The controversy surrounding corporations as public figures touch on critical aspects of society’s development and well-being. Does one wonder why corporations have become so pervasive? Why do they affect all of us, not just the people who buy the companies’ products? In The Corporation, the authors talk about the reasons corporations are a societal evil (The Corporation). They repeatedly recall Adam, Eve, and the apple that sowed discord. The rot that the film speaks of is the overuse of their power. The Corporation tells how companies designed to make people’s lives easier become monsters that destroy societal reality. The film’s main issue is that the capitalist world is not the fault of individual executives but of the whole system to which society has logically come.
The most expensive resource used by every corporation is people, their labor, and intelligence. Corporations use people to achieve their goals and to make products better and more attractive. While I am sure that some corporations are not held hostage by this system and act much more freely, I think that everyone is selfish. The film does a great job of showing how corporate selfishness (e.g., investing in the environment to increase sales) becomes their main trait. It is not wrong; it is natural: every executive wants to be the best because it is human nature. But is it possible to advertise and sell a product that people don’t need? Or on the contrary, is it necessary that its sale is illegal and contrary to international codes? Unfortunately, it is on these products that companies continue to make huge profits because marketing works wonders, and society no longer recognizes the strategic tricks of advertising.
I was surprised by corporations’ legal or somewhat illegal side: collective social responsibility exists, and corporations have no such rule. The film tells the case of selling rainwater and exploiting people to get it (The Corporation). It seems absurd to a person from a developed country, but then I remember that I, too, buy bottled water and realize the influence of corporations on me. Corporations violate the law because they commit crimes against human dignity by forcing people to buy unnecessary goods. But who will judge them if there is no sustainable law for the applicable law? This probably remains an open question for the review of international law in corporations and individuals.
I think the most striking thing I found in the movie was that I would inevitably have to accept the corporation as part of society. Strong leaders at the head of large companies began with the simple idea of “making the world a better place.” They realized that this was impossible without human resources and it led them to what we have now. Companies fight for good ideas, support entrepreneurs and social minorities, and seek personal gain (Hiltzik). Corporations promise to support politicians interested in sustainable development and environmental welfare. And then, a week later, there’s a news story about how a company doesn’t recycle its corporate waste. The inconsistency of America’s corporate world will be constant, and it is only the system’s fault.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that the film is not a harsh criticism and does not disparage the dignity of corporate owners. I think this is the right approach because the public will understand that corporations’ influence on them is inevitable. Everyone wants to get rid of annoying advertisements for a new accessory, but who are we if we do not look at it in the store? Human resources are inexhaustible, and corporations will not stop using people’s labor and intelligence. And as much as we’d like to, we’re all part of the system, and changing it is a long way off.
Works Cited
Hiltzik, Michael. “Column: Big Companies Renege on Their Promises to Fight Assaults on Abortion, Voting Rights and Democracy”. Los Angeles Times, Web.
The Corporation. Directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. Big Picture Media Corporation, 2003.