Plunder

In writing class today, we discussed the problem of plundering within corporations.  For those of you that don't exactly know what plundering is, it is basically taking natural resources from the earth that the wildlife of this planet need for everyday life.  Plundering is taking something that doesn't only belong to you, but to others as well.  Most of the discussion in class was geared toward why corporations believe they have a right to these valuable resources on the planet.  It seems as if corporations feel they can take, take, and take some more without considering the harm they could be imposing on, not only the wildlife, but the earth in general.  Many corporations will do what they can to gain the resources they need to continue their business.  In most cases, the welfare of the environment is just forgotten or shrugged off as if it is not as important as what the corporation is doing at the time.  This is not the way corporations should think but sadly it is most of the time.  There are times when corporations such as Interface Carpets do realize the mistakes that they have made and agree that some things they do are wrong.  In the video below Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Carpets states, "The way I've been running Interface is the way of the plunderer; plundering something that is not mine, something that belongs to every creature on earth".  Anderson's eyes were opened to his corporation's mistakes and he admits that plundering is wrong and should be illegal.  One major question is why do corporations feel they have the right to take from the environment in the first place?  One of the thoughts that was brought up in class today was that corporations argue that man has dominion over all living things.  This is what the bible states in Genesis but corporations could be using this out of context because the bible also states in Genesis that man should take care of the earth they were given.  Man is not supposed to harm the earth but rather better the earth.  If corporations want to have dominion, this means they also have to treat the planet considerately.  In my opinion, corporations forget the second part of the rule very often.  My hope is that corporations will follow the example of Interface Carpets and become more environmentally friendly.

Obesity: An issue in America

     As you probably already know, obesity is a major issue in America.  There are many Americans struggling to stay at a healthy weight.  Obesity is everywhere in our society, but the question is why?  Why are there so many obese Americans?  This question is hard to answer because there are so many different angles and ways of looking at the situation.  First, lets just state the facts.  America is very fast pace.  We as Americans are always going somewhere.  The average American life is very commercial and demands a lot of time.  If we are not here we are there and we barely have enough time to do it all in one day.  When lunch and dinner time roll around it is more appealing to take the easy way out.  That is to go to the fast food restaurant right next down the street.  You walk in, order, and within a few minutes you are out of there and on to your next activity.  This process probably sounds pretty familiar.  Places like Taco Bell, McDonald's, KFC, and many others pull you in using the most valuable idea in American society...convenience.  Most fast food places like the ones mentioned above are very appealing after a long day at work and your child's soccer game coming up in thirty minutes.  It is easy and quick.  No waiting in front of an oven for an hour and no dirty dishes to clean.  The problem with this fast food business is that fast food is not always healthy.  In fact most of the time it is very unhealthy and fattening.  Because it needs to be so fast, the restaurants don't have time to worry about whether or not the food is actually good for people.  Most will sell the public whatever they can in order to keep business thriving, even if the food causes extreme weight gain.  Now that it has been established that fast food restaurants can cause weight gain another question arises. Who is at fault?  The individuals who consume the unhealthy food or the corporations who sell the unhealthy food?  The answer to this question could go both ways.  In my opinion, both sides are at fault.  It is the individuals choice to consume the food, but it is very disappointing to think that corporations would sell this unhealthy food without thinking twice or even not being truthful about the ingredients (which sometimes is the case).  The individual has to regulate how much fast food they are taking in at a time and how often they are doing so. Yes, we as Americans need to make smarter decisions when it comes to the food we eat, but the corporations need to consider what they are selling to the public.  Either way changes need to be made on behalf of the lives of millions. Whether the individuals or the corporations are more at fault, obesity needs to be eliminated.


Picture by: phototram

Public or Profit?

When you consider a person, what characteristics come to mind?  Maybe physical attributes like tall or skinny.  Maybe traits such as honest or easy going.  Do these same traits come to mind when considering a corporation?  I know that I can think of a certain corporation such as adidas and an image of what I think that corporation is like will come to mind, similar to what happens when a certain person comes to mind.  When a corporation first comes to my mind I don't initially think of that corporation as a group of many different people, but instead as one body or one person.  This is because corporations are treated like individual people.  Under the law they have the same rights as an individual.  They can do things like sue and borrow money just like a person.  That is not a problem at first glance.  After all, corporations are what keeps our economy flowing so they should be able to function as a person.  They have to have the rights that individuals have in order to continue the business.  The problem is that corporations themselves are not individuals.  They don't have a beating heart or a soul.  They have one mission and that is to increase business in order to gain money.  Gaining money is also not a problem until gaining money becomes gaining more and more profit.  The want to gain more profit leads to greed and greed is never satisfyed.  All of the people that make up the corporation become consumed in earning more profit and they hide behind their corporations label.  The name "Nike" protects any one individual person from being seen.  So therefore, public interest goes out the window.  A certain mindset says, "It is not the individual failing to uphold the rights and interest of citizens it is the corporation".  With the rights of individuals within reach, corporations gain power.  Although there are a select few corporations that care about the public, most only care about the profit.  A corporation mixed with the rights of an individual has the potential to be deadly.