What's wrong with black markets ?

dlawbailey dlawbailey at netzero.net
Thu Apr 25 13:37:16 PDT 2002


Ian Murray asks:

"Oooh oooh oooh what's the etymology of black markets?"

My dictionary defines a "black market" as

"1. The illegal business of buying or selling goods or currency in violation of restrictions such as price controls or rationing. 2. A place where these illegal operations are carried on."

It defines the "black economy" to be

"A sizeable hidden segment of a country's economy that operates on numerous unreported cash transactions"

So what we're really talking about, I guess, is the black economy rather than the "black market" as such. What the etymology is, I don't care.

Comrade Ian writes:

"And who gets to define what a criminal is?"

Well, I guess the people who make the laws, enforce the laws, are made citizens or subjects by the laws, agree to be bound by the laws - people like that do. Is there a point you're getting at?



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