Friday, January 14, 2005
The Professional Student
If you read this blog, you'll find that 2005 has not been the best of years for me. In fact, it's been downright abysmal. It may not be too surprising, then, that my mood coming onto campus today was not too bright. I was waiting for a criticism, ready to snap at the first idiot I came across. It was such a pleasant surprise, then, to have the first words said to me on campus "Hey, I liked your article" - coming from a complete stranger, no less.
I received considerable feedback to my column. Feds VP Internal John Andersen wanted to make sure that I knew that the Feds didn't necessarily agree with The Corporation - but wanted to promote debate. Of course I understand, I told him - that's why I write a column in the first place. To help people think. (Actually, what I said was "Thinking: it's the bomb-diggety.")
Then John asked me if I wanted to introduce the Feds' showing of movie on the 24th - alongside Larry Smith! I am both honoured and humbled.
Others noted the 'evils' of systemic harm caused by some corporations, and how could I ignore these as plain examples of how corporations are indeed evil? My response was to ask how they, in turn, could ignore the fact that these institutions were controlled by people, created by people and if their certain harmful practices were ever going to be changed, it would be people taking the action. Corporations are tools, people - dynamic, extremely helpful and incredbily amazing tools.
A different criticism noted that I used not-for-profits and charities as examples of "good" corporations and profit corporations as examples of, well, "not-good" corporations. Most people protest the "evil" profit corporations and therefore I should critique only the for-profits - using the not-for-profits was a retreat to a straw man argument.
This criticism lacks teeth, though, if you consider the line where I note that everything from good health care to wireless communication to my ability to write words on an e-page come from corporations - profit-seeking corporations. Heck, want to see good work done by for-profit corporations? Look up! That roof over your head that keeps you out of sleeping in this bitter Ontario cold? Built by a corporation! For profit! So evil!
It has occurred to me that writing this column will be difficult simply because everyone likes to believe they are correct, especially on fun topics like this, regardless of facts presented or logic applied. It has also occurred to me that I will relish not caring, for the most part, because I see the destructive embrace of ignorance as one of the things that I would truly not mind seeing eradicated from our world.
I received considerable feedback to my column. Feds VP Internal John Andersen wanted to make sure that I knew that the Feds didn't necessarily agree with The Corporation - but wanted to promote debate. Of course I understand, I told him - that's why I write a column in the first place. To help people think. (Actually, what I said was "Thinking: it's the bomb-diggety.")
Then John asked me if I wanted to introduce the Feds' showing of movie on the 24th - alongside Larry Smith! I am both honoured and humbled.
Others noted the 'evils' of systemic harm caused by some corporations, and how could I ignore these as plain examples of how corporations are indeed evil? My response was to ask how they, in turn, could ignore the fact that these institutions were controlled by people, created by people and if their certain harmful practices were ever going to be changed, it would be people taking the action. Corporations are tools, people - dynamic, extremely helpful and incredbily amazing tools.
A different criticism noted that I used not-for-profits and charities as examples of "good" corporations and profit corporations as examples of, well, "not-good" corporations. Most people protest the "evil" profit corporations and therefore I should critique only the for-profits - using the not-for-profits was a retreat to a straw man argument.
This criticism lacks teeth, though, if you consider the line where I note that everything from good health care to wireless communication to my ability to write words on an e-page come from corporations - profit-seeking corporations. Heck, want to see good work done by for-profit corporations? Look up! That roof over your head that keeps you out of sleeping in this bitter Ontario cold? Built by a corporation! For profit! So evil!
It has occurred to me that writing this column will be difficult simply because everyone likes to believe they are correct, especially on fun topics like this, regardless of facts presented or logic applied. It has also occurred to me that I will relish not caring, for the most part, because I see the destructive embrace of ignorance as one of the things that I would truly not mind seeing eradicated from our world.
