The People vs. Dogma

If you let the dogs of corporatism loose in your society, and you allow them to corrupt the culture of Washington, and make Washington for sale…Then you will lose the last line of defense for the country after all, which is the willingness of its people to die for it. Because they won’t believe in it anymore.

Eugene Jarecki – Why We Fight

Now, I'm a little less willing to throw around terminology like corporate dogs, mainly because I am in some ways a part of that corporate machine, even if it is in a different sense. But that statement holds power, not just in terms of the military-industrial complex, but the underlying struggle that may make it impossible for the customer-centric utopia many of us spend so much time advocating to actually come to fruition, at least for those already at the top.

We ask for a buy-in that requires sacrifice and focus, a real desire of good for the customer, but it's a futile effort to squeeze things like compassion from a discompassionate machine. I guess the answer lies somewhere between the speed of the arms race of tools for the people versus how quickly the cogs can change 100 years of corporate dogma. If one is too fast, or the other too slow, these incompatibilities could mean a marketplace that doesn't include many of the names to which we're accustomed today.

Of course, putting that quote in these terms probably trivializes the very real issue Eugene is actually talking about. Check out the movie. Good stuff.

Comments

[Mario Vellandi]

That was a great film, giving a socio-philosophical history of well...WWF.
Intelligent, thought provoking and much better than Fahrenheit 911 ever could aspire to be.

[Roger von Oech]

I'm trying to figure out the point you're trying to make.

[Paul McEnany]

Mario- Couldn't agree more. Much less inflammatory than Michael Moore, but got the point across.

RvO- Yeah, maybe I muddled it a bit, especially with going in that direction after the quote. I guess my point was really that companies are what they are. They aren't necessarily about people, because that's not really how the system works. So, us expecting these huge changes in the way these enormous corporations do business may be futile, because that's just not in their nature.

Does that make sense?

[Tim Jackson]

That movie is incredible! Perfectly done- breathtakingly done. I can't tell you how many times I shook my head in disbelief and muttered to myself.

Yes, the cogs of the machine take many years to change, as do mindsets. Too much to lose and too little to gain, in the eyes of those who hold the power/ wealth.

I think the reminder of how ALL dynasties eventually fall is one that many people need to remember. What we create now, we leave to our children and grandchildren- let's hope we create a better, not worse, world for them.

[Nat_Nudge]

I agree with you point that companies are not really about people - but they are made up of people. And ingrained in our way of thinking of business is that companies are all about value. Value to the consumer and value to the stock-holder.
In the true neo-classical economist view of the world, we can create a market around everything. If we, as consumers, significantly value compassion and compassion issues we jus need to find a way to moneytize this and create a market for it.
I guess a good example of what I mean buy this is the whole green marketing buzz lately _ companies going carbon neutral ect. Businesses have seen customers value the climate and are trying to deliver services that so they can capture some of that consumer value.
Interesting post - good to see someone tackle some "big sky" issues. cheers

[Lewis Green]

Paul,

I'm going to keep this simple. And not about corporations but about America. When Americans are disconnected from their government, we cannot expect them to buy into the policies. And hence you have Rome burning.

Okay, I have to break my word. When buyers are disconnected from corporations, they don't trust them and potential is not maximized.