Everything was going right for Wonderbow co-founder Laia Gonzalez. Her small publishing company’s latest project, a board game called Kelp, had wildly exceeded expectations and was closing in on its final crowdfunding total of more than $1.5 million. Delivery was scheduled for October 2024, so there was plenty of time to begin finalizing the game’s components and coordinating with a manufacturer for production. Hoping for a little extra dose of dopamine, Gonzalez did a quick Google search to see if anyone in the vast and turbulent sea of tabletop influencers was particularly hyped about her company’s game. But instead of a new video of someone sitting in front of an overstuffed Ikea shelving unit, she was surprised to find Kelp already up for sale on Amazon. She, Wonderbow, and game designer Carl Robinson had become the latest victims of board game counterfeiters.
There are still good ones. Try not to let the bad apples mask them all
Right. Individuals can be okay. Awesome, even. But “people” as a whole include many individuals. And the more individuals you have, the more likely that one or more of them is an asshat. The problem with bad apples is that it only takes one to spoil the bunch.
Imagine a few dozen people sitting in a park enjoying a nice day. If one of them starts flinging feces everywhere, the problem is not just that person. Is that person and the mess they made and ruining everyone else’s day.
Now imagine that society has spent generations financially rewarding shit-slingers. Not everyone is going to do it, but every day in the park brings a non-zero chance of getting pelted with poop.
People have incentivized being awful to other people.