You asked what a "Wall Street Salon" meant, not a European salon. The term has changed along with the century. However, I will confess to not being conversant with Gertrude Stein's social life. I must be an ignorant barbarian.
As to the charge that I'm not anti-business, nothing could be further from the truth. I just don't slavishly believe that everything that benefits a business benefits society. Though it may not be the job of business to look out for the little guy, society cannot exist if we view ourselves as totally atomistic individuals without any social responsibilities. Just as I, and presumably you, keep our music lower than the noise ordinance permits out of courtesy to our neighbors, so should businesses be willing to act in the same manner. I'm not calling for communist collectives but common sense.
I notice that you didn't actually respond to my examples. I realize that the history lesson was probably quite taxing. Still, you could have said whether you thought it was a good idea for American businesses to help upgrade Chinese military capabilities, steal private property with the connivance of the government or
depressing the wages of American workers by encouraging an influx of immigrants so great that it overruns our ability to assimilate them. Yes or no would have been easy enough.
BTW, how do you get the bold print for those particularly emphatic rants and how do you decide whether to use bold face versus all capitals?
Do you now,or have you ever worked,in any capacity on Wall Street?
I am now and have been for 38 years,conversant about that milieu.They do NOT call their gatherings " salons"!
I was giving you a very brief overview of the history of the word "salon" and from whence it came. The definition of that word has NOT changed in 100s of years.
Gee,where do YOU live? If I played music at the top/loudest level possible,inside my house,there isn't a neighbor who would hear it.But,of course I don't and would not play music,nor anything else,at such a decibel level.:-)
Businesses have absolutely NO governing rule nor law,or even a moral standard,which makes it have to do anything whatsoever,"for" the little people.Noblesse oblige ( yep,yet another European term ) is an obligation on PEOPLE;not business.
History lesson...what "history lesson"? You threw out a bunch of diverse statements,which you did not show proof of,And expect me to expound on them?
The Loral thing was a Clinton shell game,to pay off some of his backers,both here and in China.
I suggest that you go get quite a number of books ( you want a book list?) and read up on American history, vis-a-vis business practices,lowering salaries,firing Americans and replacing them with immigrants(which,BTW,at one point was CHINESE immigrants and I'm NOT talking about railroad's workers!),as well as the philanthropy of the Robber Barons through today.
You're lucky I used Stein( sheeeeeeeeeesh,I though EVERYONE knew about her "salons"),instead of several other names,whom I was certain you'd never heard of. :-)