We all know about the Supreme Court decision on corporate donations for politics.
What if we did treat corporations as individuals, as humans?
Even ignoring the flip comments about 'Three Strikes You're Out' for corporate felonies, it is interesting to observe the result if you analyzed what a corporate is intended to do in the context of a human being.
Here are some aspects of a corporation: (Note this is not intended to describe the people who work in corporations; clearly the behavior of corporations is neither the sum nor subsets of the extremes of its component humans)
This is, in fact, the clinical definition of sociopathy.
Of course corporations are not supposed to be upstanding members of society; they are intended to be vehicles for making money.
But why should tunnel visioned, sociopathic entities be legally entitled to act in ways which individuals are not?
Hat tip: Eric Flint in his ongoing discussions of DRM in Universe e-magazine:
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/1...ol_1_Num_4.htm
What if we did treat corporations as individuals, as humans?
Even ignoring the flip comments about 'Three Strikes You're Out' for corporate felonies, it is interesting to observe the result if you analyzed what a corporate is intended to do in the context of a human being.
Here are some aspects of a corporation: (Note this is not intended to describe the people who work in corporations; clearly the behavior of corporations is neither the sum nor subsets of the extremes of its component humans)
a) An inability to see other human beings as human beings, instead of objects.
b) An inability to empathize with any pain another person might be suffering.
c) In particular, an inability to empathize with any pain another person might be suffering as a result of the sociopath's own actions.
d) A bottomless capacity for self-justification, no matter how absurd.
e) Finally, the willingness to inflict any level of pain on others, including extreme pain, for the pettiest gain.
b) An inability to empathize with any pain another person might be suffering.
c) In particular, an inability to empathize with any pain another person might be suffering as a result of the sociopath's own actions.
d) A bottomless capacity for self-justification, no matter how absurd.
e) Finally, the willingness to inflict any level of pain on others, including extreme pain, for the pettiest gain.
Of course corporations are not supposed to be upstanding members of society; they are intended to be vehicles for making money.
But why should tunnel visioned, sociopathic entities be legally entitled to act in ways which individuals are not?
Hat tip: Eric Flint in his ongoing discussions of DRM in Universe e-magazine:
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/1...ol_1_Num_4.htm
Comment