Re: Offtopic, inappropriate jokes?

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

>>>>> "FB" == =?iso-2022-jp?B?GyRCJVUlaSVzJS8hISVZJU0lQyVIGyhC?=  <Frank> writes:

    FB> On Fri, Jun 08, 2001 at 10:31:54AM +0900,
    FB> gavin.walker@example.com wrote:
    >> > honorable, capitalist companies
    >> 
    >> Oh please, you're fooling yourself into thinking that's the way
    >> the world works.  The basic tenet of your argument is that
    >> people should be *nice* to each other, and history has
    >> consistently proven that that just isn't so.  ...

    FB> History actually __has__ proven that that this is so.
    FB> Consistently.  People __should__ be nice to each other.  The
    FB> fact that people behave like swine much of the time doesn't go
    FB> very far toward proving that we should celebrate that fact.

What's more, history has proved that (a) when it comes to business,
people _are_ nice to each other most of the time without being forced
(have you shoplifted yet today?)  and (b) they make bigger profits on
average that way -- given the environment encourages nice behavior.

"Nice" doesn't mean "not trying to win", of course.  But for most of
us, it's just too much effort to be a dick when you can make more than
satisfactory profits playing by the rules.

It's OK to believe everything you read in the papers.  But don't
think that everything worth believing gets reported there ;-)  99% of
economic activity is reported in tables that cover about 4 pages deep
inside, but let a CEO get caught with his hand in the till it's front-
page news for weeks.  Don't let that bias fool you.

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