[Buddha-l] Re: Getting real about Buddhism and capitalism

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Fri, 2005-09-30 at 10:40 -0600, jkirk wrote:
> Lately some of us have been finding opportunities to critique current 
> national affairs
> via a Buddhist critique as well as a Marxist or some other critique. That 
> being the case, it is time, IMHO, to get real about what it is that is 
> corrupting and terrorizing the ordinary peoples of the entire world and 
> ruining their habitats and means of survival:
> the arms industry and trade. 

Years ago there was a book called something like "Trading with the
enemy" that chronicled all the major US corporations that supplied
materials and know-how to Hitler's Reich, not only before the second
world war but during it. The principal names were General Motors, ITT,
Standard Oil and a few others. Wal-mart didn't exist then, but I'm sure
they would have been in on the deal somehow, given how much support they
are giving to the current gang of thugs who have taken over the USA. 

After seeing how much money the blue chip corporations made by selling
goods to both Hitler and the Allies, it's not hard to jump (or take a
baby step) to the conclusion that many major corporations have no
concern whatsoever with morality and will do business with anyone who
has the cash or good credit. 

It is also apparent that it's time for Buddhists to get serious about
the central plank of all Buddhist practice, namely, renunciation, since
that is the most effective way to boycott the corporations that are
destroying our environment, undermining democracy everywhere and leaving
us all increasingly incapable of discerning truth from propaganda and
PR. (I'd say more about this, but I have to go shopping now.)

Have you ever visited the website www.misspoppy.com ? You can find there
a collection of inspirationally funny T-shirts, refrigerator magnets and
so forth. My favorite one says "Republicans are people too. Mean,
selfish, greedy people." I'd buy that one if I could find a companion
for it that said something like like "Democrats are people too.
Ineffective, gutless, incompetent people."

Yours, as always, in non-partisan despair and disgust,
Richard
-- 
My Unitarian Jihad Name (http://tinyurl.com/6valr ) is:
The Logging Chain of Loving Kindness
You can get your own at http://homepage.mac.com/whump/ujname.html