Erin Brockovich and Robert Kerns are kindred spirits in my opinion. Although Erin Brockovich story is different from Robert Kerns in many ways the underlining message is still the same. That message is that it’s not okay for any company to take advantage of the average man. The Erin Brockovich story has her pitted against a big gas company whom essentially poisoned an entire community. The gas company was under the misconception that no one would care if a whole community was being poisoned. Sure the company tried to compensate by offering the townspeople “medical treatment” but of course that was on their terms. The doctors and nursing staff were on the company’s payroll so information about the seriousness of the contamination was a little distorted. However, the fact that Erin (in her own colorful way) stood up and said people are dying and someone beside the sick individuals need to pay for it was inspiring. In Robert Kern’s case he was not standing up for a town he was standing up for himself which is as equally as important. How many of us today would take nearly twenty years out of our lives to prove we had been wrong by a multii-million dollar company. Not to mention the great personal stress he placed on his family just to prove that the idea for the intermittent wiper blade was his idea and Ford stole it. For him it was about the money because he turned down 30 million dollars. He wanted the world to know that it was morally wrong to take other mans idea and claim it as your own. Most of us would have taken the money when Ford offered the large settlement but he stood his ground because it was about principles not money. I’m sure everyday large corporations are taking advantage of a community, of their employees, or of someone else’s ideas that want stop. But it is nice to know that every blue moon someone will say enough is enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment