Many people have heard stories about big oil companies exploiting the environment for profit; but how many people have actually dived deeper into the cases to see just how far these companies will go in order to prop up their share price?
Even for those independent researchers who have become immune over the years after been exposed to tons of stories of deep corruption, the story of Chevron exploiting the Amazon rainforest is a downright disgusting case of not only corporate greed, but a sick ideology of zero morality for life on this planet. It is a case that needs to hit the mainstream awareness so some type of justice can manifest.
Some people might be inclined to look away and think, “well it doesn’t affect me, that happened over there,” or “that’s just another case of corruption.” To some degree you may be right, seeing as there are many other cases and causes that need be looked at and scrutinized in detail by the mass public. However, at some point people have to stop turning their heads away and begin looking deep into the dirty details of what’s really going on beneath the surface. Just knowing in general terms is not good enough; people have to look at the details to see how the game is really being played, especially if one desires to fight back.
Fortunately, Abby Martin has done much of the legwork already by putting together a wonderful documentary about the Chevron case, which documents the historical background, on the ground footage of the rainforest destruction, interviews with locals, interviews with politicians and lawyers, and a complete breakdown of the actual legal case. What is uncovered here is hard to stomach at points, given the level of immorality it must take to actually go through with some of these tactics, but in order to stop them, the public must get an idea of just how far these companies are willing to go. Unfortunately, it’s a lot further than most people might think.
This is just one case, but it is a big case that has the ability to affect many other cases around the world of similar incidents. As Pablo Fajarado, lead attorney for the indigenous people of Ecuador, brilliantly pointed out, this case is bigger than the people of Ecuador. Pablo goes on to say,
“You need to understand that this case against Chevron corporation, it is a case against the system of global corporate immunity. The corporations, which govern the governments in many parts of the world, impose the rules and see this case as a threat against the system of corporate impunity in the world.”
Sometimes one case can go a long way in setting new precedents for future or current cases. Hopefully, this documentary can wake some people up to just how dirty this game is that’s being played and just how important it is to get involved in helping it to change. The first step is awareness, so many thanks to Abby Martin and her team for putting this documentary together.
