The following review is by Joe Toscano in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review No 387, 14 Feb - 20 Feb, 2000, Melbourne.

CANNIBALS WITH FORKS
The triple Bottom Line of 21st Century business - by John ELKINGTON, ISBN 0-86571-392-8 Published by New Society Publishers 1998.

CAN YOU OR CAN'T YOU? is the kernel of Elkington's book. Can you or can't you civilise the cannibal or will he always be a cannibal. Can corporate capitalism become sustainable capitalism? Not just environmentally but economically and socially. In his four hundred page contribution to this debate Elkington believes that circumstances and consumer pressure will force corporate cannibals to use forks in the 21st Century.

Unfortunately I don't share his optimism for 21st Century capitalism. The first few weeks of this century were marked by a series of corporate mega mergers that make a mockery of the arguments that John Elkington promotes in his book. The author seems to assume that capitalism is the only economic system that can bring human beings peace and prosperity. He argues that we should attempt to force the corporate world to take on a human face.

In New Age news speak he's arguing for a WIN, WIN situation. Corporate capitalism wins and the consumer wins - and pigs might fly!!

Would I recommend people read this book? Definitely yes!! Not because I agree with it's underlying theory that it's better to live among cannibals with forks than cannibals without forks, but because I believe it's essential that anarchists are familiar with the paths that the capitalist world will explore as it twists and changes to survive in a world where sustainability will become a much more important issue. If we don't understand the caring (oxy moron) corporate jargon, we run the very real risk of losing the battle for hearts and minds in the 21st century.

CANNIBALISM WITH FORKS is available from Anarres Books. Order your book via email: mailorder@anarres.org.au or snail mail: PO Box 150 EAST BRUNSWICK 3157 Melbourne Australia.

Go on, they won't bite, look at their current catalogue on the net: www.anarres.org.au

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