Tuesday, December 16, 2008
“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong it's reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed” (Abraham Lincoln)
I can sum up my feelings on this one in one simple edict – Corporations are bastards because they actually believe that ‘globalisation’ should only work for them.
Corporations love globalisation (read ‘exploiting poorer nations’) as it allows them to bypass those tricky parts of national laws like Occupational Health and Safety, Minimum Wages, Union Representation and Environmental Responsibility, and manufacture sh*tty plastic goods for absolute rock-bottom costs. Megalopolis crap-merchant Wal-Mart have a very simple policy when it comes to this ideology: if it’s made in America, it doesn’t make it to Wal-Mart shelves. They serve as nothing more than a retail outlet for mass-producing Chinese factories.
However, when the consumer tries to use globalisation and the so-called ‘global economy’ to their own advantages, Corporations cry bloody murder, and try to grind it to a halt.
Case in point: Line 6. Line 6 are well known for making musical equipment, and perhaps their most revolutionary item was the famous Pod range, and its associated spin-offs. To buy a Pod Pro unit in Australia, it carried the RRP of $1600-$1950, depending on the unit. However, for me to buy one new from the US, and ship it over to Australia cost me $450. That’s even taking into account the paltry exchange rate. The question is, why would ANYONE buy locally when globalisation provides such a cost saving? Well, they wouldn’t, and everyone is happy.
Until something goes wrong.
And here’s the kicker… when something goes wrong, Line 6 Australia don’t want to know about you. They can’t help, because even though it was bought new from a licensed retail outlet, and even though it has a receipt, it wasn’t bought in Australia.
So f*cking what? It wasn’t built in Australia either, you dumbsh*ts. It was built in the same forced-labour sweatshop in Mexico as the ones which ARE sold in Australia. What’s the difference? But things get really strange when even the Line 6 in the US say they can’t help, because it was sent out of the United States. Again, they were shipped into the US from Mexico, so what’s the difference?
The difference is when consumers begin to use globalisation to benefit themselves through competitive pricing, the bastard Corporations don’t get to rely on the income from grossly inflated pricing structures used in the consumer’s native country to multiply their obscene profits. Line 6 Australia won’t be able to charge me $1900 for the exact same item from the exact same Mexican sweatshop which I bought myself for $450. Boo hoo.
The simple solution? Buy another item in Australia, switch it with the dud, and take it back for a refund. The unit now gets sent back to Line 6 for repair anyway. Way to go, corporations! I can, and I will, because f*ck you.
The truth is, behind all the hype about the global economy and the wondrous benefits of globalisation, it’s simply not meant for you and me. It’s meant for national Corporations to increase profit margins through the exploitation of poorer nations into mass producing sh*tty products at such a low price that dumbsh*t consumers will overlook the notable lack in quality. Anyone who sees it as more than this is quite simply kidding themselves…
5 comments:
Bang on Rewey. Great work. Let's not forget that mass produced plasticware breaks and breaks often. having followed your Line 6 UX-2 exploits I have to say I agree.
Corporations exist to exploit poorer nations, this is very true. Look at the tag on the shirt and pants you are wearing today. Chances are it will be 'Made in China', chances are it was made in some exploitative manner by a 14 year old girl working a 16 hour shift in horrible conditions (no breaks etc). This miserable state of affairs must change and we must change it.
Although I sympathise and agree with your main points the title is peculiar.
It seems very trendy nowadays to be anti-corporation and any number of people will jump right on board the bandwagon. However, corporations employ millions, build almost all homes, provide the bulk of the world's food, run everything from schools to hospitals and pay huge amounts of tax to governments which are used for other social programs - and this ignores direct corporate philanthropy.
Of course corporations also engage in unpopular and sometimes even downright 'evil' acts, but they also do a lot of good.
Your IPod example is a good one, as is region coding for DVDs and the like. There is simply no justification for this type of thing.
I'll be interested in Part Two.
I agree with you, Anonymous, but I believe it's an aberation in our Capitalist system. Do you think a Corporation would fund a school or hospital if it wasn't going to be making money back through some means, be it tax write-offs and incentives, or positive advertising? I'm skeptical, at best...
I just thought of a pertinent example, Anonymous.
When I was in high school, Gillette sent around a rep to hand out Gillette razors and Gillette shaving cream. All the guys were called out of the classroom and had to sit on the gym floor and listen to the rep, before they handed out the samples.
Do you really think this is providing a valuable information service, or trying to secure a future generation of consumers? Research shows that most men stick with the brand or razor that they start shaving with. What better time to get guys hooked than when they're hitting puberty and getting facial hair. It's the same with women and hygeine products, apparently.
Why the school agreed to remove all the male students from classes for this, I'll never know... some funding on the side, perhaps?
And Gillette - the Mach 3 is crap. Always is, always will be. The hinge needs to be in the middle of the blade, not on the edge.
I think the whole thing is akin to Pompeii before the ashes, when the merchants were becoming more powerful than the old riche aristocracy and there was created an inverse power structure. Corporations are the new monarchy.Thought provoking, thankyou Rewey.
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