Cyborgs VS Humans

While I was visiting my brother and his family in Australia I was struck by how international corporations exist as powers unto themselves.   Everywhere I looked I saw large multinational companies selling the same products and services and claiming to be " Australian" or a tuned to the needs of Australians in some way.   The same strategy is used here in the US of course but I found myself feeling insulted by the mercenary nature of it all. I mean if McDonald's is allow just anyone in the world to be "lovin it" then what so special about my relationship with them?

Why am I as an American citizen so anxious to give them tax breaks and to prevent an increase in the minimum wage?   Hey I thought I was the special one,  now i feel kinda dirty.  Could it be that our most successful organizations are only superficially American? or Australian, or French etc?   Could it be that they really don't care who they get all lovey dovey with as long as they they can mine value out of their human customers?  Tell me it ain't so I thought I had the special relationship with Ronald McDonald.  

Lets face it,  most of large multinational corporations are primarily interested in their own existence and their bottom lines.  As Americans a lot of us grew up with the old idea that what was good for an American business would be good for the Americans, "it was probably the same with the Australians"

Over the last 30 years corporations have been asked to give less and less to the countries that provide the markets and citizens that they profit from.  But they are corporations not people, corporations don't feel gratitude because they are cyborgs not people.  You can appeal to a persons humanity because most of them feel empathy and have the ability become other focused.  Corporations are constructs that separate people from the risks and consequences of business activities.  The idea was to create incentives for people with money to invest in new ideas, but what happens when separating power for responsibility creates a machine that only cares about creating profit?  Well, you get an artificial construct that can take the blame for the questionable practices of the human owners.  You also get an instrument that has no inherent interest in anything but its own existence.  We regulate nuclear reactors don't we?  heck if we let them run wild they over heat and harm the surrounding humans they were supposed to help.  Large corporations are very similar. 

What makes  a corporation a good citizen of their country?  Well for one they need to pay  Is it because they can make a hamburger in Australia with a slice of beet root on it or a serve wine with their burgers in France?   Nope its by what they do for their fellow human beings that we should know them.

But we "we as in flesh and blood persons" should also be willing to demand some rent from the cyborgs when they want access to our infrastructure and our markets. After all without access corporations cannot generate profits.  Reasonable people can argue about the amount of profit is fair but not if the humans are powerless in the discussion.  Its pretty clear for the last 30 years that the humans are not getting good deal. 

Been there, done that, been unemployed, had my unemployment insurance reduced to give tax cuts the the cybors,  paid $4.00 a gallon for gas to benifit the cybors, paid a higher tax rate to benefit the cyborgs,  and watched my neighbors line up at food banks because the cyborgs want too much.   I guess I am just not "lovin" the way our own creations are treating us.  By "us" I mean humans.  You see I am a racist, corporations should serve people, " but not with a side of fries".   

Rollie Lobsinger, MSW