Corners were cut, margins were trimmed, scams and shakedowns were and are everywhere. Nothing is as it seems . . . . Contests aren't really winnable, prizes are predetermined. Everything can be bought or gotten to. Anyone can be reached or pressured or coerced or bought.
People die for a few dollars.
And the beauty of all this is that very little of it is personal, but rather it is all in the name of business. I'm not being cynical or displaying a downtrodden spirit. This is the way I learned the world to be as a child, and all my years growing up. I love this about the world. I love the dance the beast dances in its dreams while everyone perceives it to be sleeping.