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Response to: Yeah.... updating is good
I'm very interested in Ben's opionions concerning corporations and the steps needed to "crash" them. Anyway, at first, I viewed Ben's hopes as impossible and idealistic. To some degree they are, and I still think they are a long way off ever being possible to achieve. I think that in today's society, people are too preoccupied with the pursuit of hapiness through monetary wealth, than with the concerns of the effect this pursuit has on their world.
Ben has proposed that we boycott these multinational companies, and set up small, loaclised and restriced businesses. To a certain extednt, I agree that this is achievable. These businesses would be owned and operated by the people who work for them, therefore, their interests would lie in the location in which they operate. I do however, predict huge problems in the transition from the current system, to the one that Ben has proposed. I am aware that Ben's post was simply an idea, and he's not planning on putting it into action tomorrow, but I want to look at the practical aspects of it.
It would be nearly impossible to boycott multinational companies and replace them with small, localised busnisses. Firstly, these corporations operate mostly in oligopolies and monopolies, where barriers to entry are high, and therefore, entering the market would be difficult. Additionaly, the companies are enormous, and record super-normal profit, therefore, their financial backing would far outweigh that of these small, localised companies. It would simply be impossible for these businesses to compete with the economies of scale that the coporations operate on.
The amazing thing is, that the effect of our current system is not just negative on nature, but on billions of the impoverished around the world. The fact is, that under the current economic structure, the majority of the world's population will never experience an increase in their standard of living. It is impossible, in their current situations, for these heavily indebted countries to catch up to developed countries such as the European ones, America, and to a lesser degree Australia.
I find it quite selfish, (this includes me) that we are pursuing careers with the idea of money, instead of considering the possibilites of improving the world. At retreat, in our booklet, we were aked how we could enrich the world. This question actually stumped me. How many of us, in considering our future paths, think about how we may enrich the world by taking this path. Honestly, no matter what we do, we can apply it to enriching the world, but, these options will never fill our bank accounts with the balance we think is necessary.
Wow, I'm in one of my moods. I don't think this makes sense.
Seeing as this is the second post for the night, I must go now, and continue with my homework.
[ posted by Tom @ 8:27 pm ]