11.16.2021

 The climax of "The Corporation" was intense, as it covered numerous international cases where the people retaliated against corporations. I was surprised at how the power of people could sway corporate policies because as someone who has lived in a society-conforming nation, I don't regularly see protests or people advocating in public areas. I have in the past seen petition campaigns calling for the return of missing Japanese from North Korea, or about animal rights. However, never have I been involved in a rally like the ones I saw during COP26, so it wasn't surprising when I couldn't relate to those who took great action. During the documentary though, I started to be more susceptible to the contents. One example was the testimonials of Cathy Lee's factory workers. In a previous blog, I discussed Cathy Lee's disgusting manufacturing scene where factory workers were treated with inhumaneness. Ironically, a portion of their raisings was to be donated to poor children in undeveloped countries, signifying the obliviousness of corporations and their superficial CSR activities. I was moved by the courage of the children who even risked their security, speaking out against the harsh working conditions. I was skeptical when the documentary concluded with Cathy pledging a deal to halt all labor in that manufacturing area because corporations don't comply like that. And guess what, it was surprising to know that they've moved their factories to a different country with lower wages, further aggravating the competition towards the bottom. It was cruel to know that the corporations have yet again taken advantage of their status to craftily evade severe human rights issues while still maintaining their reputation. 

However, not all times did corporations win. Mr. Paterson exclaimed during the lesson about a protest that occurred in GAP. 10 people went into a busy GAP store and entered the cash register to question the cashiers about the origins of a certain product. This causes the staff to hold the place while they call in the manager, which inevitably crashes the register system. They repeated this method until GAP realized their actions and committed to changing their manufacturing plans. I was astounded at how easy it was for a group of people to change a company, it made me reevaluate the power of our advocacy. When discussing ethicality though, one of my classmates responded, saying that this protest although may not be brutal, did prevent actual buyers from allowing their purchase. I am not sure to what extent protestors are allowed to maintain their boundaries, but I feel there is a more effective method without the interference of shoppers. A gig that I enjoyed specifically was the Christmas chorus in front of a tobacco company by elderly men who have been subjected to long years of intaking tobacco and inhaling its smoke. It wasn't just a chorus, it was a coarse chorus. I think that perfecting the presentation of a protest can help highlight its importance and moreover engage passerby. Another way I think that people can become motivated to unitedly work towards a goal is to be culturally homogenous. In India for example,  Basmati rice is a necessary commodity for their food consumption. As such, when Basmati rice was trademarked and almost privatized by a Texas angry, the people of India stood up and eventually won the case over the corporate takeover. As Gandhi implied, sometimes violating laws and aspiring for an extreme would bring bigger influences than taking moderate action. In Basmati rice's case, like salt, they're both natural ingredients that mother nature has given us for free, so there should be no right in allowing these natural resources to be manipulated and taken advantage of profit.  Overall, I learned about the strength that humans have, and the Moscow live video made me a bit emotional because of the sheer amount of people who came and also the worries for those sitting at the very book. However, I want to be able to create a film about this but instead in Japan that would be cool...