Just watched The Corporation with baald, feeling overwhelmed. Feel like fighting the machine. The movie is complex, huge in scope, tragic, and very entertaining. Hits like a ton of bricks. Dozens of interviews with CEOs, thinkers, economists, corporate spies. Case studies and analysis of the role of the corporation as entity that now fills a role larger than that of any church or government, and that is bound by law to hold the bottom line above all other considerations, and that is treated with the full rights of a person (but without accountability), thanks to a twist of the 14th Amendment.
So many vectors here. Amazed at the story of a city in Bolivia that was rescued from starvation by a corporation, in exchange for the right to privatize all public services, including water. Citizens ended up paying 1/4 of their wages for water, and were barred even from collecting rainwater. Amazed at the turns of events and court decisions that resulted in genes becoming patentable. Amazed at the lies of Monsanto and their pushing of Posilac to farmers (whose cows already produced more than enough milk) at great detriment to the cow and probable detriment to human health, and the legal war they started with the Fox Network, who planned to air an expose’ (two journalists ended up getting fired over it).
Revelatory, shocking, and brilliantly produced. But also depressing.
Great film! Noam Chomsky is easier to take in small edits!
This movie was sent as an documentary in Norway (4 parts), and it was very interesting seeing this documentary about many problems in the world.
This movie was sent as an documentary in Norway…
Would this be the same Norway that still has an active, aggressive whaling industry? Oh, the irony.
Would this be the same Norway that still has an active, aggressive whaling industry?
You are correct – unfortunately
a twist of the 14th Amendment
It’s long past time to re-evaluate 14th Amendment constitutionality, as well as the decision that started it all. (Speaking of the latter, have you seen this?)
Citizens ended up paying 1/4 of their wages for water, and were barred even from collecting rainwater.
I’m curious: how was it proposed to enforce this bar?
Corporations are not private businesses — they are extensions of the state. So that what is miscalled “privatization” is actually “corporatization” (AKA corporatism AKA Stalinism AKA fascism). So that the function of corporations is state control by other means.
> Citizens ended up paying 1/4 of their wages for water, and were barred even from collecting rainwater.
> I’m curious: how was it proposed to enforce this bar?
The movie didn’t go into that detail, but I’m curious myself. I’m sure it was not very enforceable, but even if not, the fact that the act itself was technically barred is evil enough…