Purpose-
Ever since I was a child, I always wandered around the aisles of Wal-Mart in awe of all the various products (toys, books, games, guns, auto-parts, etc.) that were available. Of course, the end of the shopping trip always ended with a trip to the in-store McDonald's.
Of course, I always associated Wal-Mart with a sense of happiness and raw amusement. Then, as I started to grow older, I started hearing news reports from misconduct ranging from exploitation of workers to bribery in Mexico. It seemed that many people did not share the same feeling that I felt as a kid about Wal-Mart.
Soon enough, ethics violations and Wal-Mart became synonymous. My own views on the mega-corporation changed. It seemed like a "dirty" pleasure shopping there. A sense of guilt always floated around although I knew I was getting a great deal on the latest roll-back item .
The topic of Wal-Mart plays an important role in Ruth l. Ozeki's My Year of Meats. It is clear from the style in which the book is written that the author also shares a disdain towards the company. That is when I started to wonder - Is Wal-Mart the poster image of an evil, greedy corporation? Do most Americans view Wal-Mart in this manner? I want know the facts, not just what mainstream media tells me, but what is really going on. The following posts will include my research on the topic and its association to the book My Year of Meats.
Ever since I was a child, I always wandered around the aisles of Wal-Mart in awe of all the various products (toys, books, games, guns, auto-parts, etc.) that were available. Of course, the end of the shopping trip always ended with a trip to the in-store McDonald's.
Of course, I always associated Wal-Mart with a sense of happiness and raw amusement. Then, as I started to grow older, I started hearing news reports from misconduct ranging from exploitation of workers to bribery in Mexico. It seemed that many people did not share the same feeling that I felt as a kid about Wal-Mart.
Soon enough, ethics violations and Wal-Mart became synonymous. My own views on the mega-corporation changed. It seemed like a "dirty" pleasure shopping there. A sense of guilt always floated around although I knew I was getting a great deal on the latest roll-back item .
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