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submitted 1 week ago by yogthos@lemmy.ml to c/usa@lemmy.ml
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[-] Drewfro66@lemmygrad.ml 17 points 1 week ago

And when it comes to actual material productive industries, I always say we have two: killing people and burning oil.

Automobiles? Burning oil

Aviation? Mostly military planes, so both

Polymers and petrochemicals? Burning oil

Weapons manufacturing? Killing people

Construction? Ultimately, since the roads and bridges are all car-focused, burning oil.

Steel? Seems good at first, but it's ultimately going to be turned into a car (burning oil) or a weapon (killing people).

The cherry on top is that, because of climate change, all of the "burning oil" bits are also secretly killing people.

[-] fanbois@hexbear.net 12 points 1 week ago

Burning oil is just the kickflip-onto-rakes version of killing people.

[-] bountygiver@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Car would also counts as killing people, particularly the oversize monstrosities produced in the US.

[-] MalReynolds@slrpnk.net 16 points 1 week ago

What about selling weapons?

[-] HuntressHimbo@lemmy.zip 24 points 1 week ago

Believe it or not, gambling.

[-] lefaucet@slrpnk.net 16 points 1 week ago

Except when it's fraud.

[-] MalReynolds@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago

Well, fraud under Don Tzupid. Or just evil.

[-] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Fraud - absurd markups and cheating vassals.

[-] orc_princess@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 week ago

If we're talking about the MIC, fraud

[-] GraniteM@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Prostitution? Gambling.

Exotic dancing? Fraud.

Dealing street drugs? Gambling.

Marketing pharmaceuticals? Fraud.

[-] MrSelatcia@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Professional sports look like gambling but are actually fraud.

[-] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 week ago
[-] Transform2942@lemmy.ml 24 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Derivatives is a blanket term that refers to a variety of complex financial "bets" that are available to "sophisticated investors". It's worth knowing that the derivatives market is over ten times larger than the value of all the stocks in the US stock market, at ~$850 trillion with a T. This definitely won't cause any systemic issues like it did last time

[-] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)
[-] Transform2942@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago
[-] quick_snail@feddit.nl 6 points 1 week ago

War? gambling and fraud.

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

Most video games aren't gambling ...

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 week ago

The games that generate the most profit are.

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago
[-] Inucune@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Art sales are used to legitimatize money transfers for fraud. So fraud.

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

Pretty sure that's a very small fraction of all art.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

And art doesn't make money.

Gambling does.

[-] vantablack@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 week ago

i think the meme creator was probably talking about the prevalence of lootboxes and skin gambling with that

[-] Scubus@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

Are you implying there might be some fraud?

[-] FilthyShrooms@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Arguably it is, just not in the conventional way. As a player, you're spending your time (and money to buy the game) with the hope of winning some dopamine from it. As a developer/studio, you're gambling time and money to devrlop a game in the hopes that it does well and makes the money back

[-] cattywampas@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

Lmao that is not what anyone means when they say gambling and you know it.

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

By that logic, all entertainment is gambling. Petting a cat is gambling. Hiking is gambling. You're gambling by replying in this thread.

[-] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

By that metric, any business endeavor is gambling.

[-] FilthyShrooms@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Unless its fraud

[-] djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 week ago

I think that's the joke

[-] orc_princess@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago

It's about loot boxes and the like

this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2026
274 points (98.2% liked)

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