"When Corporations Rule the World" reading group?

I've just started reading my good ol' buddy/bandmate's copy of "When Corporations Rule The World" by Daniel Korten, and already I've decided to cut red meat out of my diet. This book really helps me see things on a big picture level.

Has anyone else read it? nyone want to start a little online reading group? Could be cool...

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Permalink Reply by Pier-Anna on November 3, 2008 at 9:47am

Will pick up a copy asap...just wanted to thank you for the Wellmont show and your kind words to my son, Cameron. You & Mackenzie & Andy really touched him. It's crucial for him to feel there's strength & intelligence in young people, especially men...and that peaceful change is a reality.
Trying to come to Webster tonight, but site says 18+...if it's not true or there's another way, pls let me know & we're there. Really want him to experience Flobots headlining (i cannot lie, so do i).
Most grateful...peace...Pier-Anna

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Permalink Reply by Cat on November 5, 2008 at 3:03pm

In order to get this online book discussion going, I would like some answers to the following...
1. How many folks are planning to participate
2. Do you have the book in your posession
3. Have you begun reading it, how far are you so far.

I have not finished the book yet, and I usually like to have read it completely before beginning to facilitate, but for this I think I will start before I am done. I am planning to post my first series of questions/thought provoking comments on Friday, Nov. 7th, about Part I: Cowboys in a Spaceship

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Permalink Reply by Melissa on November 5, 2008 at 4:17pm

I will participate (as long as it is at a time I can do it each week, or as long as we can participate regularly on our own time.)

I already have the book, but am only about 45 pages into it. I hope to finish it up over a road trip this weekend. :)

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Permalink Reply by bnt4 on November 6, 2008 at 5:20am

I have started and will look for your ? on friday.

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Permalink Reply by linnmj on November 5, 2008 at 4:54pm

I'll have to give it a read. As far as I knew, I thought corporations already ruled the world. Guess I was mistaken...

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Wilkinson on November 5, 2008 at 5:39pm

I just bought the book. I have a lot of time to read in Alaska,...no TV, no worries.

RED MEAT: I've heard some horrifying stuff. I'd be concerned about estrogen, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals in your water too.

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Permalink Reply by Fizza on November 5, 2008 at 6:39pm

i havnt read it, but i already know what your talking about, and this knowledge i have maybe due to the simpsons hehe, but it is serious. its insane wat they do to animals and the way our stomachs become the graveyards of animals.

and online reading group sounds kinda motivating, especially cuz i dont read much c:

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Permalink Reply by skurin on November 5, 2008 at 9:17pm

I will DEFINITELY be participating. My book should be here any day from Amazon, and no, I haven't started reading it yet. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Jim on November 6, 2008 at 2:06pm

i have already began reading this book, so far i think it's wonderful, i will gladly participate in this discussion

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Permalink Reply by Cat on November 8, 2008 at 3:32am

After completing the first section I am unsure on the best approach for this discussion. We could pick apart every fact and idea presented in this book, which I believe would be useful to all of us, but extremely time consuming. Or we can accept most of what Korten presents to us as truth, and briefly discuss mainy of the key points, which for me would be unfulfilling. Obviously we will attempt to find a happy medium, and I will attempt to include all of the most important aspects in my thoughts and questions, but feel free to add on, or ignore, anything. Also, I am going to post the questions, and I will give my responses to the questions a little bit later.

To begin, I would like to point out a particular passage that we all must keep in mind while participating in this discussion:

"Please read what follows actively and critically. Bring your own perspective and insights to bear. Question. Challenge. Consider the implications for the way you want to live your life. Discuss it with friends. Tell them where you agree, where you disagree, what new insights you gained, where you find it incomplete. Get their thoughts. Explore new avenues together. Take the conversation to new level. And act." (Korten, 2001, p. 20)

Isn't this exactly what we are doing?? Many of us, myself included, must work on the 'act' part, but I am glad we have an outlet to attempt to organize and understand our situation, so that we can act in an effective way.

1. As Jonny5 already stated (I replied to his earlier post on this topic), what did you all think about the cowboys in a spaceship imagery?

2. In Chapter 1, Korten uses a lot of shocking facts to describe the state of affairs that we are in. Were any of the statistics presented particularly suprising or disturbing to you? Why?

3. In Chapter 2, Korten states that "Our lives depend on the life support systems of the natural world, and that world is now full." Do you agree with this statement? Please provide any evidence you have against this claim. What do you feel this statement means for our daily lives. When you think of the generations to come, with this in mind, what values do you think will hold true in the future?

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Permalink Reply by skurin on November 16, 2008 at 9:46am

1. The imagery, for me, was spot on. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that a lot of the "cowboys" in the world are completely unaware of the fact that they are in a "spaceship".

2. The statistics Korten uses in the book did not surprise me. Disturb me yes, surprise me no.

3. For many years now I've felt that the world is full. Our natural systems are not rebounding and recovering in the way that they should anymore. We all have to start doing everything that we can to help them rebound. From ending our culture of consumerism to population control (Don't worry I don't mean forced abortions or anything horrible. Just education and the like. Although I am getting really tired of seeing people with 8 or 9+ kids that they can't take care of. We have many, many families like that in the organization I work for. The parents keep having kids that the state has to keep taking away because the parents are unfit.). We have to teach our children to fight for their planet.