Last week, as I was walking down a particular street in a South Jersey town, I ran across what I thought was a discarded beach towel on the sidewalk. As I got closer, I realized that I was completely mistaken. That wasn't a beach towel...it was a dead pelican!! Now, it could have been a seagull but, since I had just ate dinner, I wasn't about to inspect the dead bird. Although, I did notice was that some of the bird's feathers were dirty. And that got me thinking about British Petroleum (BP). I know that as bad as the oil spill in The Gulf is, none of that oil has reached the shores of New Jersey, yet. However, watching the news and seeing birds (and other wildlife) wading through oil slicks and dying as a result had an immediate connection with what I just saw. What my mind failed to immediately connect to this dead bird was the demolition site that was less than fifty yards away from where this bird and I stood. I think that many Americans are guilty of the same way of thinking.
Now, I know that we, as Americans, have major issues with BP. Their lackadaisical approach in extracting the oil, the disaster that ensued, the consistent underestimating of the amount of spillage, their 'les affaires' approach to the people and wildlife of the area, and the subsequent PR campaign have enraged most (if not all) of this nation. Hell, even I wanted to implement (via social networks) a National "Hit a Brit" Day. In which any Englishman (this includes Aussies, Kiwis, white Jamaicans...hell, anyone with a remotely British accent) on American soil would be subject to a smack on the face or a punch on the nose, until BP got complete control over this oil spill. Luckily for them, cooler heads prevailed...but I was thinking it, LOL!!! With that said, BP isn't the first or the last corporation to impact the American way of life...it's currently the most publicized.
Actually, the reason why companies (large and small) have and will continue to negatively impact our way of life is because of the American approach to economics. This country (unlike most) finds new ways to to buy products cheaper and cheaper while demanding some of the highest salaries for the work they do. This is and will always be a recipe for disaster. A couple of years ago, we were about to rip our collective hair out at the prospect of having to pay $4/gallon for gas. Unbeknownst to most Americans, many European countries have been paying what would be the equivalent of $4/gallon for years, especially when the value of the US dollar fell to record lows, recently. However, most countries make more use of other forms of transportation (i.e., bikes, mopeds, mass transportation, etc.) than we do. Plus, the SUV is a rarity in other countries in comparison to the US. That's why we had to be the first country to mass produce hybrid vehicles...The idea of super gas-guzzling vehicles with cheap gas prices was an unsustainable equation. So how many environmental disasters were created by companies around the world, so that we didn't have to pay $4/gallon? Not something most Americans want to think about...
And let's not forget America's favorite store...WALMART!!! How many times has this company (homegrown, btw...like Mom & Apple Pie) violated many labor laws by hiring illegal immigrants, busting up any unionization of its employees, and/or forcing their employees to work ridiculous hours by locking the employees in the stores overnight? Hey, what does that matter if we can save a few bucks on that new TV, right? Here's a link that can explain Walmart's practices in detail "Walmart - High Cost of Low Prices" Well, aren't these the same principles that BP adhered to that got them in the bind they (and we) find themselves in? Look, wrong is wrong, and BP is certainly to blame for this crisis but, how much can we rail against them when we've been guilty of the same practices for decades? There wasn't even much saber-rattling when Pres. Obama sided with the Republicans and allowed off-shore drilling. Sure, I heard some grumblings here and there but, certainly nothing noteworthy. So most of us were willing to tolerate the off-shore drilling...anything to keep costs down. Now that the entire Gulf Coast is under siege, people want to clear their throats and say something. That's like getting your bills paid by a drug dealer, but want to cry foul when your child is now hooked on drugs...WHAT??!??!?
There may be some of those reading this, with angry eyes, who will think of me as a BP apologist...that is SO far from the case. As I've stated numerous times throughout this blog, British Petroleum is the biggest culprit in the devastation of the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina. And there have been tens (if not hundreds) of millions of people who wanted to spit in the face of BP. Me writing a piece to do the same thing wouldn't make a bit of a difference. If anyone was spat on more than a million times, I'm quite sure that at some point you would be numb to the situation. I don't want to stand in line waiting to be the next guy to spit, I'd rather spend my time trying to find a way for this not to happen again. And the only solution I can find is for the American People to change their spending habits. I am lucky in the fact that I don't live near a Walmart nor do I live in a city that is conducive to driving. Although I totally recognize that if I moved to a city where Walmarts were easily accessible and it was easier to drive than anything else, I would be struggling with these everyday issues like most Americans. However, many in the US don't see this as a problem at all...they love their cars and they love spending the least amount of money as possible for a large quantity of items. These same people will cry out that BP is the devil...so the cycle continues...
If we want to end this cycle of cutting corners at the cost of negatively impacting our own lives and environment, it is us who must make changes. We cannot wait for big corporations to make any significant changes to their business practices, before we do it ourselves. Prior to this catastrophe, BP had the option of using a system that would have avoided all this mess. To implement those safeguards would have cost BP billions (with a "B") of dollars. They chose against it and the rest will go down in infamy...sounds a lot like how many Americans might act with their own money, right? And to those who want to see the end of BP and companies of their ilk, be cautious of what you ask...many Americans' 401ks are tied into BP stock and other comparable companies. With hindsight being 20/20, we can all now say BP should have spent the billions to avoid this travesty. However, many shareholders (maybe even people you know) would have been upset if BP had spent that much money on something (that at the time) couldn't be proven as a necessity. See how mixed-up and crazy this system is? BP was doing exactly what its shareholders wanted them to do...people from all walks of life are what their shareholders are comprised of. So maybe if we, as a people, stopped taking economic shortcuts in our own lives; then we, as shareholders, would take these CEOs to task prior to any environmental nightmare occurred. And these corporations would then think twice before trying to pull a fast one on the American People. DOWN WITH BP but, also down with that old way of trying to save a buck too many people have been using; because at the end of the day the question must be asked...AT WHAT COST???
- Bru
