Just as a reminder, the social issue that I am addressing this semester is Corporate Corruption. I had originally planned to focus on corruption in the community so it became real for those that would see this, but it has quickly evolved into something else. I had also talked about jumping into the frying pan and doing my own research, and possibly trying to expose corruption that I have personally seen. Right now, from a personal standpoint, it is not the best idea and I am currently in the process of coming up with a better idea of how to approach it. In the meantime however, and after looking at my newfound resources I have decided to take a new approach- make it personal.
When I say make it personal I mean bring it home making it seem more real to my family, friends, and colleagues. The media has had a large influence on how people view corruption and corrupt people. A few films that come to mind right away are The Dark Knight, The Untouchables, and Ides of March. All of these films deal with corporate and political corruption. They shine an unfavorable light on them, yet in each case the protagonist who is fighting the good fight is the kind of hero that we can't be. We can't go out guns blazing bringing down mobsters, we don't have a sleek batmobile decked out with missiles and guns, and we are not in the political standing to make a major difference in society as an individual. Therefore we need to take the kind of approach that is more personal.
In finding all of these resources and jumping into the material, I don't think I originally realized just how overwhelming it all might be. One of the more interesting things I found out, which I sort of knew already, was just how intertwined Political and Corporate corruption are. The rich and powerful want to be taken care of, and so do politicians. Together they can be dangerous since their relationship can be very beneficial. I read more about the scandals that surround the bankruptcy of almost every fortune 500 company that has ever existed. The executives at Enron threw the workers of their company under the bus while they walked away with billions of dollars. Corporate corruption spreads so far and so wide that it almost feels like there's nothing we can do about it considering it's very difficult to see the corruption until after the fact.
Unfortunately I get overwhelmed by things like this fairly easily, and I have to take a step back and ask myself three easy questions. What? Why? and How? When I look at my pool of resources it makes me wonder how we can combat corruption. It seems almost impossible as an individual, and there's no way to entirely rid ourselves of it, but we can try. I believe it begins with the individual. My push is for an increase of integrity. If people would stick to their guns and keep their integrity this wouldn't be such an issue. So I am not sure yet how I am going to approach it, or address integrity, but I believe this is the right approach. You can fix it all at once, but one starfish back in the ocean is a start.
Predator of a Nation, written by Charles Ferguson, is a book that talks about the criminalized state in which the financial sector of our country has succumbed. It focuses on the influence that the academic, financial, and political fields have had on the “predator’s path to conquest.”
When I say make it personal I mean bring it home making it seem more real to my family, friends, and colleagues. The media has had a large influence on how people view corruption and corrupt people. A few films that come to mind right away are The Dark Knight, The Untouchables, and Ides of March. All of these films deal with corporate and political corruption. They shine an unfavorable light on them, yet in each case the protagonist who is fighting the good fight is the kind of hero that we can't be. We can't go out guns blazing bringing down mobsters, we don't have a sleek batmobile decked out with missiles and guns, and we are not in the political standing to make a major difference in society as an individual. Therefore we need to take the kind of approach that is more personal.
In finding all of these resources and jumping into the material, I don't think I originally realized just how overwhelming it all might be. One of the more interesting things I found out, which I sort of knew already, was just how intertwined Political and Corporate corruption are. The rich and powerful want to be taken care of, and so do politicians. Together they can be dangerous since their relationship can be very beneficial. I read more about the scandals that surround the bankruptcy of almost every fortune 500 company that has ever existed. The executives at Enron threw the workers of their company under the bus while they walked away with billions of dollars. Corporate corruption spreads so far and so wide that it almost feels like there's nothing we can do about it considering it's very difficult to see the corruption until after the fact.
Unfortunately I get overwhelmed by things like this fairly easily, and I have to take a step back and ask myself three easy questions. What? Why? and How? When I look at my pool of resources it makes me wonder how we can combat corruption. It seems almost impossible as an individual, and there's no way to entirely rid ourselves of it, but we can try. I believe it begins with the individual. My push is for an increase of integrity. If people would stick to their guns and keep their integrity this wouldn't be such an issue. So I am not sure yet how I am going to approach it, or address integrity, but I believe this is the right approach. You can fix it all at once, but one starfish back in the ocean is a start.
Predator of a Nation, written by Charles Ferguson, is a book that talks about the criminalized state in which the financial sector of our country has succumbed. It focuses on the influence that the academic, financial, and political fields have had on the “predator’s path to conquest.”
Ferguson, Charles H.
Predator Nation – Corporate Criminals, Political Corruption, and the Hijacking
of America. New York: Crown Business, 2012.
This book focuses on the lies of America’s large fortune 500
companies. It talks about their misdeeds and misbehaviors, and exposes truth
about these companies to the general public.
Clinard, Marshall B.
Corporate Corruption The Abuse Power. New York: Greenwood Press Inc., 1990.
Pigs at the Trough focuses
on the affect corporate greed and corruption is having on the entire nation.
Huffington singles out different political leaders and business owners to prove
her specific points.
Huffington, Ariana.
Pigs at the Trough How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption are Undermining
America. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004.
This film has five parts: How we got here; The bubble; The
crisis; Accountability; and Where we are now. The director of this film helps
shed light on why Iceland privatized its banks and they, and the rest of the world,
went into recession when the Lehman Brothers and AIG went under.
Inside Job. Directed
by Charles Ferguson. Belgium: Sony Pictures, 2010.
Based off of the book Enron published in 2003, Gibney helps
us see the scandal of Enron, and why the top dogs walked away with billions
when the company collapsed.
Enron. Directed by
Alex Gibney. USA: Jigsaw Productions, 2006.
This film essentially picks a fight with large companies. It
looks more closely at how large businesses function, and points out the flaws
and criticizes the way they function.
The Corporation.
Directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. Canada: Big Picture Media
Corporation, 2004.
This article talks about the rise of corporate corruption
over the last several years. It also touches on how corruption may be cyclical
with recessions and the abandonment of integrity as a result.
Porter, Eduardo. “The
Spreading Scourge of Corporate Corruption.” The
New York Times (New York), July 10, 2012. October 15, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/business/economy/the-spreading-scourge-of-corporate-corruption.html
This magazine article talks actually talks about what the
world has done to crack down on corruption through creating laws and exchange
policies that forbid many types of unethical behavior in regard to foreign
exchange.
Surowiecki, James.
“Invisible Hand, Greased Palm.” The
Newyorker, May 14, 2012. October 15, 2013. http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/05/14/120514ta_talk_surowiecki
This website provides general corruption statistics across the
globe. Mostly in reference to political corruption, but the more I’ve read the
more I’ve found that political and corporate corruption are essentially
intertwined.
“Corruption
Statistics.” Transparency.org/uk. Accessed October 15, 2013. http://www.transparency.org.uk/corruption/statistics-and-quotes
Again, this website focuses on political corruption across the
globe, but it compares the world’s countries with each other to give us a
better idea of where we stand and how we are doing in comparison.
“Corruption index
2011 from Transparency International: find out how countries compare.”
Theguardian.com. Accessed October 15, 2013. http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/dec/05/corruption-index-2012-transparency-international
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