Social Activism/Justice, ugh why do I care?

Okay I think I am going insane. I have always seen myself as kind of an asshole.

Anyone crosses me in business, I show no mercy. I am cold hearted and brutal.

I know I am arrogant and pretty much self centered.

But lately the more I see of the world, the more it pisses me off.

Each and every day I see social and environmental problems and it is starting to really get under my skin.

I have actually pondered going in with team members and physically rescuing people that I know in different parts of the world that are being abused by their governments and large corporate entities.

I see what some business interests are doing to the environment and the people of developing countries and I want to go in an kick some major ass.

I am not supposed to care. But I do. It is totally against my nature.

Somehow I have got to find a channel for this anger. But it just seems like protesting and traditional activism have failed. It is now time for more radical measures.

So I must be nuts. What is with that?

Sorry for my random rant.

 

You and I have a bit in common. I'm usually of the mindset that if it's not in my yard, I dont' care. Killed the guy across the street and raped his kids? Not in my yard, so I don't care.

The problem is though, that these problems continue to pile up and build upon each other and whether anything that is ever done happens in my backyard or not, the overflow will leave it there eventually.

I think while you want to not care something inside is telling you that this shit does involve you. May not now, but the longer a fungus goes untreated the more it spreads.

 

If I Had a Rocket Launcher

 

why not start up a for-profit group that helps the people you feel who need help, and just reinvest the profits back into the company.

 

re-investing 100% of profits leaves you looking for not-for-profit status, I believe.

Not to be confused with non-profit.

 

i might be mixing the terms up...i just know that one of the guys who is a Board Fellow for the Business school here came and talked to us, and spoke of doing such things with a few of the companies he started up. just reinvesting the profits back in.

he just touched on it briefly because it wasn't the main talking point for what he was talking about during the class.

 

well if you are already operating multiple companies you can generally afford to reinvest all of your new company's profits back into the company. otherwise, you still have to spend money to make money, but i can't imagine that he kept none of the profits from his first company

 

He collected a salary most likely. Collecting a paycheck, of any amount you choose, is allowed(I'm pretty sure). Just not keeping what's left over after expenses.

Make sense?

 

It is not-for-profit you speak of.....not a bad idea, in general, though.

 

you don't need to spend any money, you get people to invest in your company

would i do this now? nope

but UA seems like a savvy businessman that could pull something like this off and really help some people out

 

Thanks for the input. I suppose I am scared of what I might do if I do not find a channel for this frustration.

Lol! I also fear I have seen V is Vendetta one to many times.

But I enjoyed the video.

I can do that as I already have such an organization. Unfortunately these people need more radical solutions and they need them quick.

I fear one of them may be in danger.

I just do not know what to do, but I know I should not do what I want to do.

Thus the dilemma.

 

yeah, that's pretty much the way to go if you really want your business to take off... otherwise it would be hard to take what money could be yours and throw it right back into the company.


so is that still considered non or not-for profit?

 

"but I know I should not do what I want to do"

Which is quite vague at this point. Care to elaborate?

 

There are tons of not-for-profits and non-governmental-organizations all over the world that do great work and have great ideas, but they have limited impact on the communities they're trying to help because they're run by activists, not managers. I worked for this one that was run by these innovative "ideas people" but their people and financial management skills sucked.

If you're a savvy businessman/woman, why don't you help out an organization that's already doing a little good but could really make a difference if only it had some leadership?

 

Non-profit, I think, is self explanatory....(but I'm not 100% sure as I'm not that educated)

Not-for-profit means everybody collects their paycheck and scheduled, outlined bonuses, but after all wages, bonuses and overhead are paid, the rest of what's left is pumped back into the company and nobody collects a "profit"...just a paycheck.

 

that sounds like a tough dilemma my man

i don't know the situation, but i hope you find a way to help

 

That's my understanding of it, Mak. After overheads any leftover money goes into budgets that are used for more socially-orientated projects. So there are no shareholders or anyone to have to keep happy, and no reasons to make any dodgy, unethical, cost-cutting decisions.

 

I want to fund and lead a military operation to rescue someone who might be in danger.

You see this would be a cake walk if it was in one of those banana republics that I love so much. Just bribe the right official and bribe some other people...done!

But we are not talking about banana republic.

Now do not get me wrong. I am not going to do it! I want to but I am not.

I just need to find other options and I feel like I am running out of time.

 

What would you do with the rescued person? I mean if you did do it

 

Right now I just do not want someones death or imprisonment on my conscience.

It would have never happened if I did not become friends with them.

It is my fault. There are certain questions you should not ask and topics you should not discuss with people in certain nations.

There are places where free speach is not alowed.