Big business is not the big bad wolf: Big business is catching heavy flak as of late over misconceptions it gives rise to morally bankrupt entities that only serve their own interests, economist Tyler Cowen says in his latest book, ‘Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero.’ “First, business makes most of the stuff we enjoy and consume. Second, business is what gives most of us jobs. The two words the follow most immediately from the world of business are ‘prosperity’ and ‘opportunity,” an excerpt in The Economist reads.

Large corporations are actually often several steps ahead when it comes to advancing inclusivity and progressive mindsets, and have enough weight to sway nationwide policies in that direction, Cowen points out. It may not necessarily be that way because corporations are being run by tree-huggers — the bottom line is that discriminating against any group is certain to alienate customers and eat away at profits — but the end result here is positive.

Why, then, is big business villainized? “So many of the problems with business are in fact problems with us, and they reflect the underlying and fairly universal imperfections of human nature. Yet we respond to this truth somewhat irrationally. While we suspect business of wrongdoing, at the same time we expect corporations to give us jobs and take care of us, to give us a network of friends, to solve our social problems, and to give us [no-risk] consumption experiences.” Corporations aren’t all sunshine and rainbows, and some are in fact guilty of corruption, fraud, or any other vices, but the vast majority do more good than bad. And the bad, Cowen says, can be handled with better regulation.