Do you think Wal-Mart is evil?
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Sunday, November 27, 2005 20:12
VIEWED: 21084
PAGE 15 of 17
Quote:Who are you, STEVEN SEGAL????(On Deadly Ground reference)
Originally posted by misbehaven:
When is enough money enough?
Seriously, one point down in stock can be the beginning of the end in their eyes, so the answer is: NOTHING is enough.
Like sharks, they MUST constantly move foward or DIE.
Only these sharks use calculators.
Chrisisall
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I don't know what everyone is concerned with. I love Blue Sun products. I mean Wal-Mart. I buy my medicines, food, clothing, well everything from Blue Sun. I mean Wal-Mart. They're not bad at all, wonderful. I'll have my children buy from Blue Sun. I mean Wal-Mart. Live life with Wal-Mart. I mean Blue Sun.
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I never saw that movie, so the reference is lost on me. But I think you can still run an ethical and profitable company. After all, there are plenty of people who will not invest their money (shopping or buying stock) with compnaies like WM.
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Quote:
Originally posted by misbehaven:
I am not looking to pick a fight here, but being "ruthless and underhanded" in the pursuit of money could arguably be considered evil, even if it is common place. Exploiting third world labor, so that you can raise your company stock a point or two is neither ethcial, moral, nor virtuous. Just because it is the norm does not make it right. There are plenty of other companies that are not doing what Wal-Mart is doing, and they are still profitable. When is enough money enough?
Understood, and you have a valid and moral point.
Logically we would live in a world when a person(s) would be satisfy themselves with a nice sized profit.
Unfortunately we dont.
Cold truth, it is never enough. I guess thats why they call it a consumer market.
We consume.
Its been feed to us that more is good, bigger is better and the in style is what counts.
A company grows, it feeds to grow and it grows to feed and feeds to grow.
Some kid in a third world country who should have a childhood, is working for pennies so a company can sell a shoe for hundreds of dollars.
Its cold.
Its wrong.
Its indifference.
And pardon my french its f***kin not right at all.
Buts its our world, and its not evil.
Maybe Its the word that gives me a problem. Janet Jackson nearly exposes a nipple and the masses cry 'indecent'
Enron screws millions. Lives shattered and dreams gone and its 'wall street.'
In a way its worse then Evil, evil has malice, rage and hate.
I get Evil.
Corporations to me lacks that, the worse part is that the workers and other unfortunates are not screwed over by some villian who is caressing his thin moustache while cakling like a heyena.
Its by some guy with a icey gaze and his finger running numbers.
Apologies for ranting.
See you in the black.
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Fletch,
I don't think so. I agree regulation can be bad, but I don't think that it's contrary to the market. I think the market is an artificial construct of regulation. Overregulation is bad, but to some extent, sure society is a set of regulations. Without regulation we'd all just kill each other for cash.
The regulations create the incentive to destroy. If written differently, they wouldn't. I mean not regulations that say 'you can't do this' but ones which make it disadvantageous to do that. It would have to be clever.
I beg to differ on the walmart/evil thing. Walmart is Evil. Plain and simple. The princple core value in Walmart's portfolio is slavery. Slave labor makes the products cheaper than any well regulated labor in the world.
Walmart doesn't seek to compete with other companies in a way which is superior, it seeks to stab them in their sleep. Walmart knows its service is inferior, so it breaks any law to make it cheaper, and if that doesn't work it buys local politicians.
Walmart on both ends is a force for destruction. I rips open and breaks apart the system of free market capitalism on one end, and the labor market on the other. In the end there will only be Blue Sun.
Picture the end position, the big merger from chinadoll Mall*Wart and saudidaddy AQL-Tomb-Warmer. All America under the permanent emercency code, and all the world under America, China or the Al Qaeda puppet govt. network.
The European states of America, ie the EU, the NAFTAmerica, the Chinese Chavezopoly of SA, and the East Asian technological control complex locked into endless war with perpetual chaos society, the mideast and africa, under the control of al qaeda chaos. Of course, this war could obviously be won, but there's no need, winning the war isn't the goal.
It does not matter whether the war is actually happening, and, since no decisive victory is possible, it does not matter whether the war is going well or badly. All that is needed is that a state of war should exist.
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Quote:You must see On Deadly Ground, it's one of Steve's funniest (unintentionally) movies, and it actually has something to say about big companies (they're Evil)
Originally posted by misbehaven:
I never saw that movie, so the reference is lost on me. But I think you can still run an ethical and profitable comany. After all, there are plenty of people who will not invest their money (shopping or buying stock) with compnaies like WM.
And Good stores like Trader Joes seem to do okay...
Maybe another thread....yeah, that's it!
Chrisisall
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I'll look into that, even though I'm not a big fan of Segal. I agree with you about Trader Joes. I shop there or the local farmer's market all the time.
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Trader Joes has THE best frozen organic pizza!!!!!
And priced right!!!!!!!!!
Chrisisall off topic
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Quote:
Originally posted by dreamtrove:
Assuming that Walmart stategizes to eliminate all competition, a strategy of defense might be a good idea. I haven't thought of one yet. Anyone got any ideas?
The best offense is often subterfuge. Or obfuscation. The gift horse will usually do quite nicely in a pinch.
and for Chris...
I've never felt rich - in the oil business others were all much richer than I was -J Paul Getty
Thanks to viral marketing...SERENITY: reopening soon in a theater near you.
Shiny Trees! Yavanna made Shiny Trees!
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DT:
I'm not nescessarily disagreeing with your conclusion. Capitalism *is* an artificial construct as you said and to an extent we have wished this situation on ourselves.
Two comments though.
1) You will find no widespread pust for reform from the right, who believe with some justification that over regulation is the wrong way to go. Remember we discussed this in the other thread, red tape usually comes wrapped around good intentions? Two kinds of businesses complain about red tape -- ones that are legal and dillient who see man hours and profits being wasted on unnescessary paperwork --- and those guys that have just seen a lucrative loophole they were exploiting closed. The trick is to close the loopholes bad boys can use against Joe Citizen without strangling everyone else in red tape.
2) A friend of mine once said that the world has no shortage of greedy assholes and guys that thought the world owed them a living. I don't feel that being woken up early on a Sunday morning by a sales call is a legitimate business practice. I pay for that phone for my use. I am paid very well for my time at work. If someone will pay be my billable labour cost to listen to their sales pitch then I'm cool, otherwise they are stealing time from me, even if it's the 5 seconds to say "no thanks."
While ever having money is more important than how you got it we will always have assholes. If there ever came a day when telemarketing came with a bad credit rating, public shunning and social stigma it would stop.
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