Coca-Cola exploits water supply

I recently came across this link:

corpwatch.radicaldesigns.org...

It seems that Coca-Cola is encroaching upon others land and exploiting local water supplies(in addition to polluting heavily) in areas such as Kerala, India. When will the American people realize what Coke is doing? Coca Cola is a symbol of America, and their actions should infuriate people. It seems that America is no longer a country but is now a religion, or an idea. You can go to the deepest recesses of a poor South American countries jungle, and you will find dirty, frighteningly thin children with nothing more than tattered rags for clothes.....and they will be clutching a bottle of coke....

Why is it my fault the kid spends his money on coca cola and not something to make his situation better. I for one am sick of the entire world blaming America and its citizens for their problems. No one likes to admit it, but the USA actually helps more countries than it harms. For all you know, if it wasnt coca cola, it would be some company from another country.

It�s not really the USA, its more just worldwide corporate marketing that is hurting these third world countries. The US is just something else to market to the rest of the world to these global corporations. Buy this or that and be like the Americans you see on TV and the movies. All of it, the marketing and the TV and the movies and the products all are threatening to some cultures as the American ideal overshadows them and makes them conform to a non-native viewpoint. This has a great deal to do with what is going on in the Middle East and elsewhere where America is being demonized.
- Was

[edit on 7-8-2004 by Wassabi]

So, Americas is being demonized in the world because our citizens seem to be better at innovation, marketing, etc... I bet hnologywe are making our high school counselors proud. Would America be better off if we were not some of the best innovators and business men out there? I dont think so, nor would the world be a better place. the sad part is most people in the world love our products and tecnology, and only once we share our knowledge with the world and they can use it royalty free, do they claim to hate america and everything it stands for.

As an American living abroad, I have thought about this a lot...

The US isn't hated for its innovation (which really hasn't been that strong in the last few years to be honest) or its business skills (again not that great the last few years). The main feeling of animosity that has spread to a large percentage of the rest of the world stems from the general arrogant attitude of the US. The US may very well be better in some areas than other countries but to push it down other countries throats and then wave the flag around and call other countries out of date or behind the times, really has pushed a lot of people to the anti-American band wagon. We just aren�t the same USA that fought in WW2, back then we still had a feeling for our roots in our parents or grandparents� native countries. Sure we already had that penchant for taking our culture with us, but that�s not new. The Irish and Chinese have done that for centuries. The thing we did different was we just didn't bring our culture we started selling it as a better way of life. The point we loose with a lot of the rest of the world is, it�s not necessarily better, sometimes it�s just different. Anymore the US doesn�t seem able to see that.

- Was

I appreciate your insight. I am an American and unfortunatly I have never been out of the country. I do disagree however with your point that we are "shoving" anything down peoples throats. After all, in economics, isnt the basic rule supply and demand? if there was no demand for american products or services, I highly doubt we would have anything to offer to the world. But I could be wrong, after all, I am married

Concerning my pushing it down other countries throats....

My reference for this statement may need a bit of explanation, see what most Irish people see of Americans outside of movies and TV are tourists. Now tourists and occasional expat yank are all the same when visiting a new country, they immediately try to equate it to their own. In this case what most Irish (and europeans in general) hear is how this or that should be done the way we do it back home. Lord knows, I did my share of comparing things to the states when I was first here. No one wants to hear how much better the whatever is than in their own country. Its just pushy and rude. (It took me almost a year to get that out of my system.)

So I guess what Im trying to say is that not only do individual American tourists do this but the country as a whole does it. The US does it every time it tries to dictate to countries what they can and cant do. We do it big time when we force countries to do things through military muscle. We also do it big time when we outright ignore the wishes of our global neighbors and do whatever we please because we are the only Global Super Power now.

I hope that makes sense to you.

- Was

[edit on 7-8-2004 by Wassabi]

You people are missing the point completely.

This all comes down to globalization and what the corporations do at the expense of whomever and whatever gets in their way.

They are the ones with the real power in this world, not duly elected politicians or anyone else for that matter.

They control and influence foreign policy, they affect the ruthlessness of the IMF and World Bank, they dictate that the US military should invade and occupy sovereign nations for their natural resources. It goes on and on.

So stop putting the 'USA' in the holier than though spotlight. It all starts within your borders and spews out to pollute the rest of the planet.

Originally posted by s8nlovesme
Why is it my fault the kid spends his money on coca cola and not something to make his situation better. I for one am sick of the entire world blaming America and its citizens for their problems. No one likes to admit it, but the USA actually helps more countries than it harms. For all you know, if it wasnt coca cola, it would be some company from another country.

Maybe it is because the IMF and World Bank work together with the CIA and other shadow groups in de-stabilizing a particular country. When the level of unrest and chaos reaches a certain point, in come the IMF and World Bank to the rescue.

Give them billions of dollars (all guaranteed against payment default by Joe US taxpayer) and watch the country crumble.

Once it finds itself unable to pay off its ever increasing debt load, then again in rides the IMF to save the day.

Privatize your national utilities, open up for The Gap and Nike sweatshops, come on board with the US corporate mandate to infiltrate and destroy the nation.

The end result is that a can of coke is cheaper than a can of water!
Open your eyes and turn off CNN

Originally posted by s8nlovesme
Why is it my fault the kid spends his money on coca cola and not something to make his situation better.

It's not about some kid spending his money on a Coca Cola product.
It's about the privitization of natural water supplies in India and other countries by companies like Coca Cola and the environmental impact of those companies.

You should read through the article and see what they're talking about.

Close to a year after our report on Coca-Cola's operations in Plachimada, Kerala, the communities in and around Coca-Cola's facility continue to hold the factory responsible for their water woes. In fact, the local panchayat (elected body at the village level) decided in April NOT to renew the license issued to the Coca-Cola factory, on the grounds of "protecting public interest." Protests, led primarily by Dalits (formerly untouchables) and Indigenous Peoples, have continued for over a year against the factory, and new data validates the charges that Coca-Cola's bottling operations have depleted and contaminated the ground water.

In yet another community, this time in Kudus village in Thane district, villagers are forced to travel long distances in search of water which has dried up in their area as a result of Coca-Cola's operations. Villagers are questioning the subsidized water, land and tax breaks that Coca-Cola receives from the state, only to leave them thirsting for water.

And in a proactive move, more than 7,000 people, mostly women, turned out to protest a proposed Coca-Cola factory in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu. Residents are justifiably worried that Coca Cola's operations in the area would lead to scarcity of water and contamination of water.

You may also want to check out a documentary called 'Thirst' that covers this issue.


[edit on 7-8-2004 by AceOfBase]

You guys all have excellent points. This has peaked my interest and I will do some researching. Thank You..