# Has a corporation ever killed someone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 29, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270 "2013-03-29T16:24:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/1 "2013-03-29T16:24:48Z")
[Column here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3099/has-a-big-corporation-ever-conspired-to-kill-someone). I think Cecil was remiss in not mentioning the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands). The term “banana republic” is directly attributable to their efforts (mostly successful) to affect Central American governments - notably Guatemala. [The CIA backed a takeover of Guatemala from Honduras](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_PBSUCCESS) based on false propaganda provided by United Fruit. They also were directly involved in the Banana Massacre in Colombia. The book _**[Banana - Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World](http://books.google.com/books?id=cSoVd-o8PmoC&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=banana+magnates&source=bl&ots=t9iktWW2Aj&sig=gzSA8HmzUhbJdkcvO1P8g0U8hos&hl=en&sa=X&ei=t7xVUfSgBseVyQGk2YCQCQ&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false)**_ is largely an account of the United Fruit Company to work with the US and Central American militaries to get what they wanted. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/2 "2013-03-29T16:42:47Z")
Bhopal India. Look it up. Have you been living in a cave perhaps? A dessert island? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/3 "2013-03-29T17:24:02Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Bhopal India. Look it up. > > Have you been living in a cave perhaps? A dessert island? > [@Cecil's Column:](#): > > Q: Have corporations ever killed people? > A: Sure, happens all the time. That’s why we have wrongful-death lawsuits. The question was about whether there were deliberate assassination attempts, as in Hollywood movies. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/4 "2013-03-29T17:39:53Z")
A dessert island sounds fun, though - at least for a while. Fondant doesn’t really taste all that good, though, and I bet there’d be a lot of fondant. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/5 "2013-03-29T18:27:48Z")
A lot will depend upon your definition of a corporation, but I should imagine an Iron and Fuel company counts; check out the **[Ludlow Massacre.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre)** Plus in that, Mr. Tikas, the unionist was escorted away as live as you or me, and his body later found dead; which many people would define as assassination. But using automatic weapons and random shooting against women and children is something more than accidental manslaughter. **[Anti-Union Violence.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-union_violence)** ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/6 "2013-03-29T19:16:47Z")
The Cuyamel Fruit Company engineered the first banana revolution in Honduras in 1910. Though much smaller, it was the biggest competitor to United Fruit and employed the same tactics. It ran Honduras and United Fruit ran Guatemala, and even had a kind of border war. Interestingly, the president of Cuyamel eventually took over United Fruit and ran it for 20 years, retiring just after the 1954 coup. A history of corporate violence against unions would run to about a million pages. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/7 "2013-03-29T22:14:41Z")
> [@bup](#): > > A dessert island sounds fun, though - at least for a while. Fondant doesn’t really taste all that good, though, and I bet there’d be a lot of fondant. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA\_CP\_a66kc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_CP_a66kc) ---
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/8 "2013-03-29T22:36:21Z")
Wasn’t ITT involved in murderous doings back in the '60s or '70s? I’m sure I’ve seen mention of this before, and Wikipedia (at least) says the company was involved in the coups in Brazil back in the '60s and Chile in 1973. (The Chile coup certainly led to murders/assassinations, not the least of which involved Chilean President Salvador Allende.) I’m surprised Cecil did not address any of that in his column, since it seems to speak directly to the question at hand. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/9 "2013-03-29T22:54:31Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > A history of corporate violence against unions would run to about a million pages. That’s true, but I think corporations (such as United Fruit Company and Cuyamel) effecting _regime changes_ are another animal, and were more worthy of Cecil’s mention, even if still not quite what the question was asking. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/10 "2013-03-29T23:02:19Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA\_CP\_a66kc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_CP_a66kc) Sand full of sugar? Exactly what I thought of on reading dessert island. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/11 "2013-03-30T01:03:48Z")
Corporations don’t kill people. People kill people. Though since the Citizens United decision the lines have been blurred. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/12 "2013-03-30T01:36:27Z")
This is probably wrongful death but the 1983 case of Film Recovery Systems Inc. merits attention. The boss had a number of vats he wanted to handle without any OSHA regulatory nonsense. So he hired a bunch of illegal aliens and told them to deal with it. The vats contained cyanide. > [@](#): > > Stefan Golab, a 61-year-old Polish immigrant who spoke little English, became ill while working near one of 120 tanks that was filled with cyanide and water. > > After staggering into the lunchroom at Film Recovery Systems Inc. of Elk Grove Village, he began shaking violently. Foam spewed from his mouth and he lapsed into unconsciousness. He died before reaching the hospital. I trust the executives of the company worried about thousand dollar fines, maybe even a big lawsuit. Prosecutors looked at the case and decided to up the ante: “Bookem Danno: Murder One.” [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-06-16/news/8502080130\_1\_murder-case-corporate-responsibility-three-murder-convictions](http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-06-16/news/8502080130_1_murder-case-corporate-responsibility-three-murder-convictions) Steven J. O`Neil, l, the former president of the firm, Charles Kirschbaum, the plant manager; and Daniel Rodriguez, the plant foreman were all found guilty of murder. [http://www.inc.com/magazine/19851101/8925.html](http://www.inc.com/magazine/19851101/8925.html) ETA: Film Recovery Systems does not have its own wiki page. It should. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/13 "2013-04-01T07:53:41Z")
There were always accusation that the Rothschild family could have prevented wars, eg England vs France in the 1800’s and WW I . eg by agreeing to withdraw from Deutchland and Austria they may have discouraged those countries from war. They are known to be jewish. its probable that the did disengage from the Axis countries during WW II , but by then they didnt present as a single ultra wealthy bank and family. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/14 "2013-04-01T14:19:19Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Corporations don’t kill people. People kill people. Though since the Citizens United decision the lines have been blurred. Historically, corporations kill people with guns. Asbestos takes too long for most CEOs. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/15 "2013-04-02T03:43:51Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > There were always accusation that the Rothschild family could have prevented wars, eg England vs France in the 1800’s and WW I . eg by agreeing to withdraw from Deutchland and Austria they may have discouraged those countries from war. > > They are known to be jewish. its probable that the did disengage from the Axis countries during WW II , but by then they didnt present as a single ultra wealthy bank and family. Oh boy! Recent join date, Jews, and the Rothschilds, all rolled into one! Please tell us more! 😉 I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions, **Isilder** , but that is usually a recipe for a full-blown Conspiracy Theory. If you were to reply with a well-reasoned and documented explanation supporting your statements, with no YouTube links or mention of the Illuminati, I would be interested, but frankly disappointed, since there’s not much I like better than a good CT. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![janeelissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/76d3ee/32.png) [@janeelissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeelissa)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/16 "2013-04-02T06:56:21Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Bhopal India. Look it up. > > Have you been living in a cave perhaps? A dessert island? While there is life there is hope. [Guild Wars 2 Gold](http://www.buycheapgw2.com/) [D3 Gold](http://www.okdiablo3.com/) [Buy RS Gold](http://www.rswalmart.com/) [Diablo 3 Gold](http://www.okdiablo3.com/) [Cheap GW2 Gold](http://www.gw2walmart.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/17 "2013-04-07T04:15:29Z")
Would the Homestead Strike count? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/18 "2013-04-07T04:24:43Z")
The “Honourable” East India Company killed lots of people. ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/19 "2013-04-07T19:08:11Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > There were always accusation that the Rothschild family could have prevented wars, eg England vs France in the 1800’s and WW I . eg by agreeing to withdraw from Deutchland and Austria they may have discouraged those countries from war. > > They are known to be jewish. its probable that the did disengage from the Axis countries during WW II , but by then they didnt present as a single ultra wealthy bank and family. I find your theories intriguing. Please do elaborate. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270/20 "2013-04-08T16:51:34Z")
Agree about the list of actual cases of anti-union violence. Frankly, it’s long enough that Hollywood probably has some catching up to do. Also, Bhopal stands out – both for the scale of suffering: [QUOTE=Wikipedia] Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259. The government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.[3] Others estimate 8,000 died within two weeks and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas-related diseases.[4][5] A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injuries [/QUOTE] TL;DR version: _2,300 to 16,000 deaths and 558,000 injuries._ …and for the culpability of the company. While Wikipedia for some reason seems uncertain whether a cyanide compound (probably hydrogen cyanide) was involved, the reports I’ve read were not in any doubt…after all, the tank contained Methyl Isocyanate. But when medical personnel at the scene called Union Carbide officials and asked if cyanide could be involved, as their early examinations indicated, the company stonewalled for fear of admitting to anything. This may have prevented many victims from receiving an antidote: [QUOTE=Wikipedia] The non-toxic antidote sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) in intravenous injections increases the rate of conversion from cyanide to non-toxic thiocyanate. [/QUOTE] Essentially the corporation withheld the antidote to protect stockholders from possible liability. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-corporation-ever-killed-someone/654270.md?page=2)