Summary
Highlights
The corporation, once an insignificant institution, has become today's dominant force. The documentary questions how this entity, given a narrow legal mandate, achieved such extraordinary power. While some dismiss corporate scandals as 'bad apples,' others argue it's a systemic crisis of confidence in business, implying deeper issues than individual misconduct.
Experts struggle to define the corporation, often resorting to metaphors like a sports team or a family unit. Corporations are artificial creations, granted the legal rights of a person but with limited liability. They are legally bound to prioritize shareholder profit above all else, including community welfare or employee well-being, making them a unique type of 'person' without a moral conscience.
Corporations externalize costs to minimize expenses, making others 'pay the bills' for their impact on society and the environment. This behavior is likened to a shark, which is an efficient killing machine by design, with no malevolence, just a drive to achieve its objectives. Examples include low wages for factory workers and environmental pollution, with the public often unaware or uncaring of these hidden costs.
The film explores whether corporations can be considered psychopathic, examining characteristics like a lack of empathy and a disregard for consequences. It highlights Monsanto's role in creating Agent Orange and its history of downplaying risks associated with products like rBGH, leading to health issues in cows and potential threats to human health. The pursuit of profit is shown to enable espionage and exploitation, with some individuals within corporations even acknowledging the morally questionable nature of their work.
The concept of 'enclosure' is discussed, tracing back to medieval times when common resources became private property. Today, deregulation and privatization continue this trend, transforming public goods like clean water, fresh air, and essential services into commodities. This process is framed as 'wealth usurpation' rather than creation when private entities claim resources previously shared by all. The idea of privatizing air and water, even song copyrights, is presented as an alarming extension of this trend.
Modern marketing techniques are likened to 'smart bombs,' far more sophisticated and pervasive than in the past. Corporations employ psychologists to manipulate children into nagging their parents for products, turning them into 'tomorrow's adult consumers.' The film reveals covert marketing tactics, where messages are subtly embedded in daily life without consumers' conscious awareness, influencing purchasing decisions and promoting a philosophy of futility through consumption.
The film exposes how corporate power influences media outlets, as seen in the suppression of a news story about Monsanto's rBGH by Fox Television. Despite journalistic integrity and a jury verdict confirming the story's accuracy, the network, fearing lawsuits and loss of advertising revenue, censored the report, demonstrating how corporate interests can override the public's right to know and the truth.
Transnational corporations are shown to have a history of collaborating with tyrannical governments for profit, seeking reflections of their own regimented structures in fascist regimes. Examples include U.S. corporations aiding Nazi Germany and the privatization of water services in Bolivia, where corporate interests led to violent clashes. The film suggests that corporations have gained significant control over governments globally, highlighting a shift where capitalism and corporate CEOs have become the 'new high priests' of the system.
The film concludes by discussing ways to hold corporations accountable and build a more sustainable future. This includes legal challenges, such as revoking corporate charters for egregious offenses, and grassroots movements. Examples like Arcata, California, banning chain restaurants and global efforts to fight patenting of traditional resources illustrate a growing push for democratic control over corporate power and a re-evaluation of unsustainable practices.