Business and Economics (Matewan)

Matewan is a bilgewater which focuses around the violent labor disputes which occurred in the West Virginia blacken fields in 1920. During these days, there was no benefits and job security for workers as the Stone Mountain Coal Company displays. Due to the efforts by the workers of the coal fields to form a union, the Stone Mountain Coal Company publicized to their workers that those who were in unions were to be replaced and pay cuts would be rationed out. Outrage ensued mingled with the workers and the new African the Statesn workers that were being brought in.However, Joe Kenehan, who worked for the linked Mine Workers, decided that if the replacement workers joined the union, the company had to accept it as they wouldnt have workers. In order to stop the idea of a labor union, the coal company sent C. E. Lively to canvass the workers undercover. Lively then brings in two armed agents from the Baldwin-Felt Detective Agency handle the work he cannot as he is undercover. This inherent situation escalates into a violent shootout and reinforcement agents from Baldwin-Felts came to evict workers who were break off of a labor union.A total of nine people were killed during the shootout where workers just wanted to have base rights. Appargonnt ethical issues ar portrayed throughout the movie. In todays society, labor unions are prominent and respected. Undercover agents are not being sent in order to destroy the unions which are defend rights of workers. Corporations back in 1920 did not want to deal with the cost of fair pay and protecting their workers. Until OSHA was enacted, most companies sought to find the cheapest form of labor.Also, the event of a shootout due to workers wanting their jobs to be secure is unexplainable. Money and power corrupts the minds of humans and fallouts such as the one which occurred in West Virginia between coal field workers and the Stone Mountain Coal Company. As stated in lecture nine, America is a materialistic countr y. Most of the citizens overlook the value in everyday things others whitethorn long for their entire stick ups but attain it. The advancement of technology, and the accessibility of nearly any luxuries, has caused degeneration in the virtues of Americans minds.Overlooking the necessities to sustain a basic life, the people of the nation look towards the excess. One can easily live without the newest tablet device, yet they shall still buy it. The worst part of that is how that same person with the tablet may also be getting their ends meet by using food stamps. Americans have embedded their mindsets in the goal of obtaining materialistic items to keep themselves content, all the while forgetting the values humans have been contempt with for centuries.