The movie The Corporation focused on the rise of the notion of a corporation as a legal entity and its equivalence to a person in regards to its rights and capabilities in society. The main message of the film can be found in the fact that corporate entities do not act humanely because if they are assessed from the viewpoint of DSM-IV, it becomes evident that they exhibit psychopathy. Therefore, corporations are systematically adherent to act in a manner, which attempts to deceive, disregards others, and fails to follow the law.
It is important to note that corporations are primarily driven by profit, which makes them highly compelled to commit financial crimes. In chapter 3 of the book White-Collar Crime: The Abuse of Corporate and Government Power, the author discusses the various strategies by which corporations conduct their fraudulent activities (Berger, 2012). These might include fraud, embezzlement, insider trading, price-fixing, anti-trust violations, and Ponzi schemes (Berger, 2012). The movie also illuminates the specified tendencies of a corporate entity, where it dismisses the ethical aspects of business practices. For example, the film addresses the concept of the tragedy of the commons, where individuals act solely for their own best interest and not for the common good, which results in the diminishment of the surrounding environment and quality of life (Achbar & Abbott, 2003). In other words, corporate entities are prime examples of the described concept, where they are willing to cause damage and destruction as well as break the law with the sole purpose of gaining profit. Although they are equated to individual humans in the legal sphere, they act in inhumane ways, where corporations are eager to deceive, be uncompassionate, and ruthless, which are all characteristics of a psychopath.
Another aspect of the movie also touches on the issues, such as corporate crimes against the environment, consumers, and workers. In Chapter 4 of the book White-Collar Crime: The Abuse of Corporate and Government Power, the author discusses corporations are compelled to mistreat their employees, customers alongside the local environmental elements (Berger, 2012). For example, the movie illuminates the well-known case of the Bolivia protests, where Cochabamba’s municipal water supply was privatized (Achbar & Abbott, 2003). It is a direct demonstration of how dismissive and uncompassionate corporations can be in regards to the local consumers. Another illustration of the psychotic tendencies of corporations can be seen in the alleged cooperation between IBM and Nazi holocaust promoters (Achbar & Abbott, 2003). The mere suspicion of such an operation highly questions the ethicality of corporate entities, which strive to achieve profits regardless of whether the other party is conducting genocide and ethnic cleansing. The lack of mere empathy and humanity of corporations showcase the fact that they are systematically inhumane and are compelled to act unethically. In other words, one might argue that corporations should not enjoy the same privileges and rights as regular citizens do due to their flawed and immoral nature.
In conclusion, the movie The Corporation questions the very essence of the notion of corporations as legal entities. It reveals their horrendous malpractices and disregards, which can take the form of corporate financial crimes and corporate crimes against employees, consumers, and the environment. The film convincingly proves that these described cases are not mere exceptions but rather the intrinsic flaws of corporations. The main reason is that they are equated to humans but act as if they were psychopaths.
References
Achbar, M., & Abbott, J. (2003). The corporation [Film]. Big Picture Media Corporation.
Berger, R. J. (2012). White-collar crime: The abuse of corporate and government power. Sage.