Can we avoid "The Corporation"?

A recent discussion on a forum board I like to visit, raised questions regarding "Corporatocracy"; i.e the Corporation being more powerful than any government. After asking a few friends privately, just in conversation, I realised the reaction invariably was "Oh, I never use Tesco's", "I wouldn't DREAM of venturing into Primark!", " I buy all my vegetables and meat from a local farm shop".

Very laudable, and I truly believe that their hearts and minds are in the right place, however I asked the question...

"Can we avoid The Corporation?"

Firstly, let's establish a definition for a "Corporation", in the context of a global business. There are many I've found but I believe this best sums up what is perceived by most people as "The Corporation".

'A corporation is an institution that is granted a charter recognizing it as a separate legal entity having its own privileges, and liabilities distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business.'


So gong back to my friends, there are a number of Corporations we avoid, and we may have all number of reasons for doing so. I personally avoid ASDA because it is a part of the Wal*Mart Group which has been fined for a number of issues including child labour, and abuses of employees such as forcing people to work overtime, discrimination the list goes on. To quote Wal-Mart Watch executive director David Nassar who issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s announcement that Wal-Mart is required to pay over $33 million in unpaid wages to current and former employees:

“Today’s announcement is just the latest in a disturbing pattern of Wal-Mart’s disregard for the law. It’s yet another example of how Wal-Mart fails to live up to its legal and moral responsibilities as the world’s largest private employer."

But can any of us avoid any corporation that doesn't have a dubious history of some sort? Before I give a few examples which I believe none of us can avoid no matter how hard we try, or how ethical we feel we are behaving, let me just say one thing.

This is not a criticism of anyone who is trying their best to make ethical decisions regarding where they spend their money. The reason I am posting this on my blog is purely as a way of perhaps assisting us all in thinking a little more laterally. I firmly believe that there is no way, if you reside and work in the Western world, or the First World (however you like to put it) you can avoid the Corporation. However by thinking a little differently, we can at least be aware of our decisions, and constantly improve on them.

The message here is simple:

Do your very best, for the situation you are in, on the money you have, for as long as you can.

That being said, I wondered how ethical I am, and I like to think I avoid what I perceive to be various Corporations that do not behave fairly, or with the best interests of the world as a whole. But there are those which I cannot avoid all of the time.

One was only today, I bought petrol from a Shell garage. I avoid Shell because for various reasons; most can be found here at Corporate Watch. Try as I might,I used Shell for the first time today in over a year. I could not avoid the Corporation.

I avoid Coca-Cola, mostly because of the Mark Thomas Report and the links to the Nazi regime during World War Two. Yes, I've seen Snopes that says this is nonsense, but if it's incorrect, then why doesn't Coca Cola take action?

I don't have anything to do with Nestlé either.

I'm not going to go on with more examples, but I realised that despite me not patronising all of these Corporations, I in fact am a bit of a hypocrite. Even this Blog is hosted by Google, who are possibly being prosecuted by the Australian Government over Privacy violations. I don;t agree with Google's policy on digitising the global book library, nor do I advocate their streetmap.

I switch on a tap in my house and gratefully drink fresh water, however I abhor the various policies of global water companies that supply my house. (See Blue Gold - World Water Wars)

I switch on a light, I'm using electricity generated by Eon who were fined for "Anti-Competitive behaviour" I may not actually pay Eon personally, but just by being connected to the National Grid, I will at some point be using electricity generated by them, albeit unknowingly.

I take medicines, I drive on roads built by construction companies, I shop at a local farm shop that probably uses Shell fuel and fertilisers to grow the vegetables I eat....

I can hear you screaming "STOP! that's taking things way too far!"

And I agree of course, but it does beg the question. Despite our best efforts, are we able to avoid the Corporations that aren't as ethical and responsible as we would like?

The answer of course is no, we can't; however we can do one thing, and that's make conscious decisions and do our very best. I firmly believe that is enough.