"63,000 of [Multinational Corporations] at last count- frequently find themselves the target or criticism by the world's anti-globalization protesters...[they], the protesters charge, are principally responsible for the impoverishment of many of the world's six billion people," states Romrick. (Par. 1) While these corporations try to do some good, these anti-globalization protesters are definitely onto something. If a corporation needs to tear down a little city for a factory, would they go to Oklahoma or Bangladesh? Would they want to demolish a little town with a school and library or would they want to demolish a town that is all sharing water from one well? They have nothing here, so why can't they have nothing somewhere else is that attitude of many of these corporations. How do these corporations get away with it? Amnesty International said, "...[H]uman rights are abused as corporations exploit weak and poorly enforced domestic regulation and the lack of international accountability mechanisms to devastating effect in developing countries." (Par. 1) All that to say, these corporations use their rights as "humans" to get their way. Last I checked, the constitution doesn't give me the right to go around evicting people from their homes...but apparently it gives corporations the right to do so. I'm not here to say that corporations never do any good and that they're all evil and we should all buy our food from the farmers market. Many corporations are encouraged to fight the poverty that they are causing and many corporations give millions of dollars to philanthropies to help make the world a better place. Mui talks about,"$2 billion over five years to food banks and hunger relief organizations" (Par. 1) While this is all good and well, why not fight world hunger? When you're as big as Walmart and have stores in multiple countries, why limit your philanthropy just to the United States? If you're trying to recover the bad reputation you've been given, why not do it globally? Maybe because they don't feel guilty. How could you not feel guilty? I ask myself the same question but the reality is, 1) they're making millions upon millions of dollars regardless of guilt and 2) Amnesty International discussed that, "[a]ffected communities are frequently denied access to information about the impact of company operations and excluded from participating in decisions that affect their lives." (Par 4.). In other words, these people who have their communities ruined because of large corporations like Walmart don't know who is ruining their lives. They can be angry and hurt but they have no name to blame. It gives large corporations, like Walmart, a way out of having to defend their name in more places than just America. They can then continue to go on with their lives as a MNC and make billions of dollars despite ruining lives of other people. Isn't that sweet?
So I ask you, dearest blog reader, do you think that MNC are right in the ways they take charge over unglobalized countries? Do they have good hearts when they make people leave their homes without reason or explanation? Or do they need to change their ways and help foreign countries become globalized, advanced and no longer impoverished?
1Romick, Lyndsey. "Multinational Corporations: A Key to Global Poverty Reduction – Part I | Global Envision." Global Envision | The Confluence of Global Markets and Poverty Alleviation. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.globalenvision.org/library/3/923>.
2"Corporations, Human Rights and Poverty | Amnesty International." Amnesty International | Working to Protect Human Rights. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.amnesty.org/en/campaigns/demand-dignity/issues/corporations-human-rights-and-poverty>.
3Mui, Ylan Q. "Wal-Mart Pledges $2 Billion in Food and Grants to Fight Hunger." Washington Post - Politics, National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/12/AR2010051205075.html>.
