Today I learned about Pinkertons, a.k.a., the knights of capitalism. These guys have a long history of defending capitalism in strategic ways. From busting up strikes to seizing property for corporations, learning about Pinkertons was very interesting, and made me lose a little respect for capitalism in general (I know...the amount of respect I had for capitalism has been at an all-time low lately). But you do not want to run into these guys unless you have your own private army. Why? Because they essentially are a private army.
So, how did I learn about Pinkerton Detective Agency? Wizards of the Coast sicked them on a guy that got some stolen Magic cards that had yet to be released and who was showing them on his Youtube channel. Pinkertons showed up at his door and were very aggressive, even making the guy's wife cry. The agents claimed he was in possession of stolen goods and they threatened him with escalation to law enforcement, from one to ten years in jail, legal fees, and $200,000 in fines.
I'm embedding a video below that you should watch if you want to know more about Pinkerton Detective Agency. These goons are "real life" men in black. It's pretty weird to say this in 2023, but there you are. I wonder if they could be featured in a story in some way. They seem like quite colorful characters, if you manage to stay out of their crosshairs. We all like to think that society follows rules of etiquette, and that the only kind of trouble we can get into is from police. But there are all kinds of ways to get into trouble that a lot of us know nothing about, and Pinkerton's is just one of those many ways.
I had heard of Pinkertons before but that was in a historical context. I hadn't realized they still existed until this incident. I think they're a little too public to be a real life MIB though.
ReplyDeleteOh, if you've got enough money, you can make all sorts of things happen, for good but mostly for ill.
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