As of Tuesday, nearly 800 people have died as a result of the earthquake in Chile. Individuals and corporations alike are coming to the aid of victims any way they can. But it’s frustrating to watch as some mask avarice with fake generosity.
Saturday, Walmart announced its ostensibly noble commitment to give a million dollars for “emergency relief efforts throughout the country.” Normal people like us don’t have a million dollars to give, so, initially, this seems generous of them.
However, as pointed out by Huffington Post commentator John Perkins, Walmart’s profits verge on $5 billion per quarter, and they’re growing every day.
With profits like this and the fact that barely a year ago Walmart merged with Chile’s largest food retailer and now owns more than half of it, Perkins points out that Walmart’s donation is “less than their equivalent of a dime.”
“The Widow’s Offering” parable comes to mind. Sure, Walmart gave what we consider a great sum of money, but the amount is embarrassing when you think about it.
Despite the fact that there have been documentaries and countless articles written about the greedy and unfair practices of Walmart, it remains a public giant. Most people hear about the things Walmart does and say, “That’s terrible!” but head there the next time they want cheaper DVDs or cookies at 3 a.m.
Walmart can be convenient and cheap for a college student, but is it really worth it to continue feeding the corporate monster? When there is some other place to go, we’re going to start bypassing Walmart.
