Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that The Corporation is a provocative 2003 documentary detailing the past and present of corporate power and influence and its effects on societies, the environment, and individuals. There are many disturbing images: a child with no eyes due to birth defects, mass graves during the Holocaust, battles between police and protestors, and the bloodied body of a teen boy slain by police during protests in Bolivia. An economics professor abruptly yells, "Bulls--t!" In great detail, this Oscar-winning documentary explains how the same amendment that ended slavery after the Civil War also declared corporations to be "people" in the 19th century and how, if corporations are indeed people, they most closely resemble psychotics in their regard for others and the world around them. Though this is the central idea, the documentary also presents the viewpoints of those who disagree with this assertion. Overall, this documentary will shock and encourage lots of discussion.
Sexual
Content
Not applicable
Violence
Footage of bodies being dumped in mass graves during the Holocaust. The dead body of a protestor in Bolivia is shown up close. Battles between protestors and police are shown, with tear gas, thrown bottles, arrests, fighting.
Language
After a lengthy and poetic comparison of corporations to bald eagles, an economics professor laughs and then yells, "Bulls--t!"
Social
Behavior
Instances of groups and individuals standing up to multinational corporations' attempts to privatize their land and resources. The power of one person or a small group of people to bring about constructive change in the face of powerful interests and multibillion dollar corporations.
Consumerism
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Not applicable
