Just rented "the corporation" last night

over at hastings, I was surprised they had it, but this movie blew me away. It is 2.5 hours so it ran a bit long. Started out slow, but gradually got better and better. I considered myself in the loop because I thought I stayed up to date with what's going on, but I could not believe the part where they had a company that tried to privatize all the water in (I think bolivia??) and it was going to cost the poorest people there about half the money that they earned just to be able to drink water. They couldn't even collect rain water that fell from the sky without getting charged. There was a huge uproar and some people were even killed by their own government who apparently were protecting the interests of this corporation over their own people. Looks like the people put an end to it though. They even mentioned they are going to be more attempts made to do this all over the world. Anyone else have more info on that pass it along?

into perspective.

Bolivia has been the least stable of all the South American countries, and three governments in two weeks was not unheard of, as coup and countercoup squabbles among cartels of rich men provided one tottering and repressive regime after another.

Corporatism is evil. Let's hope our own revolution against it is both imminent and peaceful.

"Corporation" a film i've never seen. Had for it's premise the control of water, because i've had it in the back of my mind for a couple of years that water will be more important in our future then oil.

Peace!

and thanks for the heads up!

Peace!

The film explains the history of the notion of corporate person hood and profiles the psychology of the corporate personality.

I can understand why a corp would want the public to think it had a personality, Like Mr. Good Wrench and GM. And perhaps they do, but unfortunately for us, most of them have bad personalities.


Just saying!

Peace!

Corporations were endowed with the same rights as people. In the eyes of the law, they are people, hence the examination of the corporate personality.

But it's not the only instance of near-demonstrable insanity in the legal code...asset forfeiture laws claim that inanimate objects can be guilty of a crime. This is how in drug cases you can have cases entitled "The State of Whatever vs. 1978 Ford LTD". How can the poor car defend itself? It can't even get into the courtroom! And how could it speak up...honk once for yes, twice for no? "Did you willingly aid the perp in his getaway? "Honk Honk." "So you were coerced and under duress?" "Honk." Good grief, I find it harrowing beyond belief that people capable of such blithering insanity have authority over my life! DAMMIT TO HELL it makes me mad!

The inmates are truly in charge of the asylum.

Todd in Beerbratistan

I didn't realize that was how asset forfeitures were justified. Is the car entitled to legal representation? Is it mirandized? If so, I'd really hate to be the cop who has to remind 1978 Ford LTD that it has the right to remain silent.

Just do a search for bechtel bolivia water and you find plenty of info.

There's also this FrontLine doc, but I've never watched it all the way through:

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bolivia/thestory.html

Steph

You probably have no idea how bad things are until you do.

There are some excellent interviews on the bonus disk as well.

"life and debt" is a good complement to that film.

Naomi Kline is HOT!!

It is pretty long, but there are definitely parts where I didn't notice the time passing! (I'm pleased to say that I went to college with one of the guys who worked on the film -- Gil Yaron -- and I recall that he was a bit yuppie-ish, back in the 1980s ... but a lot of us who went through the same program at McMaster got turned onto these kinds of subjects. Drs. Jenkins, Ferrier, Hitchcock, and Bowerbank must be smiling now!)

They were just as sickened as I was by the numbers of soulless people involved. We were completely disgusted by the broker who stated that his first thought on 9/11 was how much the price of gold would go up. Then oil. Then he stated that during the first Gulf War the brokers couldn't wait for the bombs to start dropping because of all of the money to be made.

The blond who did the marketing research involving the nag factor was also a piece of work! My kids laughed and stated that 'obviously she wasn't anticipating parents like you, huh Mom? Nagging gets us a flat out NO.' The laughing quickly stopped as they watched and she was called a vile, soulless witch within just a few more minutes.

The human genome being owned by corporate interests freaked us all out.

My children now have a better understanding of my railing about all of this, though, and that is a very good thing.