Friedman

Recently there was an article in the Time Magazine Online that relays information about Google executives who are being charge because they did not censor the video that was posted and did not respond quickly enough when formal complaint were issued. The video was of a mentally disabled boy who was being teased and bullied by other students. I think that this is morally wrong but I think that Friedman would believe that the government (courts) is taking power into their hands that is not necessary needed. I believe that it isn’t right for Google to enable or promote these kinds of videos but I Friedman would believe Google to be a business that has the ability to do what they want even something as unethical as this and it should not be up to the government to control the business actions. I think Friedman would want the government to butt out and to let the shareholder and users of the site determine what is acceptable and really what is profitable. By letting our government control and sensor the actions and content of businesses would be to take away from humans freedoms.

The article I found for his weeks Marx Blog Post is titled Disney toys made in ‘sweatshops’. This article basically outlines the issue of Disney using sweatshops to produce their toys and other merchandise. It has been long argued that many companies outsource jobs over seas, and some have been accused of hiring sweatshop labor. When we think of sweatshops our moral radar automatically goes off and we assume the worst. Well in this article it only confirms our worst fears. The biggest highlights and key phrases that jump out to alarm me are the horrible standards in which these human being must work in order to stay alive. The article describes workers working up to 18 continuous hours sometimes from 7am until 2am the next morning with barley any time for bathroom breaks unless they want to be penalized. These workers sustain these long hours for little pay that amounts to about 47-68 lira a month! From this wage workers must PAY their employers for their forced housing conditions and for their food, which can amount to about 9 lira a month.
This articles issue on sweatshop labor directly correlates with Marx point of view on labor. Marx claims that you sell your labor power. For these people they just obviously under valued their labor power and got stuck in the on going circle of poverty similar to the folks in Harlan County. In Both circumstances the capitalist is making it impossible for employees to rise up and find something better for them. The capitalist (Disney) is only paying its labors a wage that will sustain their biological life and reproduction. I think Marx would be unhappy with this picture but it does not go against his theory of wage labor.

Aristotle in the Business World

Today there was an article in the Chicago Tribune shedding light on the moral responsibilities owns have to their companies. The article conveys the message that business owners who have previously sold their company are now buying said company back in order to see it not fail. The article continues to talk about how said business owners are not in it for the money and wealth-getting but rather for personal morals and happiness. The article focuses mainly on Seigle's Building Centers but also touches on how other corporate executives have stepped back from the business but re-entered when it was apparent the business needed new ideas for a better future.
The non-issue – This article doesn’t necessarily pose a non ethical issue related to Aristotle writings but a moral and ethical achievement. These said business owners are practicing morality by taking a stand for what they have worked so hard for and what they believe in.
How it relates – Aristotle writes about and believes in the practice that property should be private but the product public. By entrepreneurs buying back their old businesses are helping the well being of the community and public. They save more jobs and ensure prosperity for their workers. This article also supports Aristotle’s desire for the focus of mankind not to focus on wealth getting but to pursue the natural Art of Acquisition meaning these business owners are using their abilities not to turn a profit (mostly) but to save a business that will ensure security for its employees.