Why is Gerry Harvey an extortionist? An extortionist is a person who places you in a situation where you are compelled to act against you will. In fairness to Gerry Harvey, it is not hard to be an extortionist in the modern world. There is a good reason for that - politics has created a double standard under two forms of law:
1. Common law says that it is illegal for people to extort wealth from others
2. Statutory law enacted by government says they have the power to extort, and thus any retailer like Gerry Harvey who has the capacity to lobby or influence them, can thus be considered an extortionist.
For Gerry Harvey to engage in such influence is not unusual. I would say anyone who votes is an extortionist, so that would be anywhere form 50-88% of any population. Everyone of course justifies it, by arguing that its legal, that its practical, that democracy preserves stability, etc. Its all nonsense, but it keeps those who want to retain power in power. Gerry Harvey fills he ought to have the right to such influence, and legally he does. The problem is that:
1. He is taking action with threatens to cause financial injury to others
2. He has more influence than most people by virtue of his wealth.
The problem is that most people simply do not get this. Most people cannot think because they have an ambivalent moral framework. Such people when reproached sink into their dogged self-righteousness, their evasive or cynical scepticism. They simply don't want to deal with what they cannot cope with. In the case of Gerry Harvey; he has a great deal of power to do something, but he did the wrong thing. He took a 'self-serving' position to protect his sales, even if he might rationalise that he is simply trying to protect jobs and shareholders. The reality is - it was not a very 'evolved' principled position. This is no question a symptom of his ignorance or lack of conceptual grasp of reality. I think for the last 30-40 years he has always thought of himself as a practical man. Ideas are just delusions of righteousness. This week he learned how wrong he is. Today...the "retail emperor" has no clothes.
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