I think the majority of the world's population has a strong disdain for big government, big corporations, etc. So therefor, if most people feel this way, and are infuriated and horrified at what these types of people are allowed to get away with, how is it that no one (and when I say no one, I mean the majority as a whole) steps up and demands that it stop?
My guess is ignorance and apathy...
Why is it that we allow Wall Street and the Financial Industry destroy our economy, and then bail them out? Why is it that we look the other way when a homeless person comes in our direction? Why is it that we allow our government to spend billions of our tax dollars on wars that make no sense?
The answer is simple. They have trained us to be sheep. We have fallen asleep.
The real questions are what will cause us to wake up? And when?
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True, but: When it happens to "them", they will be ignored just as well. (And won't have a documentary film made about it.) Not to mention, most large, profit-driven entities know what they can get away with, targeting less threatening populations, etc.
shareThat's the cold-hearted nature of capitalism.
I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy.
There is absolutely no morals in capitalism. I can't believe that a group of people that were LUCKY enough to be born into extremely wealthy families can make decisions that lead to thousands of innocent people's deaths. How is it that people put enough blind confidence in a small group of people, that we are willing to give them near unlimited power and hope that they look out for the best interests of the individual. It's completely insane. The only people that are for this type of system are middle to upper class families that have deep religious or family values that force them to stay at home doing virtually nothing and learning virtually nothing. Well but God says don't question your parents (Authority). It tells you not to question things! How can anyone find real truth in this world when truth costs corporations billions of dollars? Do we honestly believe that they do tell us the truth? No its just that, no one wants to take a risk in their life or do anything. Much easier to sit at home hoping that the government or big business doesn't come knocking, telling you a freeway is to be built through this area. Here is way below market price for your house.
I am tirading absolutely for sure but isn't the idea of capitalism in its highest levels complete evil?
If it's not allowed to happen, the U.S will call the government of the area communists and the enemies of mankind. They will become victims of sanctions, political isolation, and the CIA will actively encourage and support opponents within the country to rise up against them.
When it comes to oil, America has no time for Democratic mandates or the sovereign rights of other nations - the world is theirs, the world's oil is theirs, and their fake christian god is their guide - of course as long as they get to dictate what their fake christian god dictates, of course!
This is what America has done to the Southern American nations for a couple hundred years - and it's not going to stop anytime soon.
It really is such a tragedy how America has become the new Rome, and when it comes to Islam: a new Nazi nation.
If only America was truly run by real Christians - the death and destruction she wreaks around the world through guns, bombs, chemicals and economic warfare would be far, far much less than is currently the case...
"If only America was truly run by real Christians - the death and destruction she wreaks around the world through guns, bombs, chemicals and economic warfare would be far, far much less than is currently the case..."
If America was truly run by Xtians the rest of the world would have been annihilated by now.
You obviously do not have a good grip on history. The Inquisition? That was a party for everyone wasn't it?
Central America isn't run by anybody else except by Europeans who trample unot the human rights of the indigenous peoples.
"My guess is ignorance and apathy... "
Your guess is correct, but minimizes the situation. Not-so-amazingly, the problems we now attribute to the demons of big government and big industry are as ancient as civilization itself, and the exact same scenario (albeit on a much smaller scale) has played out time and time again.
Humankind, as a rule, are lazy, petty, and self-absorbed - and have been except for shining moments of brilliance, since humans first walked the earth. Some of the exceptions are the French revolution, the American revolution, and Ghandi's passive resistance, among others. Brilliant because men who had much to lose rebelled against a system that, had they capitulated, would have allowed them to live out their lives in relative comfort. They rebelled not because they were cornered, not because their existence was threatened, but because *it was the right thing to do*.
The old adage rings as true today as when it was written: You get the government you deserve.
What's wrong with big government and big corporations in general? Sure there are a number of bad examples but why forsake them all?
If there were no big governments and no big corporations economies of scale wouldn't work. Who would have invested the few hundred billion or millions of man years of work in R&D that lead to computers being what they are today? Who would invest billions for research of new medication? Would you prefer to only read newspapers written by a bunch of guys with a few hundred bucks budget for each issue? Do you not enjoy the possibility to travel by means of transportation more advanced than a horse carriage? Take a look around you and think about how many things couldn't be made without a huge number of people collaborating.
If you'd rather be a hunter gatherer 20.000 years ago or one of the early farmers 10.000 years ago - fair enough. I can't see how modern society could work without some form of huge collaborative entities. Not with the human condition being what it is.
I'm not arguing that said collaborative entities are optimal in our society just that some sort thereof is crucial and improving them while accounting for the rotten nature of humans is difficult.
Well put and this is in no way a defense for the situation in the movie. What happened here is appalling but it is the direct result of the demand for oil (US and worldwide) and the money (capitalism) involved. We are all at least partially guilty for this and, hopefully, this movie will create enough of a stir that the Ecuadorian people involved will get some form of justice - though I do not know what that should be. It is hard to imagine losing your children to this sort of situation and what sort of restitution should be received is beyond me but it seems to me that cleaning up the mess (and I understand how difficult and complex that would be) is a good place to start. We can neither condemn all capitalistic ventures nor can we allow them them proceed unchecked. Capitalism and the use of fossil fuels isn't going anywhere for a while so, though it isn't the easy choice, we (the citizens of the world) need to stand up and confront these issues - Not by screaming at the top our lungs nor by radical rantings but by intelligent investigation and due dilligence - as Joe Berlinger has so magnificiently achieved wtih this film. Hopefully this film will motivate enough people to do something about it that something actually gets done.
shareWow, if only we could all be communists, eh? At least they don't exploit--oh, wait, more than 100 million peasants were buried by communist governments in the last century, and the environmental record of communist governments is worse than atrocious. (Look up the Vistula River in Poland; it's so polluted that it can't support any life.)
Rather than blame "capitalism" (which very few of you seem to understand even at its most elementary level), come up with ideas for improvement. Capitalism, at its most basic level, is the free exchange of goods and services. Obviously, much mischief can occur when individuals and groups are free to act as they see fit, and I do not buy the notion that "economic human" always acts in his/her best interest to benefit the whole (via the "invisible hand"). But anyone with eyes in his/her head need only read about what governments did in the last century to their own people (and most of these mass murders originated with communist governments) to be reminded of the old adage about absolute power corrupting absolutely.
As for petroleum, remember: It's not just gas and oil. Petroleum is a key ingredient for most plastics, rubber, and a host of other everyday essentials. Like it or not, we need it desperately, and for much more than merely transportation. This is all the more reason to treat the resource wisely, of course, including limiting use, conserving everything possible, etc.
There is a deeper problem here, too: Population. The growing human population leads to growing demand on natural resources and everything else to generate wealth. (By "wealth" I mean "plumbing," "health care," and a zillion other things that make life somewhat more bearable for us humans.) Researchers at Oregon State pointed out last year that every human baby born in the U.S. will generate nearly 10,000 tons of carbon in his/her lifetime. If carbon is the great evil we are constantly lectured it is, shouldn't abortion be required by governments? Shouldn't infanticide be legalized? Some philosophers (Peter Singer among them) make exactly this case.
And here's a really dicey aspect of this: the most rapid human reproduction is occurring in the Third World. Ready to lecture the world's "people of color" on the evils of their expanding populations? (Remember, most wealthy Western nations are experiencing reproduction rates falling below the "level of replacement," where births minus deaths keep a population steady. The U.S. is just above that line now, but it's declining; one reason immigration is at least covertly supported by politicians is that our massive social entitlement programs have to be paid for by someone, so we need more workers in the system than we are going to have any time soon to pay for Baby Boomer retirements. So, do we encourage immigration, cut benefits drastically, or raise taxes drastically on those working now? If the last option, how do young workers save for their own retirements?
To be honest, I don't know what to make of all this. These are profoundly difficult issues. But let's remember that we are all implicated here. Hate oil companies all you want, but remember: the hospital you need for your family would have a hard time functioning were it not for plastic, or the oil to power an ambulance, etc., etc. Get rid of oil companies, and we are all living off the land, one way or the other, or dying if we can't. Ready for that?
You have the wrong definition of communism. None of those countries you mentioned have anything to do with communism. Facism perhaps...but not communism. There has not existed one true example of commnuism. Ever.
shareA simple answer to your question is this: Those big corporations bankroll the election bids of several of the very same politicians whose welfare you, the electorate, expect to look out for! As their political career depends on the amount of cash that keeps coming in, they are beholden to these big corporations (whose leaders' behavior often resembles that of sociopaths in the way they treat other people, their lack of foresight and their tunnel-visioned quest towards self-gratification at all costs) and are answerable to THEM and not the voters, whose tax money they squander on projects that don't benefit society as a whole at all!
P.S. There are several small victories - Kerala in India recently ordered Coca Cola to get out of the place as they were contaminating the ground water; There was a groundswell of anger and protests in the (Christian) South of Lebanon against Israel's airstrikes against Hamas (the same bunch of radicals the US was covertly supporting to offset the communists) as the indiscriminate bombing left several civilians dead; The Uzbekistan dictator kicked out US army bases after two civilians were killed by an Army Jeep in a hit and run; and there is a wide (but unreported) movement all across Asia against Monsanto's dumping of hybrid seeds cross farms there (plus no word on how the seeds are failing despite all the hype surrounding them) - so there IS resistance against corporate greed; but good luck finding any news of such type in the mass media of today!
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