Just checking, are you saying we should ignore local laws when we go abroad, and know that whatever our morals are, if we are from the west, then all other laws are invalid and inferior, and our judgments supreme? We certainly shouldn’t respect others views, right?

Kind regards,

Shakir Razak

Great post.

Desarae
http://www.dveit.com

A broad lobby group may have more of chance of encouraging change. I dont rate their chances very highly – the jurisdictions we’re talking about aren’t noted for being overly receptive to foreign lobby group interests.

On the other hand doing nothing is not going to do much good either.

Personally, I don’t expect anyone to agree or follow the choices that I make and for the better part, this has given me the freedom to pursue ideals notwithstanding the hurt I may have inadvertently caused loved ones.

It has and will always be a question of personal/internal choices, Om, whether it’s morality, motivation and whatever else.

And with regards to that triumvirate, they may not be all perfect but I’d give them credit (whatever their motives). Besides, they can only take baby steps (just imagine them companies as persons who tie themselves in bunches and making them walk – difficult).

Best.
alain

I am not the one to disagree with your point of view, but then I have my own and my individual sense of right or wrong. So perhaps that is why the post is written the way it is.

On the issue of who is guiltier than the other, it is again a question of perspective. And perhaps that is why we all should pay heed to words of JFK, for we can control and define our individual morality.

Lastly, writing this post was a risk – for politics and religion are not a spectator sport – but your reactions and responses have provided a much needed lift today. They remind me why I do what I do! Thanks for sharing your time and thoughts.

The USA is guiltier than many other countries if we look at the history of US foreign policy n the 20th century and its impact on developing nations. If you go back further, you get into slavery and China today is nothing compared to that monstrosity. I have yet to see the USA pay for its past violations.

Capitalism seems to have no conscience and that is the problem. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are the odds ones out, not the average ones.

You are quite right that companies are not amoral because their own business practices indicate morality – for example, choosing to grow your bananas in a country with essentially slave labour.

If we as citizens began to choose which companies to do business with based on morality, we would be eating a lot less food, buying a whole lot less shoes and living quite differently than we do today.

I agree that this is nothing but a marketing ploy and rings very very hollow.

While one person or group of persons might choose to stop supporting Google for putting up the ads you mention in India in defiance of the government, another group might choose to support them based on the ideas of freedom for individuals from government intervention. While people might argue that this would leave us locked in some kind of moral stasis, I tend to think that this kind of give and take, and (hopefully respectful) disagreement is what gets everyone to where they need to be: moving towards a balance that takes into account both personal freedom and responsibility.

Very interesting discussion, and I applaud you for bringing it up!

Respectfully,

rhyddid

I hate to get political here, but if one continues your line of argument, companies like Google should just relocate to Switzerland. The last time I checked, illegal wiretapping of citizens, holding people while denying them habeas corpus rights, not to mention violation of sovereignty of other nations, are all human rights abuses, under both international and American law. I am not trying to compare US with China here but this is all a matter of degree and perception. Our government is just as guilty of human rights violations as any others. Should we stop doing business altogether?