Friends of the Earth: Are corporations psychopaths? That's the fascinating hypothesis of The Corporation, a powerful new documentary shedding light on the pivotal role of the corporation in the modern world.: “The film reveals that according to US law, corporations are defined as people. And bizarrely enough, if the corporation were a person it would fit all the World Health Organisation's criteria for psychopaths, including reckless disregard for others, repeated lying and inability to experience guilt.": "...activists descend on the home of Mark Moody-Stuart, then Shell chairman, who ends up calming them down with tea and biscuits" (ShellNews.net) Posted 18 Nov 04
Win copies of The Corporation by Joel Bakan: the book that inspired the movie
After Farenheit 9/11 and Fog of War, this is a fascinating addition to the booming political documentary genre.
Corporation = person
The film reveals that according to US law, corporations are defined as people.
And bizarrely enough, if the corporation were a person it would fit all the World Health Organisation's criteria for psychopaths, including reckless disregard for others, repeated lying and inability to experience guilt.
The movie's premise: corporations are genetically programmed to act like monsters, so it is no surprise their every decision is based on profit without regard for ethics or laws. Even dedicated corporate watchers will discover new horrors in The Corporation.
A Wall Street commodity trader tells how he was buying gold within seconds of the first plane hitting the World Trade Centre, IBM is exposed as helping to accelerate the Holocaust and the boss of Goodyear Tyres admits states have lost control of corporations.
Shining a light on corporates
Teawash
A frustrating moment comes when a group of hostile Earth First activists descend on the home of Mark Moody-Stuart, then Shell chairman, who ends up calming them down with tea and biscuits.
Upbeat ending
This movie could easily have been unrelenting gloom, yet it also shows a better world is possible.
Defiant Bolivian demonstrators win back their right to free drinking water, the CEO of the world's largest carpet manufacturer has an environmental epiphany and renowned Indian seed activist Dr Vandana Shiva shows how people power means GM-touting multinationals can effectively be ignored.
If we're successful, we'll spend the rest
of our days harvesting yesteryears carpets and other oil derived products, and recycling them into new materials.
Ray C Anderson
Chairman Interface Inc
The Corporation is a distilled Canadian television series, and even at a whopping 145 minutes, its editors are guilty of trying to fit in too much.
Stylistically engrossing, the film weaves together a huge variety of footage and appearances from Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, plus the world's first "corporately-sponsored" university students, Chris and Luke.
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/corporates/news/the_corporation.html