So running a plantation on slave labor, mistreating those slaves, doesn't impact whether you are a good or a bad person? After all, you don't have anything personal against those people, slavery is just good business, and the more work you get out of your slaves the more money you make.
I'm all for cutting people slack for systematic issues, environment, zeitgeist etc. But just giving it a free pass because it's business seems very wrong. Most of the bad things in this world are "just business".
Many plantations were run without mistreating slaves. And many plantation owners had no choice but to use slaves as they couldn’t afford paid labor, or needed to keep profits up to stay competitive. It’s like holding a wolf by the ears: not a situation you want to be in, but not something you dare to let go.
Today’s equivalent might be H1B Visas, which many companies in the valley make ample use (and even abuse) of.
I'm all for cutting people slack for systematic issues, environment, zeitgeist etc. But just giving it a free pass because it's business seems very wrong. Most of the bad things in this world are "just business".