A conversation online with a friend about Corporates...two different perspectives (and in the end i dont think either of us managed to sway the other even 10%)...thought it was interesting enough to be logged...
Sam:did u watch Corporation...
m: whats that?
Sam: it's a docuementary about "Corporations"
m: about how they're evil?
:)
Sam: most of my friends who have been to B school watch it as a part of their course'
well what else are they good for
watch it and gimme ur opinion, am sure u`ll either like it or call it a hate propoganda, of some cynical losers
m: hmm i'll watch it for sure
i'm kind of sick of the corporations are evil type propoganda
i mean i agree they do a bunch of not-so-great things
but at the end of the day they are creating the economy
Sam: well u gotta realise they are..it's like saying am sick of people talking of Global Warming
m: its very easy to say get rid of all the big corporations - but what would u do then?
Sam: yeah but at what cost and whose pockets does this "Economy fill"
am sure civilisations did exist before them and society does figure a way of sustainable survival...
m: i think everything has a place in this world and sometimes its easy to just put yourself in a little bubble and make judgements about everything else
i'm not trying to be biased here - but sometimes it does get a bit much
Sam: and everything that has a place needs to exist with a social responsibility...
m: pepole find it easy to blame big companies for random things just because
Sam: well if it takes for one to scream at the top of the voice, to be audible, I wld do it...
m: http://on-cloud-nine.blogspot.com/2007/05/corporates-big-bad-wolf.html
see i agree that ethically unsound things do happen - and i dont agree with them - but its easy to get caught up in the blaming business
read that piece and tell me what u think
stuff like that makes me really mad
Sam: well and also watch the film and als watch Roger and Me and we cld talk it ...lemme read it now
Sam: well this is smart article trying to genralise an issue with one specific event...and there are many grey areas that cld be argued in those 200+ words...
m: i'm not generalising here
just talking about the specific incident
only put it here to give u an example of how blaming corporations can go too far at points
when that incident happened i was pretty damn angry at ppl's reactions
Sam: yeah, so there is an ambiguity wether the power company was informed or not abt the situation at home
m: its so easy to blame the power company though
Sam: yes it it, coz thtz always been a Socialist mindset
m: firstly if it was such an issue i really think they hsould have paid the bill after the warnings - new zealand is one country where ppl have NO excuse for not having enough to meet ends - because the govt provides income support indefinitely
its a totally socialist mindset
and yet these people didn't pay the bill
when they are saying the power was needed for her to stay alive (which it was later said she didnt - she only needed the machine occasionally)
Sam: yes but does the company see profit generation as a bigger motive than social responsibility
m: also when then power went off she had her 2 adult chlidren at home who could have easily either taken her next door or caleld the hospital
what happened to personal responsibility
i believe in taking personal responsibility rather than relying on social responsibility
Sam: yeah, the family is equally at fault..
m: at the end the power company couldnt be bothered dealing with the situation in court and compensated the family who then happily went away with their money
what does that say?
why is it the company's responsibility
they are providing a service and of course they should expect to be paid for that service
see i do believe in social responsibility
but i dont think it should supercede personal responsibility
sometimes with all the emphasis on social responsibility people forget that they need to help themselves too
living in new zealand you get totally frustrated - there are generations of people who dont work and are living off the government
why should i be paying taxes for people to sit on their asses all day?
the indians go one step ahead
they get compensation from the govt and then do cash jobs for which they dont declare income
one of our family friends worked at the income support office investigating income support fraud - and something like 80% were indians
it depressed him so much he quit his job
anyway that is beside the point
but those people who refuse to work because they are getitng money from the govt anyway - where is their sense of responsibility
why is it that social responsibility is made to be the business of corporates or those working in corporates
Sam: well sadly personal or moral responsibility is not even legally recognised to be an obligation, but a company to be in businees I feel should have a social responsiblity preceeding it's income generation
m: sorry i'm ranting a bit - i'll shut up
Sam: no..it's intresting..look at Monsanto did in S Americ and Vietnam..do u think it had any social responsibility
m: i agree that a company should have social responsibility but i dont think it is viable to expect that to be more than income generation
i should just paste this whole conversation in my blog :)
Sam: well then society should make sure they patronise companies they value socail ethics and pay only for those services...
m: thats personal choice
Sam: sure..and I`ll write back with my comments
m: you can't expect that of people
Sam: for sure, for a dreamer like me I will...expect that of people, nations and corporations
sure...
m: hope you dont think i'm an evil corporate b*tch now
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