
      
      Therefore, capitalism cannot be corrupted by manipulation for personal gain, because that's its true purpose.
      
      TLDR: saying capitalism is corrupt is a tautology. Capitalism sucks
      

      Did I rephrase your point correctly?

      • squaresinger@lemmy.world
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        24 hours ago

        Pretty much, with the difference that corruption can only happen if it takes something off it’s path, so to say.

        If the path itself is bad, being bad is not corruption.

        If steel rusts, it’s being corrupted. Rust itself cannot be corrupted, because it is what it is.

        And yes, I very much think that capitalism sucks.