The public will be encouraged to conclude that this scandal is the result of cynical, deceptive actions on the part of a few corporate executives--"a few bad apples"--at the top of Volkswagen. But thinking about the issue in this way would be a mistake, since it would lead us to overlook the larger, systemic problems with capitalism that this scandal reveals.All corporations must choose profit over the planet and everything else. Because all corporations must preserve and increase market share, because our societies are governed by these same disciples of capitalism, because the same people own our media and these people will make sure that their media coverage will narrowly focuse on this "one bad apple" while providing a deluge of messages about "green capitalism", Volkswagen will receive a slap on the wrist with a fine which will be regarded as a cost of doing business, and no executives will go to jail. You see, crime pays when perpetrated by a major corporation.
The problem is not Volkswagen, it is capitalism. Yes, the problem is systemic!