Stock market immoral?

[Caleb]

Here's a thought I've been dwelling on a lot lately:

Given that all corporations are beneficiaries of state privilege, (some more so than others), is investing in the stock market inherently immoral?

Caleb

[dalebert]

I think there's something to this, Caleb. This is the reasoning Jaqeboy uses when he encourages the support of local merchants and such. If you carry this out to its logical conclusion, it's immoral to purchase their products and such too. I would be reluctant to actually call it immoral per se, but I do think that part of successful agorism and making the world a better place is about making reasonable attempts to withdraw from activities such as this. I don't want to call someone immoral though, because we're all trying to live in the world we live in. I do think it's commendable when people find workable alternatives. I'm in the process now of shifting my assets around in ways that I'm more comfortable with. I got out of Raytheon ownership because I just couldn't justify being invested in defense. My long-term investments are in third world development. I can honestly say I don't know the details of where all that goes but it seems pretty good overall.

[KBCraig]

Given that all corporations are beneficiaries of state privilege, (some more so than others), is investing in the stock market inherently immoral?

That's a really great line of thought. By logical extension, the answer would be "yes". Very interesting.

I don't want to call someone immoral though, because we're all trying to live in the world we live in.

+1 to both of you.

[Caleb]

I agree, because I certainly don't want to call someone immoral and do finger pointing or anything like that, just maybe to start to think even more on ways that we can push the envelope a little.

I've been reading Howard Zinn's "A Power the Governments Cannot Suppress", and it seems to me that economic power is the true power - everything else is secondary. I don't think we really realize all the ways that we empower people, literally hand them power over us, but the dollar is definitely a big one.

[Pat McCotter]

Isn't that the Golden Rule, Caleb?

He who has the gold makes the rules.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I'm sold!  I'm gonna burn all pf my stock!

[David]

Dr. King wrote that he was surprized how quickly businesses responded to the threat of financial sanctions. 
I agree that economic power is very great.