niccic

The Corporate Shit list 2005 posted 23 march 2005

Anti-Corporationists Anonymous

After viewing a documentary exploring the destructive nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time 'The Corporation' I was ready to take too the scalpel designing a bunch of anti-corporate stencils and open havoc on my local ‘Mc Donald’s’ and ‘Bp’. However with a bit of counseling from some wise friends I decided to focus my energy on what became an B1 (707mm ×
1000mm) poster appropriately titled the ‘Corporate Shit List’.

Simply placing logos of corrupt corporations on a B1 poster was not going to give my creative conscious any peace, they needed a formation in position and a structure to be identified. This inspired the alphabet layout launching another set of problems but ultimately creating a tasty poster athletic and an identification method for the logos.

If you’re not looking for a particular logo, the eye progresses from ‘a’ too ‘b’ until it reaches my rant below, I hope viewers are alarmed in the amount of logos on the poster and perhaps discover a corrupt company they may not have been aware of, the amount of corporations that have abused their power is overwhelming finding them seemed endless and the poster only covers most of the main offenders. I think it raises some awareness but it’s not effective in minimising there destruction on the world, some are almost impossible to avoid buying from; with a description of the reasons why each corporation is listed the poster could be more effective in creating an emotional reaction in viewers to stop buying their products. It’s an ongoing project and I thank the Multinational Monitor for their help in research.

"My emotional rant, please be kind"

These Companies have ripped off the public, polluted the environment, abused their workers and debased our culture, have been involved in propaganda, unsafe workplace, animal cruelty, inappropriate advertising, consumer fraud, human rights abuse, government collusion, union busting, war crimes and racism and prejudice.

They blend into our lives everyday, disguised as respectable and contributing members of the community. They feed and cloth us, look after our children, advise policy makers and burry us. Their actions are supported by consumers and sanctioned by governments.

If we continue to buy the products made from these companies we are supporting an economy whose fundamental philosophy is the economic and idealistic enslavement of its members.

The freedoms we currently enjoy as individuals though eroded significantly over the last 60 years are being transferred to corporations at an astonishing rate. Our ability to choose, our right to protest, our freedom of association, our community, our privacy and political power are, with the help of our politicians being removed and replaced with economic rationalism whose ‘heads of state’ are CEOs, Presidents, and major institutional shareholders.

New legislation is becoming increasingly corporation biased, whilst existing laws are being amended to be more sympathetic to corporate desires. Our protection form corporations and our ability to sustain action against corporations is shrinking daily. The Corporations lust for control can only be achieved through laws that allow them to expand their influence and so their control over individuals and communities.

It is absolutely critical that individuals exercise their economic and political power to stop and destroy the power of the corporation. Knowledge is power, know who they are, know what they make, know what they’ve done. Corporations rely on consumers as must as consumers rely on corporation to create a world that they desire. It is this reliance that makes them vulnerable.

Do not buy what they make; simple. Support local individuals, co-operatives and small business. If they have a monopoly on a product you need or the product is not available form small business such as petrol or telecommunications pressure your political reprehensive and the corporation itself to amend or abandoned its harmful practices. Legislative change only comes about when there is a political imperative.

There will only be peace when people realise the power of love not the love of power.