We, the people... must take responsibility

Money Speaks... But we are not always bound to listen

Universities, museums and all sorts of organisations often bow to philanthropic cheques, ignoring the red blots they sometimes come with. Thankfully, not all of them. This week the National Portrait Gallery in London turned down a £1,000,000 grant from the Sackler family. Sacklers is synonymous with philanthropy. They have donated millions of dollars to noble causes. The problem is that they are also identified with one of the worst pharmaceutical scandals in US history. The Sacklers own Purdue Pharma, which produces OxyContin. This painkiller is a key player in the opioid crisis in the  US. It resulted in many deaths and addictions owing to it deliberate mislabelling and aggressive marketing, which included bribing doctors with complementary trips to international conferences. 

The National Portrait Gallery is a gem of a museum. It is somewhere where the visitor can enjoy art while learning about history at the same time. Now, it can add another feather in its cap. It is the first major art institution to turn down a grant from the Sackler family. Only bold actions such as these can take away that aura of respectability from names such as these. A respectability that makes it easier for brands to continue in their unethical methods of making money. Nestlé and Monsanto are such names. Last Friday, Monsanto was ordered to pay $289 million in damages relating to its carcinogenic weedkiller Roundup. They had kept their research hidden for trade secret reasons. I will discuss Monsanto tomorrow, because their unsavoury practices spread much wider.

Scanning beneath the tip of the iceberg

The obvious link between all these companies, like all criminal activity, I guess, is that we only find out about the dangers after they are caught. And even then, only after there is irrefutable proof. How many more companies are screwing us up and destroying the planet in the process? That is what sound government is for: the identify the risks and protect people and environments. But how many of them really care? Trump is a prime example: selling arms to Saudi Arabia, denying climate change and undermining all sorts of regulations and safeguards. 

It is up to us to act. Research, whistle-blowing, activism, the ballot box are a good start, but there are plenty of other ways too. How we shop and where we go on holiday are less obvious  examples. The National Portrait Gallery just gave us another one.