Becca Hedges
Dr. MacLean
Geo 3010-01
7 Apr. 2017
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Reflection 11
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From the beginning civilization has always searched for more. More food, shelter, companionship, technology, conveniences and so on. As society progressed things got more complicated. Modern advancements that built powerhouse economies could not have known then what we know now. What seemed to bring a higher quality of life to humans was beginning to wreak havoc on the Earth. Money and wealth has always had a role with humans. Each year it became more and more of a driving force hidden in the background…until recent times. Some would say that without money nothing matters. However, like the old saying goes money can’t buy happiness. But what is happiness? It is as simple as what you make it. True happiness is what you decide it to be. For some its family, others its possessions. For big corporations it is money. This is where some problems begin. Tobacco and oil and gas companies only see the bottom line and they will do whatever is in their power to get their happiness. It is true that with money comes power and with power comes corruption. Money has a twisted hold of society that spans the globe.
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Money and greed will make weak people go against their true beliefs and values. They will lie, cheat and steal sometimes on behalf of others. Big companies like Tobacco and Oil and Gas hold these cards and they know how to play them well. They do not discriminate, if they can put money in someone else’s pocket to do their dirty work they will. They hold no morals and they do not care who or what gets hurt in the process. The documentary Merchants of Doubt describes this well. Companies who have become wealthy monopolizing and feeding off of societies demands for resources or commodities to cast doubt on the public if anyone says they are bad. The truth of what their product is doing whether it be to the atmosphere or our bodies can’t be bad if they are making money right? They are wrong and they know that they are wrong but they will pick and twist facts to make it seem as though they are the victims. This causes the public to become confused not knowing which side to trust. While some people will check the data or the statistics themselves and make an informed decision or choice, others will simply take it at face value. The tobacco companies were the front runners of this tactic. The oil and gas companies are following in their footsteps because sadly, it works.
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The Merchants of Doubt documentary had a good flow to it. It was directed well. The people
That were in this documentary were powerful and sent a clear message. While I personally am not surprised by the message of the show, others may be. I have long believed in government corruption through lobbyists and probably even in the general public. I am sure there are more people involved with these corporations then the same names who keep popping up. There are lots of involvement behind the scenes. I really liked that they kept bringing in the fact that the actual science data is being ignored or specific fact are picked and reworked to meet the criteria needed to cast doubt on the public. It also show that there is no accountability when it is most needed. In the documentary Bob Inglis a former congressional representative in South Carolina talk about his eye opening experience when he had the opportunity of seeing the ice core evidence first hand. His changed opinion was the death of his political career. I personally was a skeptic about climate change, then I became educated and changed my opinion. If only more people would listen to the facts! If more people like Matthew Crawford who realized that many people are double dipping by being paid by big corporations to sway others yet still looking like the little guy, more of the true depth of corruption could be exposed.
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There is no question in my mind that the public needs more accurate education. Something needs to be done to hold these companies accountable. According to Robert Davies in a presentation he gave on SUU Campus last fall, we only need 10% of the public to have an active voice, but to make a difference we need many more.