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ne of the most important videos you will ever see is The Corporation, a

documentary by Zeitgeist Video. The film includes interviews with people like Milton Friedman and Noam Chomsky and there are also interviews with many other CEOs, whistleblowers, business brokers and even a corporate spy. This video will open your eyeseven if you think your eyes are already opento the evils that are being caused by corporations around the world.

he film opens a critique on the medias most widely-used metaphor to

describe certain corporations as a few bad apples. Among many newscasters quoted, George Bush is also shown belittling unjust corporations to a few bad apples. The documentary takes this and runs, so to speak, through exemplifying the short-sighted and belittling nature of this metaphor in describing the majority of the corporate world and its monopolizing, exploitive capabilities and tendencies. The film deems Dr. Franksteins creation to be analogous with the rise of corporations. The documentary illustrates corporations to have started as something for the public good. The film discusses original chartered corporations with clear stipulations to avoid the multitude of injustices apparent today. This background information creates the outline for how far corporations have strayed from their role as a social betterment.

rom the film, it was stated that corporation means business, company, or

business community. Every corporation has one purpose, and that is to provide value and profits to its shareholders while continuing to grow. In fact, as you'll see in The Corporation, that is by law the growth strategy that every corporation must follow. By law, corporations must put the profits of shareholders first and, in doing so, will necessarily export its problems to the public at large. In the video, these are called "externalities," and corporations are machines that will externalize the costs of their endeavors to society and to the planet.

he film places most emphasis on the harms of corporations, dividing

segments into slides illustrating particular harms. The first segment depicts corporate harms to workers in the form of layoffs, union busts, factory fires, sweat shops etc. the

film continues to outline harms to the environment in the form of dangerous production methods, toxic waste, pollution, synthetic chemicals, etc. the rise of synthetic chemicals is highlighted indicating this allows corporations to make everything at a lower cost, which as stated by the film is the monetary bottom line for all corporations. The documentary holds the corporate industry solely responsible for the United States cancer epidemic

ne of the interesting things about this is that the same is true of really any

organization. It doesn't have to be a corporation. Organizations created by the federal governmentwhich is supposed to be created by the peoplereally have no purpose other than to survive and grow and accumulate more power. We see the same thing in various nonprofit organizations, as well. Many nonprofit disease organizations have no other purpose but to survive, grow, make more money and have more influence.

or example, children are manipulated into buying the product. Its not wrong

to make things for children. Its just that they sell it directly to the children by airing commercials of children that are so happy having that particular toy or what not. Corporations do that because they need to thrive and survive. They need to grow and extend their influence. It's not that the people in that.

ost shocking in the discussion of Monsanto, is the films coverage of a

court cause in which two Fox news reporters stood up for their right to serve as a valid news source. Two workers are depicted to have been assigned by Fox to change and hide their findings on the Monstano companies injustices and their inability to speak the truth. Rather than a happy ending, after hours of efforts, many letters, etc. the ex-workers received $425,000 as a settlement however only later to be withdrawn with shocking reasoning. The case closed with the conclusion that it is not technically illegal to produce false news. The workers lose and the corporation wins, thus pus still remains in our milk and most people, save those fortunate to hear the uncensored truth, will continue to drink it with smiles.

THE CORPORATION
Submitted by: Allyana Camille V. Abrenica BAMC-2B Submitted to: Mr. Lemuel Del Rosario

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