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And the Exceptions Are?
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Categories: Rants; Commerce and business; Ethics and laws

Word count/read time: 523 words; 2 minutes

It is no longer vogue to express concern for the environment or people harmed by the indiscriminate and immoral acquisition of resources. Yet I find myself reading about manufacturers' (changing, non-existent, ambiguous, wishy-washy) commitment to sustainability, conflict-free resources, fair business practices, and other just causes.

Their websites and literature are peppered with such references. Are they trying to convince themselves because they know it's a sham? Meaningless words are everywhere: try, whenever, if, or, usually, mostly, etc. Try=no. Usually=no. If=no. Basically, everything=NO across the board.

There are always myriad exclusions and exceptions, similar to drug ads with a laundry list of side effects. Or websites proclaiming how they don't value your privacy yet will sell your information and tracking history, load your browsers with cookies and tracking software, and steal whatever data they can.

Does the truth ever come out? ""Whenever" possible," I assume. Yet sellers still demand a premium for the non-existent labor, processes, or materials they purport are part of their product. If only they applied that same energy to being ethical and straightforward.

 
Deceit, delusions, and denial are their modus operandi.
 
Companies hope the empty message, not the truth, will endure. Conceptually they are all in; in practice they fail. You believed the buzzwords they spewed like gospel, likely forgot or didn't qualify the exclusions. Those who actually do what they say are disadvantaged since it requires more time, energy, and costlier materials.

Unfortunately, I chose a craft ubiquitous with lies and low-quality goods: chainmail. (I'd call it an art form but that'd be a gross disservice to art.) It is the rarest exception - there we go, more exceptions - when literature isn't flooded with falsehoods and outright fraud.

Sometimes people embrace bullshit completely. Quoted from one seller, he makes "Humbly, the best chainmaille on earth." I would be embarrassed if those welds (or any of his products) appeared in my reject pile and they're in his $10,000 chains?! Talk about the Dunning-Kruger effect, see this picture. With 25+ years of experience, this defines a new paradigm of pathetic.

He also "developed welded-link chainmaille." Seriously, lying that blatantly?! People have been welding chainmaille before his great-great-great-great-grandfather was wearing diapers. I've been doing it long, long before he probably knew what a welder was, but whatever.

And no one, especially him, "developed cutting edge welding techniques for chainmaille" with a crappy $150 tabletop wannabe welder, one he is clearly incapable of using properly anyway. Unless he means cutting edge like a razor blade, as in his chains are so deplorable they'll slice and dice your flesh and clothes. Interesting way to interpret the truth.

Need I continue dismantling this charade? Such behavior is insulting and despicable. No wonder people perceive chainmaillers as degenerate scheisters, a stereotype virtually inescapable since it is the typical chainmailler's calling card. Many other businesses and individuals behave this way so it's not restricted to this lowly craft.

It does no good to call out these jokesters since they only answer to themselves. Deceit, delusions, and denial are their modus operandi. Integrity is the exception for them. Therefore, I will be crystal clear regarding my materials, processes, or manufacturing techniques: There are no exceptions.


Posted by M: June 3, 2025


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