Comment by bell-cot
3 days ago
Maybe I read too much history - but hasn't Big Sugar been known for "nothing that a slave trader wouldn't do" ethics for the past 300+ years?
3 days ago
Maybe I read too much history - but hasn't Big Sugar been known for "nothing that a slave trader wouldn't do" ethics for the past 300+ years?
It is beyond me how anyone can expect any business (especially public traded) to have any ethics whatsoever.
In strong democracies, regulations provide the incentive.
..and you think those work?
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We literally had a circular slave trade of slaves->sugar cane->rum->slaves
They’re out there. I find it more productive to search for and financially support such businesses, rather than adopt the doomer pessimistic anticapitalism take.
For example I just bought a Concept2 RowErg rowing machine. They sell literally every piece and part on their website so it’s end user repairable. The metrics integrate with a ton of apps, so you’re not locked into their app/ecosystem and there’s no subscription. It’s the polar opposite of Peloton and Hydrox.
Unfortunately a lot of these honest businesses are one generation away from potentially selling out everything the founders built, but I’ll continue doing my best to keep them around while they exist.
>I find it more productive to search for and financially support such businesses, rather than adopt the doomer pessimistic anticapitalism take...
But sadly, many order of magnitude more people would like to just make more money when invest. Which is why..
>Unfortunately a lot of these honest businesses are one generation away from potentially selling out everything the founders built,
> rather than adopt the doomer pessimistic anticapitalism take...
Capitalism does not imply public trading. Capitalism can work even when companies re-invest parts of their profits.
Oh no, that would be too slow. We want Speeeed...even if that means a quick descent into certain doom.
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Well, it's true that in the 17th century, sugar and rum production involved one of the most heinous forms of slavery ever to exist. What's not clear is that this necessarily has anything to do with the present; after all, slaves were emancipated a long time ago.
I think this is an instance of "large corporations in the 20th and 21st century have been intrinsically amoral" rather than "the sugar industry is intrinsically particularly evil (and has been since the 1600s)".
Sure, but do you trust Big Butcher?
And of course big sugar is these days just big corn which is happy selling to CAFOs.
Not when so much meat has sugar added to it.
Sugar makes an excellent spice, not a primary ingredient. It's really useful for grilling for instance.
Based on the history of the past 1-ish century, I trust Big Meat & Dairy to have less capability for and competence at evil than Big Sugar. Because otherwise we'd have been hearing far more "Fat is Fine, Carbs are Crap" messages.
> I trust Big Meat & Dairy to have less capability for and competence at evil
Why? You've never heard of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ag-gag?
Well, there are essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, but no essential carbs.
Well, there's the whole atkins and keto fads...
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Surely you jest as the animal agriculture industry is many times larger than any "big sugar" boogeyman.
2 replies →
I feel like I hear that a lot.