Whole Foods Market Founder Rebukes Ideals

[mrfootball]

From a speech delivered by Whole Foods founder and CEO John Mackey...

"At the time I started my business, the Left had taught me that business and capitalism were based on exploitation: exploitation of consumers, workers, society, and the environment. I believed that "profit" was a necessary evil at best, and certainly not a desirable goal for society as a whole. However, becoming an entrepreneur completely changed my life. Everything I believed about business was proven to be wrong.

The most important thing I learned about business in my first year was that business wasn't based on exploitation or coercion at all. Instead I realized that business is based on voluntary cooperation. No one is forced to trade with a business; customers have competitive alternatives in the market place; employees have competitive alternatives for their labor; investors have different alternatives and places to invest their capital. Investors, labor, management, suppliers

[Guest danax]

Congratulations to Mackey for speaking his mind so eloquently. The guy has obviously had to deal with a lot of attacks from hippie-types over the years.

A lot of those 60s hippies became 80s yuppies and the whole anti-establishment sentiment seems to have died down as people have realized that some of that stuff was air-head logic/hypocrisy.

He still seems to hire hippie-types though. Whole Foods employees are some of the only people I come across who look like they stepped out of the 60s-70s, with the addition of tattoos/piercings. And the Whole Foods parking lots are one of the few places where you'll see cars covered in political bumper stickers like in the past.

[TJones]

Congratulations to Mackey for speaking his mind so eloquently. The guy has obviously had to deal with a lot of attacks from hippie-types over the years.

A lot of those 60s hippies became 80s yuppies and the whole anti-establishment sentiment seems to have died down as people have realized that some of that stuff was air-head logic/hypocrisy.

He still seems to hire hippie-types though. Whole Foods employees are some of the only people I come across who look like they stepped out of the 60s-70s, with the addition of tattoos/piercings. And the Whole Foods parking lots are one of the few places where you'll see cars covered in political bumper stickers like in the past.

Agreed, I think the vegetables at Whole Foods get washed more often than some of his hippie employees. j/k

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

From a speech delivered by Whole Foods founder and CEO John Mackey...

"Globalization is the most caring and compassionate strategy we can implement to help the developing world lift itself out of poverty. This is the simple truth. But how many people understand this truth?

The Left has convinced the idealistic young that globalization is harming the developing world

[TheNiche]

I support the idea of globalization as long as America is in control of it. Im not confortable with the idea of taking orders from "outside entities". As it stands at present, America leads, but our control is being attacked on all sides, that is a danger in the globalization game.

Something about what you've tried to communicate is seriously rubbing me the wrong way. Part of it is that the idea of "America" doesn't equate to "multinational corporations based in America" or any other configuration of economic entities...and the government has some influence on globalization but certainly doesn't control it. But there's another part of your statement that I can't quite figure out that is utterly confusing and somewhat disturbing. Please clarify.

[Modernceo]

Wow, a founder/high ranking official making a very explicit statement of his political views. Unusual to me. Theres times I want to make my stand on political issues but because im a operations manager/founder of my company I try to remain neutral/not be too open about my views. Sometimes its hard to do!

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

Something about what you've tried to communicate is seriously rubbing me the wrong way. Part of it is that the idea of "America" doesn't equate to "multinational corporations based in America" or any other configuration of economic entities...and the government has some influence on globalization but certainly doesn't control it. But there's another part of your statement that I can't quite figure out that is utterly confusing and somewhat disturbing. Please clarify.

Huh?

[TheNiche]

Huh?

I support the idea of globalization as long as America is in control of it. Im not confortable with the idea of taking orders from "outside entities". As it stands at present, America leads, but our control is being attacked on all sides, that is a danger in the globalization game.

Questions:

1) How does "America" presently control globalization?

2) What do you mean by "taking orders"?

3) What do you care who is making legitimate (i.e. legal) business deals with corporations based in America?

4) Are multinational corporations who have no loyalties to any particular countries, but only to their shareholders, who live in countries throughout the world, really and truely "American" companies, even if they are headquartered here?

5) Your use of the term "globalization game" implies to me that you view the issue as an issue for which politicians or others could plot and scheme in order to effect a dramatic shift in cultural values of a nation. That implication implies that most people act as sheep instead of making decisions for themselves based upon their unique set of preferences.

6) Perhaps your definition of "globalization" differs from mine. I very simply define globalization as essentially 'international trade of goods, services, and ideas'. A lot of people define globalization by its symptoms (i.e. "export of culture"), but I define it by the root cause and view most of the symptoms as something that the affected 'importer' of culture must be complicit with in order to be affected by it...in which case, I'd tend to believe that those affected individuals are in some way made better off by their decisions.

[heights_yankee]

From a speech delivered by Whole Foods founder and CEO John Mackey...

Read Entire Article Here

WF just made a public announcement that they won't carry live lobster anymore b/c it's considered cruel. Still sounds pretty hippie to me.

[RedScare]

Interesting, what some people think he is saying, versus what he really is saying.

[torvald]

Interesting, what some people think he is saying, versus what he really is saying.

[HeightsGuy]

I support the idea of globalization as long as America is in control of it. Im not confortable with the idea of taking orders from "outside entities". As it stands at present, America leads, but our control is being attacked on all sides, that is a danger in the globalization game.

Sure, America is currently in control, but not for too much longer. If Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, and most of what Walmart sells comes from China, where do you think all our money is going to? Walmart alone pumped over 20 billion dollars into Chinese goods last year. China (as a government as well as it's limited private industry owners) is flush with American Dollars. If you thought we had a problem with Japan in the 70's taking over US business, stick around and watch our business dominos start to fall to China. So far, they have bought IBM personal computers line and named it Lenovo, almost bought Maytag, and almost bought Unocal. This is just the beginning.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

Sure, America is currently in control, but not for too much longer. If Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, and most of what Walmart sells comes from China, where do you think all our money is going to? Walmart alone pumped over 20 billion dollars into Chinese goods last year. China (as a government as well as it's limited private industry owners) is flush with American Dollars. If you thought we had a problem with Japan in the 70's taking over US business, stick around and watch our business dominos start to fall to China. So far, they have bought IBM personal computers line and named it Lenovo, almost bought Maytag, and almost bought Unocal. This is just the beginning.

You shouldnt be too concerned with China taking over US businesses. Focus more attention on Europe. Contrary to popular beliefs, Great Britain is the largest foreign holder of businesses and property in the USA. The EU is not too far behind and growing.

[TheNiche]

Sure, America is currently in control, but not for too much longer. If Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, and most of what Walmart sells comes from China, where do you think all our money is going to? Walmart alone pumped over 20 billion dollars into Chinese goods last year. China (as a government as well as it's limited private industry owners) is flush with American Dollars. If you thought we had a problem with Japan in the 70's taking over US business, stick around and watch our business dominos start to fall to China. So far, they have bought IBM personal computers line and named it Lenovo, almost bought Maytag, and almost bought Unocal. This is just the beginning.

And who do you think Chinese investors will be buying our assets from? Is it really that bad that China wants to pay us top dollar for our assets? With more global capital competing for a finite amount of American assets (perceived as safe and stable in the international community), prices of those assets are driven up, spurring the construction of new assets! Good news all the way around.

Anecdote from an economics course: Back in the 1970's, Japan purchased Rockefeller Center in NYC (from an American company) for some ungodly sum of money...they had more than they knew how to spend and got caught up in the irrational exhuberance of buying America. Years later, they sold it off for some relatively miniscule amount (to an American company). How much you wanna bet that China makes similar mistakes?

[nmainguy]

Interesting, what some people think he is saying, versus what he really is saying.

Exactly.

[HeightsGuy]

You shouldnt be too concerned with China taking over US businesses. Focus more attention on Europe. Contrary to popular beliefs, Great Britain is the largest foreign holder of businesses and property in the USA. The EU is not too far behind and growing.

Uh, sure, but every country you mentioned (plus Japan circa 80's) are various flavors of Democracy. Besides, Great Britian is not the largest foreign holder of US business and property, British citizens are the largest foreign holder's of US business and property. I don't care if my boss is British, French or Japenese as long as the paycheck comes on Friday. I have a bigger problem with foreign governments owning US interests, especially communist governments. I wouldn't care if my boss were Chinese, but that may not be the case with communist China. The oil company in China that attempted to purchase UNOCAL was state-owned, not privately-held. That's a huge difference to me, and it should be to you too.