(no subject)
Dec. 5th, 2004 08:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
merchimerchYesterday there was an hour long special on the Union Carbide accident that happened 20 years ago in Bhopal, India. It was so sad and tragic, especially since if the towns people had known how to react to the gas leak, thousands of people could have been saved. The corporations, however, didn't want to cause a panic by creating an emergency plan, so instead as many as 10,000 people died and the cancer rates and birth defect rates are sky high there.
This summer I watched the documentary "The Corporation," which I thought was a really interesting film about these entities that we are all taught to think are evil, while still appreciating being able to purchase a wide range of goods for fairly cheap. Anyway the more I hear about the actions of the multinationals, whether it is lobbying, cutting health care, cover ups, or humungous preventable disasters like Bhopal, the more I think we need to change the system some how.
I think I remember some lawyer sueing the state of california, lobbying to reverse the law that allows corporations to be persons legally, so the members of the corporation aren't held libel for disasters. Maybe this is the bottom line - with corporations as they stand, when bad things happen, no one is held responsible. The system itself promotes deception, pollution, extortion, etc. I just keep wondering where to go from here - what to do about it.
Even here in UZ I don't think I can avoid buying things from large corporations - I try - I buy the gydrolife bottled water from an Uzbek company (thus probably stuffing the pockets of the mafia or presidents relatives) instead of buying the nestle water, but really I think it is choosing the best of 2 evils. I just found out the other day as I was getting chocolate to make cake, that Nestle has bought out my favorite Russian chocolate company: Shedraya Dusha (Generous Spirit). Now my choices when I buy chocolate are Nestle, Nestle, or a Nestle subsidiary. Harumph. So much for competition in the marketplace.
This summer I watched the documentary "The Corporation," which I thought was a really interesting film about these entities that we are all taught to think are evil, while still appreciating being able to purchase a wide range of goods for fairly cheap. Anyway the more I hear about the actions of the multinationals, whether it is lobbying, cutting health care, cover ups, or humungous preventable disasters like Bhopal, the more I think we need to change the system some how.
I think I remember some lawyer sueing the state of california, lobbying to reverse the law that allows corporations to be persons legally, so the members of the corporation aren't held libel for disasters. Maybe this is the bottom line - with corporations as they stand, when bad things happen, no one is held responsible. The system itself promotes deception, pollution, extortion, etc. I just keep wondering where to go from here - what to do about it.
Even here in UZ I don't think I can avoid buying things from large corporations - I try - I buy the gydrolife bottled water from an Uzbek company (thus probably stuffing the pockets of the mafia or presidents relatives) instead of buying the nestle water, but really I think it is choosing the best of 2 evils. I just found out the other day as I was getting chocolate to make cake, that Nestle has bought out my favorite Russian chocolate company: Shedraya Dusha (Generous Spirit). Now my choices when I buy chocolate are Nestle, Nestle, or a Nestle subsidiary. Harumph. So much for competition in the marketplace.
