SUPERSIZE IT?

“Strategic management is about two things, gaining competitive advantage, and maximizing profitability.” Said my teacher in the capstone business school class. I raised my hand, “why?” Familiar question that I often ask. “Why can’t a corporation be satisfied with providing real value for real people without the need to maximize profitability or gain an edge? Why can’t they just self sustain?” In other words, why supersize it? The teacher had no answer. That night he posted a response on the classes interactive website. Something to the tune of “Sam’s question was perplexing, and honestly, there is no answer for why maximizing profitability and competitive advantage is the nature of corporations.” He went on to expound and summed it up with an “it is what it is” statement.

The class was somewhat of an annoyance for me. It turned me off from business. I had spent 4 years getting a degree teaching me to work for some selfish entity? When looking at whether a company should be environmentally responsible, the issue was approached from a “what will it cost to care vs. what will it cost to not care.” When looking at hiring, firing, laying off, human resources in general, it was looked from a “will it lead to maximizing profit and gaining a competitive advantage.” This was the almighty filter for strategic management: selfishness.

What mattered wasn’t helping people, what mattered was the need for MORE. MORE MORE MORE. It wasn’t until I read the book “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle that my ill feeling toward this way of thinking made sense.

Eckhart Tolle talking about Egoic Entities

…Some egos know what they want and pursue their aim with grim and ruthless determination–Genghis Khan, Stalin, Hitler, to give just a few larger-than-life examples. The energy behind their wanting, however, creates an opposing energy of equal intensity that in the end leads to their downfall. In the meantime, they make themselves and many others unhappy, or, in the larger-than-life examples, create hell on earth.
…..
The physical needs for food, water, shelter, clothing, and basic comforts could be easily met for all humans on the planet, were it not for the imbalance of resources created by the insane and rapacious need for more, the greed for the ego. It finds collective expression in the economic structures of this world, such as the HUGE CORPORATIONS, which are egoic entities that compete with each other for more. Their only blind aim is profit. They pursue that aim with absolute ruthlessness. Nature, animals, people, even their own employees, are no more than digits on a balance sheet, lifeless objects to be used, then discarded.

Huge corporations are EGOIC ENTITIES. Their only blind aim is PROFIT, and competitive advantage. How can you guess this relates to our health and fitness? Well we’re bombarded with corporate food manufactures. Do these corporations care about your health? Does McDonalds care about your well being? Does Pepsi care about your vitality? Do they care about you in any way, shape or form? NOPE. They care about your money. That’s it. THAT’S IT.

How could a corporation that manufactures food maximize profit? How about this: make it taste really really really really good. Hire scientists to study the tastes buds and expose them. Infuse the food with addictive agents (corn syrup, msg). Manufacture artificial flavorings and put them in everything. Then advertise NON STOP to condition in their product, their slogan, and their brand into our minds. Hungry? Why wait! I’m Loving it. Have it your way. What are they really saying? Supersize it. Supersize our company.

Corporation’s one aim? SUPERSIZE IT. They want to be the biggest, the ‘best,’ the most profitable and they want to wipe out the competition and rule all. Why? Who knows. It’s egoic longing. It doesn’t make conscious sense.

Some of you might be thinking I’m a whining socialist. Actually the opposite is true. I recognize the reality behind corporations and realize we as consumers have a HUGE responsibility to FORCE THEM to care. Corporations have given consumers really good things. However, when the product is literally killing people and draining their entire well-being and lives, it’s TIME TO FIGHT BACK.

Every dollar we spend or don’t spend with them is voting. Personally, I’m not going to give McDonald’s my vote. Why? Well watch the video below and you’ll probably feel the same way. Then follow it up with some research on how they are literally engineering their foods to send your taste buds on a roller coaster ride and get you addicted. Then research where they get their animals from and the conditions they are raised in.

Supersize it? NO THANKS.

The energy behind their wanting, however, creates an opposing energy of equal intensity that in the end leads to their downfall.

I hope to be a force for this opposing energy. I’m tired of the relentless advertising of corporate food manufactures. I’m tired of the “I’m loving it” mass societal conditioning attempt. I’m pissed to be honest. I’m really pissed when I look around and see all the victims that these egoic entities have created.

If you haven’t seen “supersize me” I suggest you watch it (full video).

Rage Against the Machine puts it perfectly. “**** you I won’t do what you tell me.” I won’t eat your high fructose corn syrup infused crap. I won’t eat your disturbingly raised, sickly, animals. “**** you I won’t do what you tell me.”

Guerrilla health and fitness. Militant 4 life.

Sam

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