In November of the past year, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, Volkswagen, was caught in what is one of the, if not the biggest, automobile scandals the industry has ever seen. Using software designed to detect when the car’s emissions are being tested, Volkswagen cars were able to cheat emissions tests, giving Volkswagen an artificial main selling point: Eco-friendly cars. After years of cheating, Volkswagen was finally caught. With 1.1 million diesel and nearly a million petrol Passats, Golfs, Jettas and Beetles recalled, this malicious scandal is sure to affect Volkswagen for years to come. With even the worlds largest and (formally) most trusted automobile manufacturer falling victim to the cancer that is human greed, it’s easy for one to ask themselves: “What has humanity come to?”.
It’s mid 2014. World-renowned automobile company, Volkswagen, has reached economic nirvana. With a net profit of a staggering 12.6 million euros form their own Volkswagen lineup alone, Volkswagen dominated the uber-competitive automobile market in nearly every category: Including emissions. “Brands are all about trust and it takes years and years to develop,” says Nigel Currie, an independent U.K.-based branding consultant. But on October 2nd of 2015, within 24 hours Volkswagen’s “clean, sleek and sporty” image was shattered beyond repair. Volkswagen’s shares plummet. Previously content car owners from across all seas revolt in anger, demanding refunds. Volkswagen’s CEO mysteriously steps down without a comment. The answer to Volkswagen’s punchline “Isn’t it time for German engineering?” suddenly changed from an adamant “Yes!” to a disappointed, resentful and stern “No.”.
It’s through the occasional conviction of respected figures and groups that we as a people are reminded of the unspoken, perpetual, and fiendish demon that lives in all of our heads: Greed. This demon exists within us all. He is often a catalyst for our greatest mistakes and sins. In many ways the demon that is human greed is the most wicked all of maladies: For he sees no boundaries, and lives within each individual and/or party. Unfortunately, within recent times, his strength has grown to supernatural levels. We live in a world where greed has become so potent that even humanity’s most humble, respected and divine figures, such as Volkswagen, have fallen victim to the demon of greed. Humanity will never be the same.
100 years ago, no one would have predicted humanity to reach it’s newly-found low.
This moral and ethical low is product of many ever-changing characteristics of modern human society; One of the most notable being corporate power.
Starting during the time of the industrial revolution, a slew of notable corporations, such as Ford Automotive or Carnegie Steel, began experiencing never before seen imperious success in their respective industries. Through unimaginable gain in power, these companies expanded, in time yielding boastfully large corporations that act as a black hole: A vacuum sucking in all money from smaller businesses.
Over a century later, these a for mentioned corporations still exist; Only now have they grown mightier in their abilities to give into the demon of greed.
Look around: Is it not a coincidence that for a fee, hospitals can offer ‘expedited service’: Meaning one patient can cut in front of others regardless of the severity of the injuries of those who lost their spot in line. Is it not a coincidence that, in those very hospitals, doctors couldn’t give the slightest damn about a patient if they’re not ready to disgorge their checking account. Is it not a coincidence that the largest company on the planet earth, Wal-Mart, is notorious for the fact it encourages low prices, prices that lower the overall standard of living whilst dehumanizing all those who come close to it? Is it not a coincidence that the worlds’ largest automobile industry thinks it can simply cheat it’s way through success and lie into the faces of the millions of clients? Wake up. This is the product of greed in everyday human life; A product that’ll grow large enough to set humanity on a crash-course with total annihilation if nothing is done.
Over the next 100 years, the long-term effects of the demon of greed will lead to total dependence on certain major corporations; A dependence that will be easily manipulable, and sure enough, billions will find themselves being used, blackmailed, if not tormented, by the unsustainable control of these major corporations.
If the impurities of our modern world aren’t dehumanizing enough for you, looking into the future can surly prompt even the most conservative to rally against the damnable future that awaits us.
It was in the 80s that Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer and prime example of human greed, took off. What was once a minuscule store in Rogers, Arksans expanded through out the United States. Through Wal-Mart’s crusade throughout the country, and eventually the world, many corporations, company's and competition saw the last of their days. The McLane food company, Big Kuhn foods and Mohr-Value, all formally prosperous companies, were slaughtered by the behemoth that is Wal-Mart. Jobs across the country were lost. The few employees who were lucky enough to be rehired we’re forced to settle for lower, dehumanizing wages. Small businesses across the globe were crushed, humiliated and crucified. The spine-chilling part about all of this is that this noxious greed still happens today. Overall, through examples such as Wal-Mart, (which is sadly only of the many corporations that gain exponentially through greed), one can see how large corporations that act on the impulse of greed are slowly destroying modern America and the working families that encompass it.
Unfortunately, these companies risk doing more harm than simply eliminating businesses: They risk controlling all of them.
“Being globally integrated can slide into being globally manipulative. “Corporate greed” won’t disappear by itself.” — Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Wall Street Journal
Experts, critics, and economists alike all agree on the same dystopian hypothesis: That if the world’s most immense, powerful and corrupt Fortune 500 corporations continue to grow exponentially, it will be us citizens who will be under their command.
Economists and writers, such as Rosabeth Kanter, a Harvard graduate, hypothesize that through said exponential growth, companies will eventually have the power to dictate every aspect of our lives: Anywhere from everyday food items such as milk and bread to the car you drive, the place you live and maybe even where you work. Imagine waking every morning and peaking through your bedroom window only to overlook the millions of seemingly uniform suburban houses. Imagine driving to work in the only car available in your region to your appointed workplace only to submerge yourself into a cubicle for the rest of your life. This future may seem improbable, maybe even forced. For the sake of the future of our children, it’s important you realize that our world is currently down a one-way road; A one-way road that leads directly to an aforementioned dystopia of uniformity, totalitarian values and malignant corruption. A corruption fueled by the gasoline that is the demon of greed. A demon that sees no boundaries. A demon that curses even the most pure of souls. A demon that pushes the few in positions of immense power into a trance: The trance of greed.
Through observation of our daily lives and comparisons between the present day and the past, one can conclude that not only do we live in a world of intense, inhumane, and deceptive greed, but we also exist in a rapidly changing world. A world that, as many researchers, philosophers, and economists predict, will be dominated by the human need for wealth in the near future. Not only does humanity risk all the social and economic progress that has been made in the last century, but we risk exterminating ourselves. It’s time to act now — Time to alter the foundations of our very country. Only we can undo the course we set ourselves on. Whether you’re an angry consumer sending your Volkswagen in to get fixed or a future citizen suffering under totalitarian rule, you’ve been affected by this demon, and unless you act now, your kids will be too.
Radix malorum est cupiditas
