"The Corporation" - Christianity & Capitalism
I’ve said for many years that one cannot be both a Christian and a capitalist - a shocking view to those who see this as a “Christian country” where (today*) market capitalism marches onward side-by-side with Christian soldiers. It’s true, nevertheless. Unless we lie to ourselves about what Christianity and/or Capitalism actually are, the truth is inescapable. and, lying is considered a sin by Christians – if not by corporations.
If you get the chance, view the documentary “The Corporation,” based on the book, “The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power” by Joel Bakan. It forcefully documents a list of characteristics inherent in corporations:
Callous unconcern for the feelings of others
Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships
Reckless disregard for the safety of others
Deceitfulness: repeated lying and conning others for profit
Inability to experience guilt
Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors
Interestingly, these characteristics are the same ones identified by The World Health Organization as identifying a PSYCHOPATH!
My dictionary defines “psychopathic personality” as: “an emotionally and behaviorally disordered state characterized by clear perception of reality except for the individual’s social and moral obligations and often by the pursuit of immediate personal gratification in criminal acts.”
The courts (activist judges?) have ruled that a corporation is a “person” like you and me but that the corporation is forbidden by law to consider the needs of ANYONE other than its stockholders; and PROFIT (short-term profit/the bottom line) is the measure of stock-holder consideration – damn the community! damn the worker! damn the ecology! damn the grandchildren! damn the “nation”! damn the world! damn EVERYTHING except profits for the stockholders!
Doesn’t sound like Jesus to me. He hung around with small-time sinners – prostitutes and tax collectors, not CEO’s and stockbrokers. In fact, if he were here, what Jesus would do is drive out the money changers and the demons that are legion within these corporate “persons.”
- Uke Man
* It wasn’t always this way. For most of its history, Christianity has opposed fundamental aspects of capitalism. Loaning money at interest, for example, was “sinful”; hence Jews were pressed into banking to meet the needs of pious Christian capitalists.
If you get the chance, view the documentary “The Corporation,” based on the book, “The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power” by Joel Bakan. It forcefully documents a list of characteristics inherent in corporations:
Callous unconcern for the feelings of others
Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships
Reckless disregard for the safety of others
Deceitfulness: repeated lying and conning others for profit
Inability to experience guilt
Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors
Interestingly, these characteristics are the same ones identified by The World Health Organization as identifying a PSYCHOPATH!
My dictionary defines “psychopathic personality” as: “an emotionally and behaviorally disordered state characterized by clear perception of reality except for the individual’s social and moral obligations and often by the pursuit of immediate personal gratification in criminal acts.”
The courts (activist judges?) have ruled that a corporation is a “person” like you and me but that the corporation is forbidden by law to consider the needs of ANYONE other than its stockholders; and PROFIT (short-term profit/the bottom line) is the measure of stock-holder consideration – damn the community! damn the worker! damn the ecology! damn the grandchildren! damn the “nation”! damn the world! damn EVERYTHING except profits for the stockholders!
Doesn’t sound like Jesus to me. He hung around with small-time sinners – prostitutes and tax collectors, not CEO’s and stockbrokers. In fact, if he were here, what Jesus would do is drive out the money changers and the demons that are legion within these corporate “persons.”
- Uke Man
* It wasn’t always this way. For most of its history, Christianity has opposed fundamental aspects of capitalism. Loaning money at interest, for example, was “sinful”; hence Jews were pressed into banking to meet the needs of pious Christian capitalists.
1 Comments:
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your comments. I do hope all who read your blog will be certain to see The Corporation. It is outstanding AND chilling. Sondra
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