The Issue of the Negative Externalities of the Profit Maximization Aim of the Big Corporations - Essay Example

The Issue of the Negative Externalities of the Profit Maximization Aim of the Big Corporations Michael Moore addresses the issue of the negative externalities of the profit maximization aim of the Big Corporations, specifically focusing on GM in this piece of work. The syntax and tone of the essay is very sarcastic and therefore gives the impression that perhaps Moore is sensitive about the issue, and thus could have a biased approach. Moore’s most famous work has been the films ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ and ‘Bowling for Columbia’, the former centers around the corruption and self-centered approach in politics, and the latter about the right to bear arms in the USA.

In this essay, he is against the big corporations which exploit the community in order to raise their profits, and condemns their motives and actions, accusing them of selfishness and non-humanitarianism; therefore his reputation instigates the reader to accept his blatant accusations and emotional appeals, thus the way a reader would read this essay. He bases his claim on the evidences from law pertaining to different illegal acts in the American society, proceeds on to include the numerical figures of the houses and villages that have been uprooted due to the tyranny of the big corporations, furthermore he states the abnormal profit figures generated by GM.

He uses business studies terms as factual evidences for the operations of companies, terms such as downsizing, layoffs, picketed, and also includes designations/posts in any company. The main focus of his essay is on pathos, since it is obvious that he is using sensitive terms such as ‘destroys Parma, moral, kills, illegal, hazardous, rights’ etc., in order to appeal to the emotions of the readers and arouse their sensitive side. To some extent he also makes use of ethos, since he has a reputation of speaking the blatant truth, and people usually respect him for his honesty and blunt opinion on any issue (IMDB, 2010), in addition to this, he also states that his film “Roger and Me” has been viewed by all bottom-line feeder, but this is a argue that is subjective in nature, and not at all being backed by evidence, this is a logical fallacy known as ‘hasty generalization’ since Moore is claiming that all people of the mentioned group have seen the movie.

Moore has made other logical fallacies in this essay as well, such as the use of emotionally loaded terms, which makes the basis of this work having a ‘pathos’ approach. Furthermore, he has overly simplified the matter, since the way he has presented the argument for making the point of selling crack and corporation actions appear on equal footing seems to be very simplified, while it actually might not be the case, since selling of crack would not affect the economy and health of the people the same way as other matters.

However, his argumentation is nevertheless very convincing, despite logical fallacies, because he grasps the attention of the reader by the use of pathos, and arousing the emotions of the reader. The conclusion is a middle way out, it is not on either of the diametrically opposite pole and does not ask for the removal of corporations for the society, but demands a modest approach which would balance out the profit motive and the rights of the general public to be protected against exploitation.

Therefore, he is taking a democratic approach in resolving the issue; hence it is an extremely convincing conclusion to propose at the end of a sensitive essay. However, the answers to the last questions not necessarily going to be the same forever, since answer to any question is subject to time, place and situation. There might come a time when a stricter stance towards corporations would become necessary, or a time when the companies become socially acceptable if they adapt to the environmental and humanitarian standards.

Works CitedIMDB. Biography for Michael Moore. The internet movie database. 2010. 22nd September 2010 < http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601619/bio>