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Essay / Local and global corporate affairs and trade secrets as highlighted in The Merchants of Cool
The films I will be discussing are "The Company", "The Trade Secrets" and "The Merchants of Cool". In the following films, I will discuss global and local issues related to the ideas of the "magic porcelain device", "conscious stardust", and "discretion/separation". Today we know that businesses, for better or worse, have a major influence on our lives. For example, of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are companies while only 49 are countries. The advantage of having a company versus an individual investing in commercial travel etc. was that an individual's debts could be inherited by descendants. Companies therefore had the potential from the start to become very powerful. There are many recognized and unrecognized corporate influences in our lives. Indeed, much of Western culture and increasingly, worldwide, consumerism is expanding. For example, in "The Corporation" films, the concept of influencing children to buy their products raises problems. Marketers see children as both a future and current market and, therefore, brand loyalty from an early age contributes to continued sales later. Candy and treats are often placed on stands in stores, at children's eye level. Although it would be healthier to have foods, such as fruits and vegetables, in these places, the bright colors and packaging used to sell candy are more likely to attract children's attention. The dictum of consumerism and corporate capitalism is that social good comes through subtle greed and meeting people's demands. Yet putting candy at children's eye level creates a demand that otherwise might not have been there, or might not have been there with as much intensity. Likewise, highly caffeinated soft drinks, which are increasingly consumed, have negative effects on health. Corporate influence is a problem because it has a big impact on society, especially when it manipulates children into purchasing unhealthy products. Another global problem that needs to be mentioned is the fact that companies are harming animals for their own good and wealth. Like for example in the film, there was this whole affair of the dairy company called “Posilac”. They injected cows with artificial hormones so that they would produce more milk. This shows how greedy a company can be. Their only goal is to make money. They use an animal as production and disregard the moral issues behind what they do. They injected artificial hormones that would harm the cows and make them sick. The businesses are focused on production (Posilac's use of cows) and profit (their characteristic of greed). It makes me sick because they are hurting the animal, but also because they don't even care that they are hurting an animal, and only care about the money that they get from it, which is their greed. Another global problem is that some companies dump chemicals into oceans, rivers, lakes, etc. This creates major problems for the environment, animals, us and humanity. Businesses are the problem, and for that reason they would rather pay the government fine than pay to clean up the mess. It's just a matter for them. This is why companies pose a danger to ourenvironment and our humanity. This whole "society" thing can be applied to the general idea of the "magic porcelain device", because it may seem like a good thing to dump chemicals into the lake, but in reality there are consequences for themselves and for the environment. Companies don't realize the consequences, and when they do, they ignore them. It may seem positive that advertising to children is simply about making money, but it can have negative effects. Or, it may seem beneficial that injecting artificial hormones will produce more milk, but in reality it is harmful to them. Or it may seem profitable to think that dumping our chemicals will help us grow financially, but in reality it hurts them because they get their drinking water from the lake where they dumped their chemicals. In the film, "The Corporation" gives various examples of how horrible society can be. There comes a time when society must face its morality. Obesity rates are increasing rapidly, animals are being treated as a primary source of production, and lakes, oceans, etc. are being treated as a primary source of production. are polluted every day and it is businesses that are causing the problems related to these global problems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayFor 50 years, Americans have enjoyed the benefits of the chemical revolution, trusting government and industry to ensure our security. The film "Trade Secrets" revealed the public's right to know the truth about the thousands of chemicals around us. The film is essentially about how many products we rely on every day, from plastic bags to computers, would not exist without synthetic chemicals. Of the more than 75,000 chemicals registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, only a fraction have been fully tested to determine whether they might pose problems for human health. Many of them, produced in enormous quantities, have never been tested. The current regulatory system allows synthetic chemicals into our lives unless it is proven beyond a doubt that they are dangerous. Today, while scientific research around the world reveals that all of us carry trace amounts of synthetic chemicals in our bodies, scientists know very little about the risks of these low-level exposures. Some are carcinogenic. Others interfere with the reproductive system. Many others probably pose no health hazard. This is a global problem because for most chemicals, we simply don't know how safe – or dangerous – they might be. And they are everywhere around us – in the air, soil and water; in our homes; and in our body. Today, no child is born without synthetic chemicals. This film can relate to the idea of "discretion/separation" because we all think we are free of chemicals in our bodies, but in reality each of us is filled with chemicals inside our bodies . Chemicals are all around us. We think it's so safe and helps us, that we don't think they're dangerous and have major consequences. Chemicals are not separate from us. Although we like to think we are safe and carefree, everyone actually carries harmful traces of synthetic chemicals. We can also see the idea of the "Magic Porcelain Appliance" because people think that.