The article by Joel Bakan in the url below contrasts the progress of two relatively recently established, legally-protected entities—corporations and children. First, children, which emerged as a protected class towards the end of the nineteenth century:
“By the early 20th century, the “century of the child,” as a prescient book published in 1909 called it, was in full throttle. Most modern states embraced the general idea that government had a duty to protect the health, education and welfare of children.”
Second, corporations, which gained their status as a “legal—albeit artificial—person” in the twentieth century:
“Lawyers, policy makers and business lobbied successfully for various rights and entitlements traditionally connected, legally, with personhood.”
Bakan, who co-authored the book and documentary, The Corporation (http://www.thecorporation.com/), argues that the interests of these two protected classes (children and corporations) are inherently in conflict:
“Century-of-the-child reformers sought to resolve conflicts in favor of children. But over the last 30 years there has been a dramatic reversal: corporate interests now prevail. Deregulation, privatization, weak enforcement of existing regulations and legal and political resistance to new regulations have eroded our ability, as a society, to protect children.”
In particular, he identifies childhood obesity, electronic media, childhood medication, and toxic chemicals exposure as areas where corporate behavior is fundamentally controlling and damaging child development. He concludes:
“…our current failure to provide stronger protection of children in the face of corporate-caused harm reveals a sickness in our societal soul.”
Take care
David
Instructor Teaching Site: http://www.sagepub.com/strategiccsr/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: http://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/
The Kids Are Not All Right
By Joel Bakan
August 22, 2011
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
A19
