This column is dedicated to nurturing an historic paradigm shift in American business. In an age of dwindling resources, human exhaustion, and ecological crisis, we need to evolve beyond the selfish, “empty suit,” Wolf-of-Wall St. economic model–stuck in place over the past 3 decades like barnacles to the side of a boat–and forge a bold, new, holistic bottom-line: one that cares as much about the health and well being of people and our planet as it does about profits.
Though a seemingly herculean effort, I’m happy to report that baby steps forward are being made on various fronts. This past week, for example, a handful of big American corporations–including Apple, Marriott, and Delta Airlines–voiced their heroic opposition to a retrograde anti-gay law that came frighteningly close to passing in Arizona. Beyond the immediate political victory these brave corporate chieftains helped to achieve (the bill happily didn’t pass), this opens a golden door for other progressive business people to be less shy about their deeper political convictions.
Actually, when it comes to putting their “money where their mouth is,” liberal business folk are still playing a game of catch up with the Right. Way back in 1934, in fact, during the depths of the Great Depression, while most American were grateful for FDR’s New Deal reforms, a small group of radical conservatives (led by the Du Ponts) founded the American Liberty League to rail against unions, social security, and any tinkering with the holy “free market.” Dozens more right-wing think tanks soon came into existence, and today, groups like the Business Roundtable and Heritage Foundation continue to spout the lie that what’s good for the 1% is good for everyone.
Luckily, progressives in the corporate world have begun to fight back. Warren Buffet is just one famous example of a rich person with a social conscience who’s willing to take a financial hit (go ahead, raise my taxes!) for the common good. But did you also know there’s a group called “Patriotic Millionaire’s for Fiscal Strength” that, following Buffet’s lead, also believes the rich need to pitch in more to make a better world for all? Perhaps they read Ralph Nader’s boldly imaginative novel Only the Super Rich can Save Us (2009), which posits a less selfish, more altruistic “possible future” where the titans of industry pool their resources to solve the current planetary problems (poverty, war, disease, global warming) that plague us. Naturally, this doesn't preclude that a massive, organized, "bottom up" movement for social change--involving the middle class, working class, and poor--also needs to occur in tandem with the support of the "liberal latte" crowd.
As a progressive business activist, and real estate agent in NYC, my own contributions to the struggle for a better world are an organization I started called the Ethical Business Society, a radio show called New Bottom Line, and this column. I also pledge to donate 5% of all my future profits to political, cultural, spiritual, media, and educational organizations working to strengthen our democracy and save our planet from ecological destruction. If you have any ideas about how business people can also be agents of progressive transformation in the world, please let me know. Perhaps I can give you a shout out in a future column.
John Bredin
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