This is a
great little documentary on Nike and their operations in Indonesia. It gives
some good perspective on globalisation. I appreciate the guy's integrity. There
aren't many people that are willing to stand up like that.
They could
have said a whole lot more and this video represents just one tiny facet of the
whole system, but in twenty minutes they (at least briefly) hit on some of the
main issues.
It leads me
to ask...
Is it valid
for Christians to work for a company like Nike? Is it valid for Christians to
own stocks in a company like this, making money in this way? Is this not
exploitation? How does this comply with the imperatives of Philippians 2.3-4?
No wonder so
many Christians laud economists like Thomas Sowell. He would attack the
arrogance of these Westerners coming and telling these people they should make
more money. I'm not sure you could even get these Indonesians to understand his
point and it's not because they're dumb. It's just that his argument (and it's
one I often hear) is just that blind, immoral, and even obscene. Sowell is a
Social Darwinist and it's unfortunate that such a repugnant framework has been
baptized by Christ's Church.
As I watch a
video like this I think of the Christians I hear on the radio and on podcasts
talking about how being a financial advisor is their 'vocation'. It's almost as
bad as hearing Tim Keller praise investment bankers and insist their skills
will be utilized in heaven. I suppose it's easy to say things like this when
you shut your eyes to what the system is really all about. Like Sowell to keep
their sanity and feigned integrity they have to stick to the ivory tower
definitions and ignore the application of these systems to the reality of a
sinful world. You have to sear your conscience to flourish in a system such as
this.
They view
the creation and management of stock portfolios as an act of worship. The whole
system is rooted in exploitation, usury, financial trickery and manufactured
perception. Nike is hardly some unique example. This kind of exploitation is
ubiquitous. This is the American System. This video doesn't even touch on what
happens if a nation tries to resist these forces. This video doesn't show the
assassinations, death squads and bombs the American empire will use to back up
this model.
This immoral
system has only exacerbated the suffering in many parts of the world as
multinational corporations have figured out how to steal resources, pollute,
exploit labour and buy the protection of local government. And then of course all
their trade and political concerns are backed by US military might and the diplomatic
corps. Who is serving whom? The Establishment transcends these spheres and it
is the elites who sometimes run corporations, sometimes hold office and
sometimes have previous military connections that are the real masters of
America's bestial empire.
A related link: http://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2014/03/regulators-investigators-and-cover-ups.html
A related link: http://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2014/03/regulators-investigators-and-cover-ups.html
