God Bless the Corporations

May we continue to prosper under the influence of the great American Corporations!

 

wtf the fuck are you talking about?

 

You morons who protest "evil corporations" need to take a basic economics class before you go running your mouths. Wicked Eyes, I couldn't agree with you more: God bless the corporations.

 

Abbadabba, you silly little puppet. Taking an economics class proves nothing, do you know why? I bet you don't.

It proves nothing because it teaches what the current market trends are and the benefits FOR those markets only...NOT the dissenter's point of view, not the harmful effects it may have on those who are not "insiders" to the economic policies. (by the way, if a corporation had a penis, would you spit or swallow?)

So instead of asking the great Lord up above to bless the gargantuan global empires which seek to destroy local cultures worldwide, ask the Lord to bless the people, themselves. That is assuming that the God you're referring to is a spiritual entity, and not the Dollar bill you seem to worship.

Read a book by David C. Korten entitled "When Corporations Rule the World". It is extremely easy reading, right to the point, and it may help you learn something (real) for the first time since you learned how to read.

 

You've obviously never taken an economic course. Most good economics courses present a wide variety of views.

Well excuse me for wanting to improve the standard of living around the world. Sorry to break the news to you, but Nike has done far more to improve the quality of life in Southeast Asia than Mom & Pop's Shoe Shop has. Not that there's anything wrong with Mom & Pop's Shoe Shop...my point is just that you shouldn't go around condemning companies for "destroying local cultures" when you don't know what you're talking about. People (at least in most of the world) CHOOSE to work for these companies because they consider them to offer good wages.

Ask yourself this. If all of the world's corporations suddenly disappeared tomorrow, what effect would it have on the world's economy? More importantly, what effect would it have on the economies of developing nations, where people depend on those wages to survive?

This blind knee-jerk hatred for success (yes, that's what it is) gives REAL progressives a bad name.

 

"You've obviously never taken an economic course. Most good economics courses present a wide variety of views."

Including those that fundamentally disagree with the "neoliberal" agenda?

"Ask yourself this. If all of the world's corporations suddenly disappeared tomorrow, what effect would it have on the world's economy? More importantly, what effect would it have on the economies of developing nations, where people depend on those wages to survive?"

They depend on the wages to survive because THEY HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE. And it's pretty well known that their LEVEL-of-survival is pretty dismal. They are JUST BARELY surviving.

"This blind knee-jerk hatred for success (yes, that's what it is) gives REAL progressives a bad name."

Um...no, that's NOT what it is. You're wrong AGAIN!! Damn, you're on a roll!
What we're against is success for a small minority of elite (mostly white people) at the expense of EVERYONE ELSE. It's an exclusive club that almost no one is invited to.

Again, read the book I recommended. You will finally learn what the truth is concerning greed, class warfare, and cultural opinions concerning corporate globalization. Believe me, most people in this world...excuse me, most NON-RICH people disagree with your opinion on how "benign" corporations really are.

There is documented EVIDENCE to support what I'm saying. I know I'm right not because I'm guessing (as you apparently are), I'm right because it's pretty well consensed upon that these are facts, completely indisputable, even if you choose to ramble on and on and on. You're still wrong.

 

"People (at least in most of the world) CHOOSE to work for these companies because they consider them to offer good wages."

Oh really? And how do you know this? Have you been to those 3rd world countries to ask these peasants whether or not they consider their wages "good"? Have you seen documentaries showing happy smiling sweatshop workers (especially those under 10 years old)?

I have documentary footage showing young kids crying from being SO TIRED (15 hour days for a 6 year old?) and documented proof that women over 30 get fired, people are FIRED for talking, and hit for asking to use the bathroom.

This is very sensitive stuff, and to hear some little fucktard claiming that these things don't happen when he has absolutely no fucking clue what he's talking about is really frustrating.

 

"No Logo" by Naomi Klein

"Culture Jam" by Kalle Lasn

 

Yes, absolutely.

So? You just proved my point. They have no other choice because without those corporations that provide them with work, they'd be living in much worse conditions. And you would deny them this work?

Sure, wealth disparity is a problem, but it isn't like the world's successful people got to where they are by stepping on the little guy or any such nonsense (At least most of the time. There will always be Ken Lays, unfortunately). Try for one second to put yourself in the shoes of the head of one of these "evil corporations." You've worked your whole life, built your company up from the ground, and are finally starting to prosper. You're feeling charitable, so you offer wages to third-world workers that are high above the normal income for the region...and then people like YOU protest because they claim you're "exploiting the workers." What would you have the corporations do? Pay third-world workers American wages? Good luck staying in business if you employ ridiculous policies like that.

Believe me, "most people in this world" do not live in Sweden. Try visiting Southeast Asia or Africa and see how much resentment toward corporations you find. You'll find a lot more resentment of corporations in the first-world than the third-.

Documented evidence of what? You haven't really made any arguments other than "corporations exploit workers by only paying them 10 times the average wage instead of 100 times the average wage."

 

Actually, yes. I've been to Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Phillipenes. In all three countries, most people who work for corporations are thankful for their jobs and consider themselves very lucky. While there were exceptions, in general they seemed to be every bit as happy as American workers.

Those abuses should be stopped. Not only are they severe human rights abuses, but they're counterproductive for the corporation in question too. People work better when they're happy. You shouldn't blame an entire economy on the actions of a few abusive foremen.

What is really frustrating is to hear someone needlessly bashing companies that do everything they can to help people around the world. If American and European corporations suddenly withdrew from the third-world, I guarantee you that starvation would skyrocket and the standard of living would plummet. Why do you think that North Koreans and pre-war Iraqis were so poor (even compared to other oppressive governments)? Because American companies were not allowed to hire any workers there!

 

Good to see some smart people here, Abb. Yes, Corporations actually help the world. But there are always going to be people who see anything like a big business like that as evil. It's too bad some people are blind.

 

Wicked Eyes, you know so little.

Abba, I've come to the conclusion after reading your post that you actually do have good intentions. And maybe we're seeing the issue from opposite sides of the same coin.

Maybe it's not quite as bad as I'm saying (even though the evidence seems to point in my direction) but I'm asking you to PLEASE pick up "When Corporations Rule the World" by David C. Korten.

Just read it. I'm not asking you to agree with it, just read it and understand that (corporate) globalization is making alot of poor people suffer ever worse than they already are.
And by the way, I'm nowhere near the best person to be arguing this point, I don't have the best vocabulary, and not at all the best speaker, there are lots more people who can argue my point better than I ever could...such as David Korten and Naomi Klein, among countless others.


p.s. how bout a little backup somebody? Or am I the only one in here that sees the downside to corporate imperialism?

 

Yeah, nice comeback, there. lol

You you actually comprehend that the quality of living has improved rather then the opposite? We weren't "lucky" enough to live in previous centuries, but let me tell you it was a shitty life most people lived - especially those in villages. Heck, in many countries in the world people still live in filth and its because they don't know how to make money or provide a service in this world economy.

Sure, there are Americans who have problems, sure there are Americans who live in poverty, etc. but we have a better standard of living (of course, someone will argue that as well lol), and it is all due to corporate influence. Big businesses make money, they are the future, and they are the reason we a prospering instead of trying to make a living shearing sheep in some po-dunk village making only enough to barely survive.

Don't blame the corporations for that please, people were living like that before corporations.

 

first off, sorry for the insult...its easy to get flustered on here.

I'm sorry, everything you're saying sounds very nice and pretty, even quaint... like in a tranquil dream. But the sad and scary reality is that corporations' sole purpose (now) is to lit-er-al-ly conquer the entire planet. It sounds too larger than life to be real. But you have to keep in mind that these few thousand men (give or take) are MEGA-rich, not just boring ole' regular rich. They are living in the moneyed "high heavens" so they aren't seeing things the way you and I are.
They see in their own perverted and twisted way that "the sky's the limit". But for them, that limitlessness is to dominate every living culture on the planet. A corporate world--devoid of human compassion, spirit, love, tolerance, etc.

For the billionth time, read "When Corporations Rule the World", he explains it in such plain matter-of-fact detail that you cannot possibly argue with it. It's fucking scary as hell because it's already happening...including right here in the good ole' U.S. of A. Wanna live in a world where just a few people rule the vast majority of the planet?

It sounds like u have good intentions, but you really need to research more.
a good site to check out is
www.corpwatch.org

 

Wow this is one hell of a thread. Good points made by all.

 

I suppose that's where we differ, because to me your view of the 'evil Corporations' is exactly the same - with the desire to go to a life without Corporations a quaint and tranquil dream.

I'm not even saying all Corporations are good, we recently had the Enron scandal, so there have been some problems, but -everything- has problems, Corporations or not.

All I know is, like it or not, the world is becoming a Corporate world, so whether you agree with it or not, we're getting it lol

 

I suspect corporations have their part to play. Take the far east, changed beyond all recognition in the past 30 years. Granted there are sweatshops where 8 year old kids work for 10p (im english feel tree to translate) a day without toilet breaks, but Europe was much like that at the end of the 19th century and Europe changed, its a phase. The world wasn't an equal palce then and it isnt an equal place now. When it comes to the world corporations are very much a double edge sword. Take Iraq the influence of oil has possibly removed it from many years under Sadam Hussain, I cant prove the war was oil induced but personally I believe it to be the case. I believe this to be true because there must be something that makes Iraq worth helping, something that differentiates it from Sudan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, North Korea, etc. The only thing that springs to mind is oil. However I dont believe that we should put Sadam Hussain back just because he wasnt necessarily removed for the 'right' reasons. I believe if things done for selfish reasons were undone we'd be hunting wolly mammoths wondering at this great new invention called fire. So from this I conclude that the problem with big corporations isnt that they dont help people, they only help if its financially profitable, or put another way they help people if helping those people is a consequence of helping themselves.
Of course this is a generalisation as anyone from West Africa im sure will point out but I think it shows that big corporations are just too big to be good or evil, its just not that simple.

 

Corporations dehumanize their employees. Corporatiuons eliminate variety in the marketplace. Corporations discourage small businesses. Corporations are...


Aw fuck it. Corporations are evil nasty enterprises. Most of us already know this.

 

Corporations made the computer you'te on, the materials for the house you live in, your furniture, your TV (assuming you have one), and the car you drive (or the bus you ride). Without corporations we would have none of the products we have, and whatever we had would suck compared to the quality of products put out by corporations. They also make prescription drugs and medicine, nobody ever heard of penicilin or cough syrup before the industrial revolution. Ever use a telephone? Billion dollar telephone corporations make it possible. If not for corporations, none of us would be living the way we are now. It's good to bitch and complain about corporations being evil nasy enterprises while using the very products and services that they provide isn't it?

 

Corporations make all of those things because no one can afford to compete with them. I am not naive enough to think that makes them benign.