A hundred years ago, the American corporation was granted a curious status; the courts ruled that companies would be treated as individuals in the eyes of the law. This protected the officers and directors from lawsuits — only the newfangled “person,” the corporation, would be legally liable for its actions.
But what kind of person did the courts create? A smiling, profit-making entity where “progress is our most important” product or “we bring good things to life?” Or are modern businesses by nature bad actors? The makers of the award-winning film “The Corporation” argue that modern business conglomerates are bad actors to the max. The movie says the corporation behaves like a psychopath, sowing anguish and misery everywhere it turns.
Guests:
Joel Bakan, filmmaker and author of “The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power”
Ben Edwards, American business editor for The Economist magazine, author of “The Lunatic You Work For,” a review of “The Corporation.”