David vs. Goliath

             From the book the book Profit Over People by Noam Chomsky of chapter two “Consent without Consent” tells readers about the philosophy about the strong (rich) vs. the weak (poor). David Hume, an analysis, found it intriguing how the government always has force on its side when and if people raised up and overthrew the “masters”. “In a democracy, the governed have the right to consent, but nothing more than that” (Chomsky 44).Our governmental system is all about the consent of the “governed.” America’s idea of a governmental system has and is accepted but continues to be challenged. The issue of the amount of power the government hast to control its people is too strong. But even with most brutal rulers have a limit which leaves the system weak.  The Balance Of Power (BOP) is what’s important to any ruler, giving the majority of the power to the government and the least amount to its civilians.

                The phrase that stuck out the most was “The people must submit to their rulers, and it is enough if they give consent without consent” (pg. 45). This sentence fully explains the real meaning of “consent without consent.” This theology even affects the availability and knowledge of people’s human rights. From a documental video of a Global Politics class, the reporter asked a variety of Americans do they know their human rights. About 3% were able to somewhat successfully explain their human rights. The idea of living in the states lets civilians know they are entitled to their rights, but what are they? Living in the U.S is an automatic consent to having human rights but also consenting to the lack of knowledge of what they are. Every day not just in the U.S people of different nations are having their human rights violated based on the power the government has over them. As Hume’s discovered “the more free and popular a government, the more it becomes necessary to rely on control of opinion to ensure submission to the rulers.”

                For an example, we the people have the right to public assembly and workers’ rights. When workers know they need and disserve to have better conditions they cannot assemble due to the ban on such act in certain states. But that act is violating our human rights. Our human rights also say we have the right ot a fair and free world. I don’t know about anyone else but this doesn’t seem fair to me.

                Unknowingly people are consenting to live a life as “slaves” when giving the government the right to withholding the accurate knowledge of the human rights. By not exactly stating the human rights and the public does not make the effort of learning their human rights without the help of the government make them weak. Which automatically gives the government the upper hand to violate them without you knowing.

EXTRA CREDIT: Working in the Fast Food Industry

           From our recent discussions, many workers in fast food restaurants are not or are no longer satisfied with their position. Its unlikely wages will be raised, anything higher than an assistant or rarely a managerial job will be given, or any ounce of sustainable respect is shown towards workers from both customers and fellow co-workers. Many of my friends have worked in a fast food restaurant, more commonly McDonalds, are complaining nonstop of the job they have. My issue is what is there to complain about? Working at McDonalds is not something to be felt overly confident about it’s just a job. Or more like a business oriented hobby that pays.

                Living in a small town it was noticeable that working in fast food restaurant was a big thing. To me it was something that pays. Life is all about achieving for the best. In my eyes a job in the fast food business is a minor stepping stone to get somewhere better. To some it’s the best thing that’s ever happened, in other cases the worst. The fast food occupational system was never meant to treat its employers the same as a job at a small realty company. It’s a convenient job for convenient customers. All the profits made were created to be directed to the CEO’s and head directors of the eatery not its lower level employee’s. I understand the quick feeling of achievement when the job is open to someone but it’s not something to set your long term life goals to. That job is more short term.

                Every time I hear someone complain about their job I think they need to look at it from the outside in. for example, “I work long hours for a crappy pay”; to me this should motivate the worker to save all they can and actually start thinking of a career in mind that will actually be more fulfilling in life than a half ass job at a McDonalds. “My manager doesn’t like me”; the world is not a nice place, get over it! Not every person you meet will like or care about you; you have to care about yourself. In other words look towards something else like a hobby you would not mind getting paid for as a career to look towards. I like to argue and defend people like a lawyer, sounds like a lovely job to do and get paid for. I get to do what I love to do all day and make money off of it. People don’t notice the little things they enjoy to do are actually and can be a big career to study for.

                Once again “MCDONALDS IS A STEPPING STONE, NOT A HIGH IN CAREER YOU SHOULD BE OVER JOYED ABOUT!” yes the job suck but it’s not the end of the world or all that’s out there, all you have to do is look.

Resource Wars

             Globalization has been suggested to avert the violence in many instances of resource scarcity.  Situations occur when certain companies tend to fail to be civilized about retrieving scarce resources.  Those accruing situations are commonly known as resource wars-conflicts that revolve, to a significant degree, over the pursuit or possession of critical materials.

One major resource is weapons.  Every nation wants to have that secure feeling to protect their nations, their people and their culture. When word has gotten out about a weapon that can conquer any measly gun, cannon, air strike or even bomb will result in a “implore” affect. Every nation will go neck in neck, sacrificing arm and limb in order to posses such weapon. In other words a resource war will break out.

Corporations tend to be less concerned on the positive route for their businesses. They seem to only be more self concerned for their own personal gain and/or companies. When the government and corporations team up their point of view of what’s right changes. The government is supposed to be more about the people’s well being instead of their own. The whole ideology of power tends to shift when the authority is no longer equal. The usage of control is diverted to gain not only more resources but more power. Organizations will go out of their way to annihilate one another so their company is the one left on top.

A possible connection the resource war has is with fast food nation. The motive behind the corporations is the dominance of the market. Fast food companies want to be on top; beat the completion. Government corporations seek the same outcome. To expand in the resources needed for the governments company they will overcome the competition in order to achieve success.

In the end, can we really trust and rely in our own government? If at the end of the day the self interest of the government tends to be more important, what’s left that can be done by the people to guarantee we do actually have a say in what’s going on in our own country?

BIOFUEL

Instead of growing food for a biofuel resource we can recycle the garbage we have in landfills. Take the processed oils from restaurants to make”oil”. In return, a tax reduction for those who make the most garbage to be transformed into oil n to restaurants that provide the most as well. It’s very obvious that we do have a waste issue at hand. It is affecting us as humans, animals and nature in very toxic ways. There is a system to take care of the waste that’s made in our homes, jobs, eateries, etc. but there is no system to what is done after that waste is taken away from sight. Biofuel kills two whammies in one solution, as an economical efficient oil resource.

Biofuel (otherwise known as agrofuel) can be used in a solid, liquid or gaseous form. Using waste biomass as energy can help decrease waste management problems, pollution, greenhouse gaseous emissions and the use of fossil fuels. The potential for bioenergy is huge by obtaining from waste to decrease the speed of global warming.  Supported by recent reports, by the year 2020, 19 million tons of oil equivalents can come from biomass. Out of 46% is obtainable from bio-wastes as in farm waste, agricultural waste, municipal solid waste and other biodurable waste streams.

Corporate Self-Indulgence

Certain companies see others that are on top and want to be able to achieve the same opportunity. The McDonald brothers saw interference in their ideas to achieve “success” so they twisted things to perfect them so the flow of money keeps coming in. For instance, the demand for higher wages, popularizing with consumers and competition with other fast food business were blocks to the companies trying to obtain success.

 Conquering corporate interference inspired other companies as in GM for example to look at their problems getting more money. As in buying out and exterminating the competitor and persuading the public they need to buy their products. Other food companies know the natural balance of food was a flaw in their production. Creating fabricated items to sustain shelf life and durable life expectancy in homes lead them to recruit scientist to clone similar taste, look and smell of food in their products that are nothing more than a fabrication.

Consumption Link

      

The consumption link between the consumer and the free market is important. The consumption link is the need to utilize the products the corporations in the free market exploits to the public. The reality between the need and want of the product is misconstrued so that the public will be drawn towards the merchandise.

The psychological connection between consumers and the free market is the most important key point of the Fast Food Nation book. The psychological connection consumers have is the need to eat but also to eat what’s healthy for them and their families.   Free markets use that connection to draw people to their products giving them the assumption that it must be good for them.  The freedom in the market gives the companies the freedom to twist the nutrition factors to persuade the consumers that their food is good for them to eat their products even when it’s proved that it’s not.

Power of Stroking

Stroking is an intellectual approach of keeping someone under your thumb. Stroking stands for a way of giving positive reinforcement as in making someone feel valued.  This technique is one of the many popularized in the book called “I’m ok-You’re ok” in 1969. Many fast food industries used this type of psychological practice to keep their workers inspired and motivated that they are an important element of the company. In return the managers wouldn’t have to raise wages just so they can pocket the rest of the profits for themselves.

            This procedure gave such positive results it was no longer only used in the work force. A social convention of how to achieve success used stroking to reach out to the public so that they would invest in the lectors of the speakers and buy their books as well as their success stories.  Peter Lowe and Christopher Reeve use this method to promote themselves and their stories. Peter Lowe used more of a religious influence that was inspired by his parents. He was able to use that factor to not only connect but to motivate the crowd to feel his story and put themselves in the mind set if that’s what it took for Peter Lowe to get success they can too. Christopher Reeve used his disability caused by an accident to touch the crowd in a sympathetic way. Reeves used more of a personal experience to relate more with the audience. Reeve explains that success means something completely different after his accident. If someone like him that’s in the same condition that can still have success so can they.

            Stroking is a very influential technique to move someone in the way you can benefit from. It’s most commonly used by someone with either power or just to achieve a goal from the use of the skill. Whether in a work force or a spokesperson convention stroking has a place in all of society.

The Shock Doctrine

The Shock Doctrine is a documentation that argues the free market policies and capitalism. ”I call these orchestrated raids on the public sphere in the wake of catastrophic events, combined with the treatment of disasters as exciting market opportunities, ‘disaster capitalism’” by Freidman’s New Orleans op-ed public policy.

The shock doctrine tells readers of the tragic natural disaster by Hurricane Katrina that went from a disaster to a golden opportunity to clean up public housing, lower taxes, fewer regulations, cheaper workers and a “smaller safer city”. Whether there was a large amount of debris from the hurricane or toxic spillage, the phrase “a clean slate” was still in motion. Not even the deaths of hundreds of residents fazed the legislators and the wealthy to rebuild New Orleans into the image they saw fit.

The shock doctrine can connect to the 2001 settlement of Taco Bell. Taco Bell owed $9M from a lawsuit of unpaid wages. Taco Bell refused to acknowledge the situation at hand because of the lack of government control in their company. The lassie fair agreement left the employees at the mercy of the corporation. The hurricane tragedy left the ones with money to take control not the proper authorities of the government whose best of interest were for the residents of New Orleans.