The Corporation
They're (in)famous. You've been hearing their names all the time on TV and in print. Enron. WorldCom. Parmalat. Global Crossing. Halliburton. etc. -- all of them corporations who have rocked the market with their scandals, and probably ruined the lives of a few (ok, a LOT of) investors. Its easy to forget that a corporation has the status of a "person", with legal rights that are virtually equal to those of a real human being.
The movie, The Corporation is 2 1/2 hour thought-provoking, jaw-dropping, edge-of-your-seat-but-not-really documentary which is based around the simple hypothesis that if the corporation is a person, then it is someone without morals, to the point it should be considered a psychopath. Through a fast-paced collection of stock news footage, and interviews with CEOs, right-wing think tanks (aka, the Fraser Institute), social activists, Noam Chomsky & friends, and an FBI criminal expert, the movie builds the case that corporations have run amok with reckless disregard for the environment, and the lives of other people -- all in the pursuit of profit. For example, did you know that some companies would rather pollute than comply with environmental regulations because its cheaper to pay the fines than to comply with regulations? Or did you know that Bechtel once tried to privatize the water supply in a small town in Bolivia? Obviously, when one sees this movie, you'll get a sense of the bias the directors have -- despite the fact they did get interviews from all sides of the debate. Anti-globalization, left-wing activists, and socialists alike will rally around this movie. As for me, I enjoyed the movie immensely, simply because it made me think. And I like "thinking" movies. As for corporations, I don't quite see big corporations as the monsters the movie tries to portray them as. But some things certainly have to change... and learning about what is going on today in the corporate world, is just a small, yet important step towards positive change...(George W. Bush, here I come!!! hahahah).
So go see it. Its playing at 5th Avenue and Tinseltown.
It became quickly apparent that they led lives vastly different from ours. No electricity, no video games, no GI Joes, no Cabbage Patch Kids, No Barbies -- and no Transformers!!. Instead, the kids spend their days playing in groups outside their bamboo huts while pigs, chickens, dogs and other animals roam freely. Their faces, arms, legs and clothes get soiled as they romp around on the red-clay dirt -- meanwhile their parents watch from afar..ignoring the mess they're making. When we brought out our cameras, a delirious riot ensued -- they all wanted to get their picture taken. Apparently, there are no mirrors in the village and most rarely get to see their own faces. When they weren't clamoring to see their picture on camera, they were jumping on our backs and tugging on our arms, waiting for us to swing them around in circles through the air. When night fell, everyone in the village gathered around the campfire. The girls sang and danced to a few native folk songs, but we all had a good laugh when the boys treated us to their rendition of Jingle Bells (apparently the last group that came through had taught them). After a couple hours, the parents called them back into their huts as it was bed-time. As for us, we spent the rest of the night drinking Thai whiskey, and exchanging stories under a clear star-filled night sky. Some memories fade away easy, but the memory of this day was definately gonna stay with me for the rest of my life.