A Plague on Our Children - Assignment Example

A plague on Our Children I. Introduction The majority of organizations in the world are in business, and engage in activities that have harmful repercussions in the community both in the current and future generations. Most of these corporations engage in these heinous activities with the aim of making more profits while trying to avoid operational costs (Gini, & Alexei 26). On most occasions, such corporations go unpunished because of corruptible authorities that take bribes and turn a blind eye to the unethical things that they do. In addition to that, the employees of such organizations are always oblivious of the dangers their bosses expose them to (Riggan 1). In the event that they are aware of the dangers, they are always either unable to table the complaints to relevant authorities or are threatened by their organization not to do so. ‘A Plague on Our Children’ is a documentary that unravels the unethical practices of companies against its employees. The documentary reveals how the management of different companies and relevant authorities worked together in the state of North Carolina in the 1970s with the aim of gaining profits. This was done at the expense of the safety of both the employees and residents of the regions in which the corporations operated. The harmful decisions and activities such as the spraying of Agent Orange, and PCBs into the environment in the film by these companies have a far-reaching effect in a vast range of generations. It is worth noting that the chemicals emitted by companies did not just affect the people that lived in those regions at that time. They, however, affected even the generations that followed. This happened in a number of ways. For instance, one of the interviewees in the documentary presented evidence of increased rates of miscarriages amongst women living in the regions affected by the deadly herbicides sprayed in the fields by International Papers Company. Additionally, the herbicides were also proven to cause cancerous cells not only in humans but also other animals thus endangering the future generations of those that lived in the affected regions at that time (Treviño, & Gary 45). The paper, therefore, shows how corporations, their management, and even governments corroborated in a bid to undermine the integrity of the environment and the future of the country and the generations to come. Additionally, the paper also highlights the detrimental effects that some of these chemicals have on not just the environment but also people that live in these environments and their future generations. Also, addresses are some of the measures that ought to be taken by the affected groups in ensuring that they are not exposed to such harmful substances especially when they are unable to flee to safer locations. The details of this paper are based on the release of Agent Orange and other harmful substance in the state of North Carolina and neighboring states by the unethical and profit-oriented paper industries (Jeurissen, & Rijst 87). II. Change of Corporate Ideals Corporations have, overtime, changed and are continuing to adjust their ideals and principles to accommodate some highly unethical practices and ideas that result to the negative effects on the environment. On most occasions, this is done in a bid to cut on operational costs and use cheaply acquired materials or substances without minding the effects they have on the environment and people at large. The documentary ‘A plague on Our Children’ provides evidence of such corporations that endeavor to maximize their profits by endangering the lives of both their workers and people living in the environments in which they operate (Riggan 1). In the documentary, International Paper, which was a major paper miller in the early 1970s engaged in unethical behaviors of using unfriendly herbicides to clear the bushes in readiness for tree planting or harvesting. The documentary indicates that there were numerous other options the company could take to clear the bushes and mind about environmental pollution at the same time. However, the company opted to settle for the easiest and cheapest way to address this issue. Unfortunately, this method bore detrimental consequences to the health of people living in the region. The company opted to use dioxin and 245T based herbicides to clear the bushes. As the company reaped huge profits from using cheap and hazardous herbicides, a mother in the documentary narrated how her little kid suffered from a deadly blood disease she contracted after taking water that had been contaminated by the herbicides used by International Paper Company. She little girl was compelled to be in and out of hospitals for nine months until her mother decided to leave their homes because of the pollutants were still running in the rive nearby (Riggan 1). As if that was not enough, there were also other isseus coming from other members of the community in which International Paper operated according to the documentary. An alarming number of miscarriages were noticed in the region and surrounding regions. This wan also noticed in cattle that drank directly from the nearby river that had been adversely contaminated from herbicides from International Paper. Other victims also felt sore in their bodies as a result of the pollutants and one of them was captured in the video saying that her country had failed them (Jeurissen, & Rijst 89). One of the chemical specialists in the documentary explained how the armful herbicides were produces in the factories and it is from here that the full extent of dangers of these substances became clear. He narrated that the herbicides are made from gasoline compounds which is a mixture of hydrocarbons produced from boiling different forms of oils. Boiling these oils make them form long chains of molecules. The molecules later joined to form harmful substances some of which duplicate natural substances while others become synthetic harmful substances like nylon. The most interesting part of the whole process was the fact that the synthetic harmful substances contained in the herbicides are not always compatible with the human body because they are not biodegradable. This is an implication that they stay permanently inside the bodies of humans once ingested and hence are potentially hazardous to their health. The details of the filths done by International Paper in the 1970s as indicated above lea to the question whether ethics are good for business. The observation of ethics is good for business even when looked at from whatever dimension. International Paper did not look at the bigger picture and long-term consequences of intoxicating its environs. For instance, the company did not look at the expenses it would have to incur in terms of medical insurance after participating in actions that would put most of its employees at the risk of getting cancer. In addition to that, the rest of the community that was threatening to migrate to other safer places vended basic need to the company employees. This was an indication that performance at the company would significantly reduce in the event that they were driven away from the region by the company’s unethical behaviors (Treviño, & Gary 65). Paine (6) suggests that there has been the development of narrow philosophies in corporations that result to the ethical scandals and mishaps. By this, he implies that people working in and around such corporations develop a negative attitude towards the company. The documentary can further confirm this statement. Towards the end of the documentary, one speaker describes a company that wanted to dispose of harmful PCB in a neighborhood of "Criminals of the lowest caliber.” This is a direct implication of how he felt about such companies with the intention of harming the environment. Heskett (1) supports this perspective by arguing that many managers view ethics as a subjective thing, in relation to the environment and the industry. He further denotes that the managers focus on making profits by using cheap hazardous materials rather than focusing on the use of expensive but safe materials. The exposure of PCBs, toxic sprays and other poisons in Vietnam and al Love Canal, therefore, was due to the desire by corporates to make more profits and reduced focus on the environment. III. Lack of Regulation There are a laxity and weakness in the institutional control of the existing business against unethical and harmful projects against the community and environment. In addition to laxity, there are some environmental officers that are paid to look away. They are bribed to conduct inconclusive assessments of the environmental conditions brought about by the activities of companies in a given location. This is done such that the environmental officers do not report the presence of harmful or toxic substances in the environment especially if they are emitted by the companies that pay them to look away. Narrowing down to the assistive reproductive technologies industry in the United States, Riggan (1) suggests that the rampant and intensified unethical nature has come from the lack of sufficient regulation in the industry. Insufficient regulations were also seen as a major reason International Paper and other unethical companies in the documentary failed to make certain ethical observations while carrying out their mandates. While it was illegal to intentionally contaminate the environment in the United States of America, the documentary did not provide an account of when the unethical companies were approached and fined for failing to observe the law (Zeiger 1). That notwithstanding, the documentary did not give an account of someone who successfully sued even one of the companies to answer for charges of environmental pollution and yet it was evident that these companies had a hand in the degradation of the region’s environment. Zeiger (1) suggest regulation in terms of target setting and covering legal issues in the quest to curb the rampant unethical behavior within an organization. When applied to the industry, this directly means there should be industry and national regulations of some areas in order to reduce the negative ambition in the organizations that may lead to negative activities. Despite the fact that environmental regulations exist for all companies whose waste products and other related products can cause harm to the environment, one ought to note that these regulations are not reinforced as they should be. As a result of this, there are a number of loopholes that still allow unethical companies to walk away polluting the ecosystem in which humans and other animals, wild and domesticated, live (Zeiger 1). The exposure of factory workers to PCBs and other toxins in waste disposal sites s portrayed by the documentary was as a result of reduced and inadequate regulation of the industry and the manufacturing arena. According to the documentary, a section of the community led by Rev. Brown had to demonstrate on national television in 1979 to protest against the damping of harmful PCB in their neighborhood. If at all there were comprehensive regulations concerning environmental conservation and that were guided by the law, the company would not have gone ahead to dump the trash there anyway even after the protest. This is a direct implication that there were little regulations on the manner in which the natural environment was to be treated primarily by large companies like the International Paper company. IV. The Impact of the Future The negative impacts that the organizations have on the environment and the community affect more than the current generations and the current times. Rather, these effects are felt in more than one generation. During the 1979 protest led by Rev. Brown, the reverend said “we need to protect our children against the effects of PCB." The sentiment meant that the environmental degradation had adverse effects on not just the present generations, but also other generations to come. On most occasions, substances that cause cancerous growths are not just threats to the present generation, but also many other generations that will come. This is inconsiderate of whether the chemical pollutants will have been mitigated or not by the time the other generations reborn. Doctors indicate that cancerous cells can be passed genetically. For this reason, the toxins emitted by companies that are not guided by proper ethical standards are bound to cause cancer amongst the present and coming generations. Gaba (249) married the environmental ethics and the organization moral obligations to the future of the organization and the environment. The author digs to bring out the relationships and differences between the actions, bound by morals and ethics, which have an effect on the current generations and those that have an effect on future generations. It is noteworthy that the toxins emitted by uncaring companies also cause other environmental degradation like desertification and much worse the damaging of the ozone layer. The present generations may not feel the direct effects of global warming that came as a result of the damaging of the ozone layer by hazardous air pollutants (Zeiger 1). However, the future generations will experience the ramifications in the event that the current trends are not mitigated effectively. If is for this reason that it ought to be imperative to take heed of all environmental regulatory policies with the intention of securing the future for future generations (Treviño, & Gary 75). Warner (1), in the introduction on a short ethical course in ethics, explains the fact that there should be ethical principles in the quest to reason and think about the environment. He suggests that this can be applied in three pairs or arguments such as justice and sustainability; sufficiency and compassion; solidarity and participation (Warner 1). He uses these three arguments simultaneously as a way of ascertaining the fact that production has to come with some levels of regulation in order to ensure that the producer does not go beyond the mandates of production to cause damages at the same time in his quest to maximize profits. For this reason, it is imperative that all production units are governed by comprehensive rules and regulations that define their scope of operations (Zeiger 1). The waste disposal areas and logging areas that were affected by these chemicals and toxins could support a lot of life and are almost inhabitable as indicated in the documentary of ‘A Plague on Our Children’. The documentary highlights a number of consequences that were realized in the region due to the use of harmful herbicides lazed with 245T and other toxins. One of the most detrimental effects of this chemical was the frequent miscarriage of women living around the paper manufacturing plant. In 1976 and 1977 abortions were as high as 44% and 447% respectively. These statistics were higher than the national statistics and hence raising eyebrows and pointing fingers on the harmful chemicals used in the areas. Additionally, the herbicide was also proven to cause cancerous cell in humans. During the experiment, tumors were seen in rats exposed to 245t hence an implication of the harmfulness of the herbicide. V. Conclusion In conclusion, therefore, the research sought to show the relationship between the many organizations in the world, and the fact that they have not only turned to a misrepresented ideology in the quest to achieve impressive profit-making positions, but they have done it intentionally. According to ‘A Plague on Our Children,’ large corporations take advantage of their influence to cause environmental degradation without fear of facing legal actions. It is for this reason that environmental pollution and the application of ethical standards in business will always be the subjects of heated debates. This has been done through misrepresented features and policies over time. One also ought to note that the research also sought to understand the relationship and the ideas that all stakeholders play in the achievement of a corporation that has the environment’s and community’s interests at heart. Works Cited Gaba, Jeffrey. "Environmental Ethics and Our Moral Relationship to Future Generations: Future Rights and Present Virtue." Columbia Journal of Environmental Law Vol. 24 (1999): 249. Paine, Lynn Sharp. "Is Ethics Good Business?" Challenge 46 (2) (2003): 6-21. Riggan, Kirsten. "Regulation (or Lack Thereof) of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in the U.S. and Abroad." 3 April 2011. The Cebter for Bioethics and Human Dignity. 17 November 2014 . Warner, Keith Douglass. "Using Ethical Principles in Moral Reasoning About the Environment." 2014. Santa Clara University. 17 November 2014 . Zeiger, Stacy. "Effects of a Lack of Ethics on a Business Environment." 2014. Chron. 17 November 2014 . Treviño, Linda K, and Gary R. Weaver. Managing Ethics in Business Organizations: Social Scientific Perspectives. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 2003. Print. Gini, Al, and Alexei M. Marcoux. The Ethics of Business: A Concise Introduction. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012. Print. Jeurissen, Ronald, and M W. Rijst. Ethics in Business. Assen, The Netherlands: Van Gorcum, 2007. Print. Heskett, Jim. "How Ethical Can We Be?" 5 May 2011. Harvard Business School. 17 November 2014 . Read More