Does The Market Lie?

I once read or heard that the market does not lie. Essentially, the idea is that the market is a system that happens to reward only those businesses that are doing things right. In a Darwinian spirit, with each decision, consumers determine the faith of businesses and eventually select for survival only those that deserve it.

Today, I ordered Indian food and did not like it. I could have written a review about my experience but didn’t. I guess I don’t like the prospect of hurting a business run by good, hard-working people. On top of that, even though I did not like the food, I recognise (maybe because I’m not a “foodie”) that it is possible someone else would have liked it. In other words, in this case, I do not consider my taste a good indication of the actual quality of the food. On the other hand, it is very likely I will not order food from that restaurant anymore. Then, in fact, my future decisions (in this case, omissions) can potentially hurt the business. However, I can rest in peace knowing that I resisted the temptation of irresponsibly rating and commenting on something I barely know.

It is sad to see how people attack businesses (especially, small ones) in social media and other public outlets. In many instances, these opinions get magnified and end up hurting people who don’t deserve it. Maybe, sometimes, the market does lie.