• nvvp@discuss.tchncs.de
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    78
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    Corporations don’t have morals. Aspiring businessmen don’t take ethics classes. There are only two questions: Does it increase profits? Is it illegal? They will ignore rule two if none of the board goes to jail and the fines are less than the profits. They would sell you leaded gas today if they earned a fraction of a penny more per gallon. They do not care about anything aside from profits. That’s capitalism.

    • madcaesar@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      28
      ·
      10 months ago

      This is why libertarians are even stupider versions of Republicans. At least Republicans are just corrupt assholes. Libertarians are corrupt and stupidly naive assholes.

    • haui@lemmy.giftedmc.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      22
      ·
      10 months ago

      Its a perfect example of why we need mandatory jail sentences for these things and fines that always oncorporate double the profits of an illegal action.

      • ABoxOfPhotons@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        10 months ago

        The global authorities would need to keep the US out of the equation as they would probably say something along the lines of 'give us a percentage and we’ll look the other way… Again.

        • haui@lemmy.giftedmc.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          The US is very deep in corruption and populism. I pity the citizens of that country. Education is being dismantled, people are being brainwashed every day. Its disgusting, really.

  • thantik@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    48
    ·
    10 months ago

    Bayer also sold medicine that carried a high risk of transmitting AIDS to Asia and Latin America when outlawed in the USA in the 80s. Why in all fuck their corporate charter wasn’t permanently suspended and the company sold off is BEYOND me.

    • A_A@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      Many people are (…)* by big profits.
      (*) I can’t find the right word.

        • A_A@lemmy.worldOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          10 months ago

          Yes, fitting word, but not the best since it has a double meaning (sexual).

            • A_A@lemmy.worldOP
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              10 months ago

              This is exactly the right word, unfortunately, we see it use too often in this context : “Many people are corrupted by big profits”. … and because we got habituated, it’s not striking anymore as it should.

  • admiralteal@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    This is a heartbeat of history; people who can profit off of the suffering of others will do so remorselessly.

    So many other stories you can look up. Obvious shit like climate change or smoking, where it’s well-known how unrepentantly evil the industry has been in suppressing the science and research they KNEW indict their product.

    For an equally-tragic but less-well-known story, you could look into the Radon Girls. That’s a heartbreaking saga of corporate malfeasance where the bad guys basically got away with it.

    If you like podcasts, this is narratively similar to the content in two of my favorites. You’re Wrong About and Well There’s Your Problem. The former is more about cultural moments and moral panics, the latter is oriented towards the arrogance and carelessness of engineers (though sometimes is just historical stories).

    • deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      10 months ago

      I’m reasonably sure it’s Radium Girls, but yes: tragic, and totally on brand for capitalism.

      • hightime@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        I think it’s mostly because of humans, they seem to be shitty, and able to skirt any system you can imagine.

  • TheMurphy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    10 months ago

    And you can be sure whatever causes all major illness today, they know, but it’s too profitable to do anything about it.

    The things the sugar industry knows for example, but everyone is turning a blind eye.

  • j4k3@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    22
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    And all current politicians, and most Lemmy users, and certainly all reddit users are brain damaged as a result.

    …“we could improve our machining tolerances and stop using ancient sand casting techniques where the cores float and move. Or hell we could just ignore those low quality crudes from Venezuela”…

    “Nah! Dumb consumers are best for capitalism. Give them lead.”

    All airplanes are still using leaded fuels, so if you live near the end of a runway… depending on the average education level of the area, you likely have the cheapest real estate in the region.

    • th3dogcow@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      24
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      All airplanes are still using leaded fuels

      Jet fuel doesn’t contain lead. Only the avgas used by smaller planes with piston engines.

      Still, it’s unbelievable that this fuel is still being used in 2024!

  • BastingChemina@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    We will probably say the same thing about plastics in a few decades.

    We know the health risk associated to micro plastics but we continue to use them everywhere

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    10 months ago

    Wait until OP learns that oil companies covered up their own research which proved they were wrecking the environment with CO2 pollution.

    Or that the sugar industry covered up the evidence that sugary food caused the obesity epidemic and they told everyone it was actually fatty foods doing it.

  • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    Tetraethyl lead (TEL) was introduced in the 20s, but was largely eliminated from passenger cars in the US by the end of the 70s, and banned in the 90s. You can still get TEL additives for fuels for certain classic cars that require it, and certain aviation fuels still have TEL because they haven’t found anything else that works in those applications yet.

    You can blame Thomas Midgely Jr. for the introduction of both TEL and chrlorofluorocarbons (CFCs used in refrigerants).

    • shottymcb@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      10 months ago

      certain aviation fuels still have TEL because they haven’t found anything else that works in those applications yet.

      They have finally found a replacement. A company called GAMI got approval for replacement of 100LL in all engines in 2021. No modifications are necessary, aside from a sticker. It’s called G100UL. They’re ramping up production, it’s only available in a few airports atm.

      Of course it could’ve been replaced decades ago if the political will existed to ban it, but 🤷‍♂️

  • Ephera@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    10 months ago

    Man, that The Conversation article is just listing individual events and it still reads like a crime scene. Obviously, because it was a crime, but deep down I had still a tiny bit of hope that the companies were not quite as blunt about it.

    • A_A@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      edit-2
      10 months ago

      You are right : the corporations were criminal here, but there was also a hero here (Clair Cameron Patterson) I did put his name + a link in the body of my post, and he won in the end.
      Edit : ok, i updated my post to put a spotlight on this.

  • stoly@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    10 months ago

    Add in asbestos and other stuff. The US has always prioritized the wealth of business owners.

  • Mr Fish@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    You will observe with concern how long a useful truth may be known, and exist, before it is generally received and practiced on - Ben Franklin

    • A_A@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      10 months ago

      Thanks. Well, …I know since others made similar comments 😋
      (see comments from th3dogcow and from @shottymcb@lemm.ee )