I can go into any store in America and see it. "Buy Coke!" the sign tries to induce me to purchase caffeinated sugar water. I don't. I've made a
personal choice to stop drinking it. And not just Coke, but Pepsi, and other corporate companies. But I made this about Coke because of how much of an
American Icon it is. It is one of the last sacred cows in establishment. Some people don't even see it as part of the establishment, but it is.
I am unable to stop seeing the saturation of this beverage. It's every where. Global. And virulently anti union.
Anyone ever hear of
Isidro Gil? Or
Adolfo Jesus Munera? They were murdered by Coca Cola goons.
"But who's to say that it's the corporate HQ's fault?", some of you might ask. A valid question. But I think a person ought to be responsible for
their kids, and since corporations are legally people, what is a franchisee but a child of said company?
Out in India, farmers can't water their crops. Villagers can't get enough clean water to stay hydrated.
Why??
Because of the huge bottling plants. Why does the west think this sort of behavior is acceptable?
Nestle endorses child labor, and Pepsi does evil too, I'm sure. Any corporation is about as honest and noble as some amalgam of lawyer, politician,
and snake oil sales man.
It just makes me angry, to see the world carved up and polluted, people dying, empires rising and falling, all for what, sugar water? Just seems like
there's something wrong there.
We toppled over countries when they denied us the right to their tropical paradises. Created Banana "Republics", U.S. run puppet states. What ever
trade good they had, and we wanted, we took. We killed Salvador Allende for having the will to stand up for his people. We murdered the elected
Iranian President because he was too much of a socialist. This country was founded on things like liberty, equality, and morality. Yet somewhere we
lost our way.
We've had the country snatched out from under us by lecherous bankers and twisted CEOs who've bought the congress, and written their own laws,
favorable only to them.
We have them constantly bombarding us with advertisement that does nothing but lie to people. Yet, they're still as "American as Apple Pie". So is
napalm, and a state of total war and paranoia.
But back in the initial days of this country, we had men with conviction. Men who stood up and fought against an oppressive force. Do you think
Washington and Jefferson, Franklin, and the other founding fathers were sitting around, thinking about how much money they were gonna get in graft
once they were free from Britain?
I don't. They were sick of corrupt political power, and tried to tailor the Constitution to prevent such abuses of power. Jefferson once said
something akin to that every generation needs it's own revolution.
I dunno. If it does ever come, the revolution, I hope it's bloodless. Violence never helps a cause.
Corporations have so much blood upon their hands though, it'll never wash out.
I don't know if the U.S. will be around in forty years. But I'd bet a good bit that Coca Cola will, and all those other massive conglomerates.
Disturbing trends in the progression of the globe.