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WAL-MART: CREATED A MONSTER, OR CREATED BY MONSTERS?
SAMANTHA MOSHIRI, OCTOBER 28, 2008, CLTE 80A-10

To create is to claim unspoken responsibility, but often what is created is not intended to be. It is this truth we see repeated throughout the course of humanity: whether recorded in the textbook history of past wars, evident in accidental scientific revelations, or even pursued as main themes in literature. As human beings, we sense this truth in our own daily lives; being created ourselves, we tend to recreate what we know best. Architecture, music, language; these, amongst others, are the boasts of mankind. We pride ourselves on creating such beauty. In fact, we claim responsibility with a smile.
However, when a creation is not so beautiful, that smiles tends to fade quickly. A struggle ensues as the participating parties try to lay the blame on someone else’s shoulders or refuse to be accountable at all. In the classic novel Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley takes this reality and literally makes it the book’s theme. In the story, scientist Victor Frankenstein brings to life a creation that becomes a monster out of his control. He shuns his creation and abandons his responsibility as the creator, leaving his monster to wreak havoc on the rest of the world. True, the horrors of Frankenstein can be left behind in the world of literature—but don’t breathe that sigh of relief just yet. We have another deadly creation to deal with—this time, in the very real world of business. And unlike the shunned monster in the familiar classic, this Frankenstein has become a fundamental part of our lives, and our shopping. Wal-Mart is alive, it’s ALIVE, yet its creators remain anonymous and irresponsible. Wal-Mart’s corporation needs to be accountable for the economical monster it has created. They need to assume responsibility and rein in the Wal-Mart effect. They need to fulfill their responsibilities to the communities they serve,...