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Anti-corporate Information

Anti-corporate activism holds that the influence of big business corporations is a detriment to the public good and to the democratic process.

Contents

Disagreements with large corporations

Activists Opponents of corporate globalization hold that the government needs greater power to control the markets, that income inequality is increasing, and that corporations have gained too much power.[1] As part of the political left, activists against corporate power and influence support a decreased income gap and improved economical equity.

The rapid rise of giant (often multinational) corporations has been a topic of concern among scholars, intellectuals, activists and laymen who see the large corporation as leading to deep, structural erosion and massive destruction of such basic human rights and civil rights as equitable wealth and income distribution, equitable democratic political and socio-economic power representation, and many other human rights/ needs. They have pointed out that multinationals create false needs in consumers and have had a long history of interference in, and distortion of, the policies of sovereign nation states through high-priced legal lobbying, and other almost always legal, powerful forms of influence peddling. Evidence supporting this belief includes invasive advertising (such as billboards, television ads, adware, spam, telemarketing, child-targeted advertising, guerrilla marketing), massive open or secret corporate political campaign contributions in so-called "democratic" elections, inverted totalitarianism, corporatocracy, the revolving door between government and corporations, Neoliberalism, regulatory capture, Too Big To Fail (also known as Too Big to Jail), massive taxpayer-provided corporate bailouts, socialism/ communism for the very rich and brutal, vicious, Darwinian capitalism for everyone else, corporate welfare, and endless global news stories about corporate corruption (Martha Stewart and Enron, among many other examples). Anti-giant-corporation advocates express the view that large corporations answer only to shareholders, giving human rights issues, social justice issues, environmental issues and other issues of high significance [to the bottom 99% of the global human population] virtually no consideration.[2]

Counter-arguments

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The defenders of corporations that chief executives are not inherently more evil than anyone else and so are no more likely to attempt unethical or illegal activity than the general population. Large multi-national corporations do continue to attempt to peck decrease governmental regulations through in-house or contracted lobbyists who work closely with State and Federal legislators. So as corporate laws continue to lean in their favor, corporate members have improved portals to drive up company profits.

Alliances

Anti-corporate activists may often ally themselves with other activists, such as environmental activists or animal-rights activists in their condemnation of the practices of modern organizations such as the McDonald's Corporation (see McLibel) and forestry company Gunns Limited (see Gunns 20).

In recent years, there have been an increasing number of books (Naomi Klein's 2000 No Logo being a well-known example) and films such as The Corporation[3] which have to a certain extent supported anti-corporate politics.

Art activism

Political artist Billy Knows posted his "Greed" posters all across America and Europe in 2004 proclaiming Mickey the Rat as the new American icon.[4] Another artist critical of socio political agendas in business is conceptualist Hans Haacke.

Films and books critical of the enormous monetary (and thus political/ socio-economic) power of giant corporations include Zeitgeist: The Movie, Zeitgeist: Addendum, Zeitgeist: Moving Forward, Surplus: Terrorized into Being Consumers, The Corporation, The Shock Doctrine, Downsize This, They Live, Executive Suite [1954; the extra features {special features} on the DVD disk contain insightful narration by film director Oliver Stone, added in 2007, providing deep insights into many of the roots of today’s corporate and political perversions that were planted in the 1940’s—50’s; among other things, Stone explains that in reality, in the real world, the final outcome/ ending of the film would have been very different. {Note that Stone’s father was a wealthy Wall Street financier in the 1950’s}], “Spartacus” [1960], “The Fall of the Roman Empire” [1964], The 10th Victim [1965; ‘Tenth Victim’ was the pre-cursor to and the original ‘The Running Man’ (1987)], ‘The Prisoner’ [1968 British TV Series], “Star Trek” [especially two episodes: ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and ‘Bread and Circuses’], “The Godfather (Parts I, II, III)” [1972, 73, 90], “Death Race 2000” [1975], “Rollerball” [1975], “Network” [1976], “Being There” [1979], “I, Claudius” [1979], “1984” [1984], “Bulworth” [1998], “The Truman Show” [1998], “Series 7: The Contenders” [a sequel to ‘Tenth Victim’ [1965] and ‘The Running Man’ {1987}], ‘Maxed Out’ [2005], ‘Why We Fight’ [2005], “Idiocracy” [2006], “War, Inc.” [2008], “The International” [2009] Food, Inc. [2008], The Century of the Self [2002, a set of four BBC videos, each 1-hr long, fully available on YouTube], “Inside Job” [2010] and others.

Anti-corporate web sites

In June 2008, Condé Nast Publications released an article entitled "The Secret Seven" which it listed the top seven anti-corporate web sites which include: wikileaks, Mini-Microsoft, Brenda Priddy and Company , Wal-Mart Watch, HomeOwners for Better Building and finally Apple Rumor Sites AppleInsider and MacRumors. [5][6]

New digital media

Media and digital networking have become important features of modern anti-corporate movements. The speed, flexibility, and ability to reach a massive potential audience has provided a technological foundation for contemporary network social movement structure. As a result, communities and interpersonal connections have transformed. The internet supports and strengthens local ties, but also facilitates new patterns for political activity. Activists have used this medium to operate between both the online and offline political spectrums.[7]

Email lists, web pages, and open editing software have allowed for changes in organization. Now, actions are planned, information is shared, documents are produced by multiple people, and all of this can be done despite differences in distance. This has led to increased growth in digital collaboration. Activists can presently build ties between diverse topics, open the distribution of information, decentralize and increase collaboration, and self-direct networks.[7]

Rise of anti-corporate globalization

Close to fifty thousand people protested the WTO meetings in Seattle on November 30, 1999. Labor, economic, and environmental activists succeeded in disrupting and closing the meetings due to their disapproval of corporate globalization. This event became a symbol as anti-globalization networks emerged and became strengthened.[7] The experiences from the protests were distributed throughout the internet via emails and websites. Anti-corporate globalization movements have also expanded through the organization of mass mobilizations, including the anti-WTO protests, which were remarkably successful. In the United States, these movements reemerged after less attention was given to the war in Iraq, resulting in an increase in mass mobilizations.[7]

The aid of technology

Globally oriented and planned protests have benefited from the cheap, quick, efficient means of e-mail. This has also led to the creation of a global connection between alternative transnational counterpublics. Web sites created for mobilizations may not be designed to exist or be used permanently, but their use allows for easy access to resources and contact lists. Face-to-face coordination was also found to be complemented through internet use and has not replaced this aspect.[7] The use of the telephone remains vital, particularly during conflicts that required interactive communication.

Technology and cultural politics

For anti-corporate globalization movements, flexible local and global networks make up the most important forms of organization. Activists have preferred this flexible coordination between groups within a small formation. This includes intervallic meetings, commissions discussing concrete tasks, and project areas. Participation that is open is seen as more productive than representation. In some organizations, there are even no formal members. Instead, any person is allowed to participate as long as they agree with the networks basic beliefs, which includes a personal removal from capitalism and systems seen as similar to it.[7]

The use of networking through technology is unevenly distributed amongst the organizations and movements. The groups with more available funds are able to incorporate newer technologies into the existing communication techniques. Smaller organizations with fewer resources, therefore, look for more innovative methods in order to take advantage of the low cost. Though the anti-corporate globalization movements may be viewed as unified, there exists numerous movements. Their goals may overlap with one another, but each differs on their targeted issues, political subjectivity, ideologies, culture, and organizational structure.[7]

See also

References

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2009)

References

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2009)
  1. ^ Abeles, Marc (2006). "Globalization, Power, and Survival: an Athropological Perspective". Anthropological Quarterly (Institute for Ethnographic Research) 79 (3): 484–486.
  2. ^ Marc Abeles, 'Globalization, Power, and Survival: an Anthropological Perspective', pg 484–486. Anthropological Quarterly Vol.79, No. 3. Institute for Ethnographic Research, 2006
  3. ^ The Corporation
  4. ^ Political Actions by Billy Knows
  5. ^ Zetter, Kim (2008-06-13). "The Secret Seven". Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 2008-07-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20080730011448/http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2008/06/13/Anti-Corporate-Websites. Retrieved 2008-09-03
  6. ^ Zetter, Kim (2008-06-13). "Dotcom Confidential". Condé Nast Publications. http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2008/06/13/Dotcom-Confidential. Retrieved 2008-09-03
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Juris, Jeffrey S.. "The New Digital Media and Activist Networking". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (Sage Publications, Inc.) 599: 191–199.

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