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John Vasconcellos to David Boulton re  Institutional Morality = Ethics - Ethics 14
John in ALL CAPS

ALOHA DAVID -

In a message dated 5/1/02 4:32:38 PM, dboulton@implicity.com writes:

<< Aloha John,

>From your notes and comments it seems this was quite an event.

IT WAS!

I want to comment (somewhat soapbox) on the threads of 'institutional

morality' and 'internationality'. My view is that the deep fulcrum for

liberating healthy change here is to address the 'ethic' underlying and

organizing the 'morality'. I think that the corporate behaviors we are

concerned/outraged by are merely the logical consequences of an underlying

ethic we take for granted.

THAT'S LIKELY TRUE OF JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES, DAVID - -

Our most fundamental business ethic assumes that businesses have the right to

pursue their economic interests even to the extent of directing the

thoughts and emotions of people with the clear intent of manipulating their

purchasing behavior. Think about this. Its considered business as usual,

'nothing personal' for business to manipulate our behaviors to serve their

profit interests. We take it for granted.

THAT'S OUR SAD TRUTH OF OUR LIVES TODAY IN THIS CULTURE!

When this ethic becomes empowered by modern behavioral sciences and

information technology and excused from responsibility by multi-national

legal status, its frightening. We have seen what Madison Ave. can do with

tobacco company ethics, lucasfilm's multimedia, Spielberg’s masterful

attention direction and with the right 'star attractions'. We have a

semi-hypnotized society - hypnotized into accepting manipulation as normal,

hypnotized into a lack of respect for their own learning and discernment.

HOW SAD, HOW TRUE!

What happens when these incredibly powerful interests, who place the right

to make money above the injustice of manipulating people's lives, have

access to the kind of intelligence powers tomorrow's information systems

will provide?

OUCH - THAT'S FRIGHTENING!

AND ISN'T THE ONLY TRULY REAL EFFECTIVE SUSTAINING ANTIDOTE - THE PREPARATION

OF EACH OF OUR CHILDREN TO SO FULLY BE OPEN TO KNOWING AND BEING THEMSELVES,

THAT THEY HAVE THE VISION TO RECOGNIZE & SEE THRU ALL OF THIS, AND THE

RESILIENCE TO MOVE ON THRU & BEYOND IT - HEALTHFULLY?

It's this ethic, in my view, that we must challenge out into the open.

ABSOLUTELY!

So long as it remains the 'American way' we will live in a world of predatory

economics where the economies of scale will favor the interests of the

corporations.

YEP!

We abolished slavery in the overt sense. We agreed people shouldn't own

people. Every human being has rights as a human being. I think this ethic is

the underlying mechanism of today's economic slavery.

AND IT IS NOW TIME THAT EACH AND ALL OF US COME TOGETHER INTO A MOVEMENT THAT

CHALLENGES THIS ETHIC, RECLAIMS OUR LIVES!

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