I think to say that there is a metaphorical line that you would refuse to cross is a very dangerous assumption. People will respond to extraordinary situations in extraordinary ways, for good and bad. I saw a documentary called "Push" where a scenario was crafted to see if they could produce a situation that would result in an unsuspecting subject pushing someone off a roof. And while murdering another human might be one of those lines we tell ourselves we wouldn't cross, 3 out of the 4 people crossed that line.
I'm certain Bernie Madoff didn't wake up one morning and say to himself, "You know, I'm going to start a Ponzi scheme, because history has shown these to be good businesses and the math just works out." In his sentencing, he said the scheme started because he was trying to live us to his customers expectations of consistent returns, and when he had a bad month, fudged the numbers while telling himself that next month would more than make up for the difference. And then it turned from a snowball rolling down a mountain to an avalanche that buried him and wiped out billions of dollars.
I think it's also important to point out the "Bro-marketing" aspect of faking it until you make it. We've all seen the You-tube videos of the guys driving flashy cars and showing off their mansions. But how many actually own these assets, as opposed to leasing them or just renting them for the video shoot? Is that "just marketing", or something less ethical? (hint: it's not marketing).
I'm certain Bernie Madoff didn't wake up one morning and say to himself, "You know, I'm going to start a Ponzi scheme, because history has shown these to be good businesses and the math just works out." In his sentencing, he said the scheme started because he was trying to live us to his customers expectations of consistent returns, and when he had a bad month, fudged the numbers while telling himself that next month would more than make up for the difference. And then it turned from a snowball rolling down a mountain to an avalanche that buried him and wiped out billions of dollars.
I think it's also important to point out the "Bro-marketing" aspect of faking it until you make it. We've all seen the You-tube videos of the guys driving flashy cars and showing off their mansions. But how many actually own these assets, as opposed to leasing them or just renting them for the video shoot? Is that "just marketing", or something less ethical? (hint: it's not marketing).
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