Article by Natasha Bassi

Photo by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash

The world once existed as one long blanket that weaved itself through and around seas. All life lived in a cycle of eating and being eaten – a harsh reality for some but balanced for others. As turbulence struck and shook the land as our ancestors saw it, there came a divide. The world split into fragments of the past and became intricate pieces of a giant puzzle. The pieces flourished and, in turn, became their own puzzles, with complexity and depth. This meant the rise of individual thought and self-expression alongside aspirations that grew into reality, and although this sounds pleasing – newfound freedom – it meant the existence of greed and injustice.

The world as we know it now has become one akin to a large game, or a corporate rat race. Who can make the best move? Does it count as being the fastest if there’s a head start? The joy felt when chasing your goal is only a quick flame that’s doused out when reality strikes. There is no winning for the rats. The small victory of ”making the best move” doesn’t compare to the true winners. The winners who aren’t even playing the game. How can a rat run with all its might only to be in a hamster wheel? How is there a world where that existence is fair? In a world that isn’t inherently evil, of course. The world cannot choose the players. But corporate greed is an enemy that strikes through the heart of all. There are no scales or rules that balance out the game, only the rich getting richer, and the poor being left to bleed their money and their hearts out. But what’s the point of creating this drama? This story? Because in actuality, the world exists as some kind of nihilistic Disney movie – it isn’t the princesses and true love we all envisioned for our castle but it’s what we have.

Humans exist as something of value, as though we have a price tag hanging off our backs, not as royalty in a movie. We are seen as our labour; how much or how little we can handle until our backs break and our fingers blister. But enough of the theatrics, what are the facts? At face value, globalisation seems like a good thing – the world, yet again, becomes interconnected, and there is a business opportunity for everyone. But, in this modern world, the growth of business means the wealth earned flows upwards – the resources and hard labour are covertly stolen, and the people who can’t defend themselves are left to fund these big businesses. For example, many developing nations earn money through physical labour or producing goods that can be exported to developed countries. In the garment industry when a wealthier country, seeking to maximize its capital growth, outsources its production to a developing nation like China or Bangladesh. This allows the richer country to exploit and manipulate both the people and the market, to ensure they earn more profit, with no regard or morality.

How do they get away with it? Capitalism. A political and economic system where commerce (and, in turn, wealth) are controlled by the private owners, rather than the state. This means economic growth as most people know it, is unregulated and essentially creates a playground where there are no rules, and exploitation can happen without consequence. What can be done? How can we stop it? In truth, the system we are under now is no coincidence. The game was built to last and is structured to keep everyone as they are. But nihilism aside, multinational enterprises such as Apple, Shell, and any other business that exists globally cannot commit human rights violations if there are regulations. For example, if every company had to be completely transparent about their procedures and methods – undercutting workers become a lot more difficult. Or say, future employees are informed about how and what corporate abuse is, or if consumers placed public pressure on the companies.

Although the issues at hand are multifaceted and complicated, this continuous mentality of apathy will take us nowhere. Corporate greed affects us all, particularly when looking at the socio-economic implications. Namely, potential bankruptcy, long-term stress that affects personal relationships, job losses and inflation; but there are also many environmental impacts that can occur. For example, Shell has become notorious for its oil spills that have polluted the water in developing countries – leaving locals with no accessible drinking water.

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