[ExI] Money and Human Nature (was Re: Capitalism, anti capitalism, emotional arousal)

[Tara Maya]

> Stefano:

> Yes. Then the "conniving, scheming money-lenders" won that battle, so the complaint was all but extinguished unless in times of very acute crises. :-)
> 
> OTOH, it is stupid to blame banks for doing what they are created to do under the rules under which they actually operate. Same as blaming rabbits for eating grass, or foxes for eating rabbits. Moralistic approaches seldom solve political approaches...


I see the arguments about money as similar to the arguments about sex. A few years ago, an Australian Muslim cleric outraged his fellow Australians by saying that unveiled women deserved to be raped, because they were like people who left meat out on the porch, which was eaten by a cat. One couldn't blame the cat for eating the meat -- the person to blame was the one who left out the meat. A lot of people were mad that he compared women to meat. For some reason, not that many people were outraged that he was also saying men have no more intelligence or self-restraint than cats.

I don't think anyone will deny that sex, like money, causes a lot of heartache for humanity. (Also the two issues most likely to break up a marriage.) 

For centuries, Western clerics shared exactly the same view of sexual misconduct as the Muslim cleric. The problem was women. The solution was to cover them up, hide them, control them and keep them off the streets and out of any place of power. Otherwise hanky-panky might ensue. Anyone who suggested that it was really unfair to take away women's freedom (and really, men's freedom as well) was accused of supporting rape, prostitution and adultery. 

Obviously, I don't support corrupt crony capitalism and back-room deals between corporate rent-seekers and the politicians they have in their pocket, anymore than I advocate adultery or want women to be raped. But I think it is outrageous to take away someone's economic freedom as a "solution" to these problems. Especially since, as it turns out, it doesn't work to stop corruption anyway -- anymore than veiling women stops rape. Just the opposite...the countries with the most sexual equality have the lowest rape rates.

Earlier we had a discussion about coercion, which I was not able to comment on. It is a tremendous mistake to confuse coercion with temptation. Coercion squashes out individual responsibility. People acquire learned helplessness after repeatedly being controlled from the outside. But people who are free to make the own decisions, who must learn the hard way to resist temptation, learn to become responsible and ethical. It is true, not everyone will resist temptation. If alcohol is legal, you will end up with drunks, but this is still better than if it is illegal... then you end up with drunks AND mafia. 

Reform to try to weed out the corrupt and the criminal in big business and big government, I welcome. But it's fat cats who should be punished for eating the cream, not the cow for giving milk.