Practical - Issues and Questions regarding the film The Corporation PDF

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Issues and Questions regarding the film The Corporation...

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Issues and Questions regarding the film The Corporation

Jon C. Miller

This film does a good job at outlining many of the ethical problems involved in business. However there are questions regarding the film’s approach. Here are some things I would like you to think about:

First: Is it really true that awareness alone of the problems is enough to bring about change? This is a popular assumption of those who advocate for social justice. But even after their message is broadcast through documentaries, books, large protests etc., things eventually go back to the way they were. The important question is why? •Cor por at i onst ak et heeas ywayoutanddowhati sbes tf ort hem financ i al l y . Whywoul dt heymak eaneffor tanddepl et et hei rbot t om l i nei fc ons umer swi l l c ont i nuet obuyt hei rpr oduc t sev enwhenmanuf ac t ur edunet hi c al l y ?Ni k ei sa gr eatex ampl ef ort hi s ,t heyhav ehadc ount l es sofdoc ument ar i esandnegat i v e publ i c i t ybutt hei rs al esc ont i nuet obeamongt hehi ghes t .Whywoul dt hey c hanget hei rbehav i or sonhowt heyt r eatwor k er s ;under pa yt hem,wor kl ong hour s ,et c ,i ft hei rpr ofitmar gi nsar enots uffer i ngbec aus eofi t .I ti sonet hi ngt o mak et hepr obl em awar eandanot hert omak ec ons umer sf or c ec ompani est o c hange.Ac t i onss peakl oudert hanwor ds .

Second: Is it helpful to define ‘corporate persons’ as psychopaths? Even if one agrees that the existence of ‘corporate persons’ has legal and philosophical problems and that psychopaths are unwelcome in society, we must take Michel Foucault’s criticism into consideration. Namely, merely going to psychology for answers to ethical problems raises a dilemma regarding the nature of psychology and ethics. For example, is it wrong to go around stealing things because psychologists denounce it as kleptomania or is steal-

2 ing wrong for some other more fundamental reason? Foucault’s concern was that psychology was merely adopting the accepted judgments regarding what is considered right or wrong behavior from the church or the law, and then merely applying pseudoscientific terminology onto these behaviors without fully explaining why these actions are right or wrong. Consequently even if one can acknowledge that there is such a thing as mental illness, the moral judging of human actions appears to supercede the field of psychology. •AsMi c hael St oc k erex pl ai ns ,y ouneedt ohav ear eas onf orac t i onsy out ak e; whyi swhaty ouar edoi ngr i ghtorwr ong?Thi sr easoncannotbee x pl ai nedbya r ul eort heor y ,ass t eal i ngi sex pl ai nedbyps y c hol ogi s t saskl ept omani a.Ther ef or ewec annotus eps y c hol ogyt odefine“ c or por at eper s ons ”asps y c hopat hs , t her eneedst obear eas onbehi ndt hei rac t i ons.Gi v i nganameormedi c al c ondi t i onf ort hei rac t i oni snotenoughandi snotus i ngr at i onal t hi nk i ng.Weal so c annotus eps y c hol ogybecaus eps y c hol ogys t udi eshumansandatt heendof t heda yc or por at i onsar enotpeopl e.Bus i nes s esonl yev ert hi nkoft hebot t om l i ne.Ev enc ompani est hatdos omegoodf ort hec ommuni t yar et hi nk i ngoft hei r pr ofi t sfi r s tandf or emos t .Acor por at i oni st ool ar geanddoesnothav et hemor al c apac i t yt obehuman,i tal sohasal egal obl i gat i ont oputpr ofit sfi r s t .Al s o,ps yc hol ogyhasbeenex pl ai nedasawa yt os ubs t i t ut er el i gi on.Mur deri sasi ni n t heey esoft hec hur c handt henps y c hol ogyc al l edt hos ec ommi t t i ngmur der s ps y chopat hs.Ps y c hol ogyal s oi mpl i esnoc hoi c e,t her ef or emor al shav enot hi ng t odowi t hps yc hol ogybec ausemor al sandet hi c sar enor mat i v e,r ender i ngps yc hol ogyus el es swhenl ook i ngatc or por at i ons .

Third: The film, at least in part, portrays the problem within an “us vs. them” scenario. Is this the most accurate description? Is it the best approach to finding solutions? For example, one could criticize the “us vs. them” approach simply through reason of lack of practical alternatives. Those who criticize the ethical issues raised by corporate power and capitalism in general are usually very short on putting forth realistic alternatives. They often put forth naïve solutions that do not take into consideration some of the basic truths regarding human nature and actions. For example, many people who genuinely oppose using child labour will nevertheless buy the products of that labour if it saves

3 them some money. Also many people who oppose a war will still call their stockbroker and buy shares in gold, oil, or the defense industry in the hopes of making some money out of the war. So is the “us vs. them” model really the most appropriate one to use or can a “working-with-business” approach provide a better possibility at solving the ethical problems? •Unt i l t hec ons umer sc anpr ov et hatt heywi l l ac tet hi c al l yaswel l i ti snotf ai rt o demands uc hat hi ngf r om cor por at i onswhoar eact ual l yj us tfi l l i ngademand c r eat edbyt hec ons umer .Cor por at i onsandbus i nes s esl i st ent owhatc ons umer swant ,whet heri ti sagoodoras er v i ce.I ft her ei snodemandf oramor e ex pens i vepr oduc tmadeet hi c al l y( bec aus eofc heaperc ompet i t i on)t hec or por at i onc annotbeex pec t edt ogooutofbus i nessi nor dert odot her i ghtt hi ng.I t s houl dbeacooper at i onwi t hbot hc ons umer sandc or por at i ons .Bot hneedt o dot hei rpar tf ors oc i al pr obl ems .

Fourth: A final criticism is that it is a fact that many of the people who speak out against the business world in the “us vs. them” way are very successful in business themselves. Chomsky, Michael Moore, Naomi Klein, etc, are all multi-millionaires after successfully marketing and selling books/movies etc on what they see as the ethical failings of modern capitalism. So can one legitimately accuse them of hypocrisy on these grounds? If one can be very successful in business by paradoxically putting forth an anti-business message, what does this say about the all-encompassing existence of business in our lives? •Pr ofi ti st heov er al l dr i v ef oral l bus i nes s esandpeopl eandf oronet oc hange, ev er y onewi l l needt oc hange.Notev ent heant i busi nes speopl ear ewi l l i ngt o s t andal onei nt hi s ....