On principle. Please explain what you mean by a "legitimate" personal stake.
"I could be wrong of course, I just figure that most corporate executives don't spend so much time bullschitting on message boards. "
How assumptive, mean-spirited, smarmy and belittling. You must be a liberal.
I'll make an assumption, that you are well-described by this fellow, as one of his inferior men:
Confucius 551 – 479 B.C.
The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.
The superior man loves his soul; the inferior man loves his property. The superior man always remembers how he was punished for his mistakes; the inferior man always remembers what presents he got.
The superior man is liberal towards others' opinion, but does not completely agree with them. The inferior man completely agrees with others’ opinions, but is not liberal towards them.
The superior man is firm, but does not fight; he mixes easily with others, but does not form cliques.
The superior man blames himself; the inferior man blames others.
The superior man is always candid and at ease with himself or others; the inferior man is always worried about something.
I suspect your knowledge of words of the past, of history (very little is new, verty little hasn't been said before) is poor.
Your tin god will soon enslave you.