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It's precisely that attitude embodied in Deere in the 1930's that I aim to get back to - I'm from Indiana farm country myself, though, and I can tell you that D
by Vivtek 10y ago
It's precisely that attitude embodied in Deere in the 1930's that I aim to get back to - I'm from Indiana farm country myself, though, and I can tell you that Deere is no longer that benefactor. Nor are the many other once-community-minded companies that used to employ the heartland.
As a freelancer myself, I certainly don't think that business is inherently evil. I do, however, think that today's insistence on shareholder returns to the exclusion of all other principles (up to and including stewardship of long-term value) is hollowing us out from the inside. Find me a large American company who would ever do the kind of long-term thinking Deere exhibited in the 30's. There aren't any.
Charity is not at all what I'm talking about. Charity is good for what it's good for - but it can't keep a society afloat for the long term. Only a healthy business ecology can do that. Long-term prosperity is the only possible goal, and it can't be done with handouts or noblesse oblige.
I currently live in Puerto Rico. We have a lot of problems here - problems that are deep and long-lasting - but I think they can be solved with a business model that focuses on long-term stability even if short-term profit will be lower. And it will be.
I really need to write some kind of long-form coherent presentation of what I'm talking about in Puerto Rico, but frankly I'm still learning a lot of basic things about the economic situation here that have a direct bearing on how I see the future. So I'm not ready yet.
But thanks for your input! This is very useful.
- Mz 10y agoI actually have done some recent reading on developments in Puerto Rico. I gathered some of that here: http://www.metafilter.com/162634/Salud http://www.metafilter.com/162634/Salud Maybe that will help you do a long form write up on Puerto Rico. Best.
- Vivtek 10y agoYou know who's actually doing the most for sustainable local agriculture here? Walmart. It just plain freaks me out. But they have an angel fund to support local farmers, and preferentially deal with them. They're the only chain I know of where you can get bagged coffee that's not produced by a Coca-Cola subsidiary. Thanks for the link! MeFi FTW!
- Mz 10y agoI am actually a fan of Walmart. I respectfully suggest that Walmart is a good example of good business that is not evil, in spite of how much people talk trash about it. I suggest it is good food for thought that, no, not everything has completely gone to hell, in spite of how easy it is to feel that way thanks to the 24 hour news cycle where "news" is always bad news, basically.
- Vivtek 10y agoWalmart has done incredible damage to the local economies of the Midwest - they've essentially eliminated small retailers over much of the country. It's true that they're simply part of an existing larger trend - but they've profited hugely from it and have cut a lot of ethical corners in making one family the richest people in the world. Walmart Puerto Rico is a wholly-owned subsidiary. Here, they've done less damage (there wasn't as much damage to be done) and they've done positive good.
- Mz 10y agoEh, I see it differently. I think Walmart gets blamed for those trends and no one thinks about what the world would look like with those same trends and no one like Walmart to serve certain purposes. There are 7 or 8 billion people globally and in my lifetime we went from being mostly agrarian to having more than half of all people living in cities. These are unprecedented global changes. We have nothing to compare them to. And people keep bellyaching about overpopulation and global warming and THE SKY IS FALLING, meanwhile, people are living longer...etc. I fundamentally don't agree with some of the assumptions behind accusations that Walmart is evil and predatory. That doesn't mean they are a white knight or have room for improvement, mind you. Best.