thaisofalexandria t1_j1895px wrote on December 22, 2022 at 11:48 AM

The socio-psychological explanations being put forward for this are quite beside the point. The simple fact is conservatives recognise the danger to capital (production for profit) of the admission of any 'ethical' principle, which is to say (equivalently) any principle that considers the common (rather than private good) or admits consideration of any criterion other than the maximisation of profit. And they are absolutely right to recognise this.

OrangeJr36 t1_j18jrtm wrote on December 22, 2022 at 1:37 PM

Except the reasons for embracing ESG is because companies have determined that it increases their productivity, worker retention, opportunities for growth and with it profitability.

HI_Handbasket t1_j19itfm wrote on December 22, 2022 at 5:42 PM

Have you seen where Louisiana is ranked in just about every positive metric? Down near the bottom with Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi. You have to be a stupid motherfucker to vote Republican these past 50 years or so, but there it is.

Hushnw52 t1_j19a3pv wrote on December 22, 2022 at 4:46 PM

Based on what?

Jellote t1_j19fhfu wrote on December 22, 2022 at 5:20 PM

Ben Shapiro has entered the chat

thaisofalexandria t1_j19ravu wrote on December 22, 2022 at 6:36 PM

Capitalist enterprise could be managed by a board of Jesus, Buddha and Marcus Aurelius and it would still be exploitative: profit comes from labour and the maximisation of profit is the maximum exploitation of value from labour. As someone else points out, the apparent embrace of ESG is due to the perception that it 'increases productivity' (which it may, though only until the market forces prices down to increase market share). Marx didn't get everything right, but he got this right: capitalism is exploitative by nature. There is no 'ethical' capitalist enterprise. A business that put welfare, ethics, compassion, before proft can't succeed when the market as a whole is driven by the profit motive.

It might be nice to believe in a version of socialism that comes about because capital gains a conscience, but it's dangerous naivety. Socialism is the system that governs production according to human need, so that is what is worth fighting for.