Editing Venality (section)

== Context ==
Venality in its mild form is a vice notable especially among those with [[government]] or [[military]] [[career]]s. For example, the [[Ancien Régime]] in [[France]] from the 1500s through the late 1700s, was notorious for the venality of many government officials.<ref>Andrews, Richard Mowery (1994) Law, Magistracy, and Crime in Old Regime Paris, 1735-1789: Volume 1, The System of Criminal Justice, Cambridge University Press</ref> In these fields, one is ideally supposed to act with justice and honor and not accept bribes. That ensures that the organization is not susceptible to manipulation by self-interested parties.

In contrast to the previous interpretation, [[dishonesty]] is not specifically expressed in the literal meaning, but is often implied. The condition of failing to act [[justice|justly]] is not a literal component of the word's meaning either. By definition, committing "venal" acts does not indicate "stealing" or "lying", but rather suggests a consensual arrangement, perhaps without conscience or regard for consequences, but is not synonymous with stealing. While [[bribery]] could be related, [[nepotism]] clearly has no literal similarity or correlation with venality. Though venality is generally used as a pejorative term, an individual or entity could be venal (or mercenary) and not be corrupt or unethical. One could perform one's duties or job in a perfunctory manner in order to collect a wage or payment, or [[prostitute]] one's time or skills for monetary or material gain, without necessarily being dishonest.

Much contemporary use of the words [[venal]] or venality is applied to modern professional athletes, particularly [[baseball]], [[basketball]], [[American football]], and [[soccer]] players all around the world. The implication being that the highly paid players are essentially "hired guns" with no [[allegiance]] to any team or city, and are motivated solely by the acquisition of material wealth.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}