It is clear that the market rewards companies and individuals who are deceptive.
For example:
1. Early Tobacco Marketing (Mid-20th Century)
2. Misleading “Healthy” Claims in Food & Beverage Marketing
3. Financial Institutions with Subtle Misrepresentations
4. Vague or Overhyped Environmental and Sustainability Claims (“Greenwashing”)
There are more examples. This also happens for individuals who commit crimes and then are not found guilty.
D.B. Cooper (1971)
- Crime: Hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines flight, extorted $200,000 in ransom, and parachuted away.
- Consequence: Never identified or captured; fate unknown.
The Zodiac Killer (Late 1960s–Early 1970s)
- Crime: A series of brutal murders in Northern California, accompanied by taunting letters to police and media.
- Consequence: Remains unidentified; no arrests made.
Chicago Tylenol Poisoner (1982)
- Crime: Laced Tylenol capsules with cyanide, resulting in multiple deaths.
- Consequence: No suspect ever successfully prosecuted; no direct penalties.
The Black Dahlia Murderer (1947)
- Crime: The grisly murder of Elizabeth Short in Los Angeles.
- Consequence: Never solved; the killer never faced justice.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Thieves (1990)
- Crime: Stole an estimated $500 million in artwork from a Boston museum.
- Consequence: The thieves were never caught, and the art remains missing.
JonBenét Ramsey’s Killer (1996)
- Crime: The murder of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey in her Colorado home.
- Consequence: Despite immense publicity and investigations, the culprit remains unknown.
The Oakland County Child Killer (1976–1977)
- Crime: Abduction and murder of several children in Oakland County, Michigan.
- Consequence: No suspect was ever definitively identified or charged.
The Servant Girl Annihilator (1884–1885)
- Crime: A series of brutal murders in Austin, Texas, considered among the first known U.S. serial killings.
- Consequence: Killer never identified or apprehended.
The Cleveland Torso Murderer (1930s)
- Crime: A string of gruesome, decapitation-style murders in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Consequence: Despite investigations, no definitive suspect was brought to trial.
The Colonial Parkway Killer (1980s)
- Crime: A series of double homicides along the Colonial Parkway in Virginia.
- Consequence: The perpetrator(s) remain unidentified; no one punished.
You can literally kill others directly or indirectly with insurance policy decisions and not face consequences for it. Is it any wonder than 40% of younger people say that the death of the CEO of UnitedHealth Care is supported?
Now crime and violence are never the answer. However what we are doing isn’t working either. When justice is denied, everyone becomes cynical at the theater of justice.
Can our society and the trust we have survive, if we allows others to live as through the rules don’t matter to them?