This is an interesting point. Situations like this, recent economic events and the increasing influence of corporations (especially multinational ones) raise the question of what role businesses should be allowed to have.

IMHO there are two issues here. The first is the economic, political and legal framework that sets out profit as an explicit, unrivalled goal. The second is how we react to it.

It’s far easier to get up and arms about the first (as arguments about whether businesses should be able to be ‘too big to fail’ indicate) but it’s also harder to make any traction in such a vast environment with such deeply entrenched rules (as the lack of any real change resulting from said arguments indicates).

Perhaps as Christians (or even compassionate humanitarians) we should be focusing on the second issue. Do our actions demonstrate approval for or otherwise support the current system? Are we indirectly buying into a world-view that has economic growth as its ultimate goal, bearing in mind it is boosted by weapons manufacturing, crime, sickness, violence, divorce, crime, third world debt, and prescription drug use? Does our lifestyle reflect that capitalism as it currently stands rewards complete indifference towards suffering and pain? What are we doing to set ourselves apart?