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Changing Lanes, Changing Values
by Rob Waring
The film Changing Lanes
deals with a frequent source of ethical tension in the cinema
by revisiting the question: Can salvation be attained by good
works? This age old quandary provided much fuel for the Protestant
Reformation centuries ago, and remains a box office draw today.
 In
the film, Ben Affleck plays Gavin Banek, a young lawyer who is
just about to leave his idealism behind as he motors down the
expressway of corporate law. He works at big law firm headed
by his father in law Stephen Delano, played by Sydney Pollack,
last seen in Eyes Wide Shut, in another of his evil insider
roles. An accident brings out the worst in Banek's character
, as he stops at nothing to win a case that he does not believe
in. His firm's attempt to cover his mistakes forces him to confront
the firm's illegal and unethical tactics, which include forgery
and filing false documents.
In a memorable speech to Banek,
his father in law berates him, urging him to drop his idealistic
pretense and play the game as unethically as everyone else. Delano
reminds him that nearly every philanthropic attempt to do good
is paid for by companies or individuals who have exploited the
weak. Control of a charitable foundation is at stake, and Delano
ticks off a list of environmental and labor crimes that funded
it. If Banek will just play along, like Delano, he'll have power,
money and the pretense of respectability. He can even do probono
work to erase the stain of the law firm's fraud. If he does not
cooperate and instead reports the fraud he has discovered, it
could bring down their entire firm and his marriage to Delano's
daughter.
The plot thus presents the
generally accepted method of attaining respectability (the modern
version of salvation). In short, do good works to balance your
immoral conduct, but above all, don't get caught in your bad
deeds. Too much publicity about evil conduct can erase the protection
brought by good works.
Recently, The New York Times
published a special report, in conjunction with the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation and PBS's Frontline, on McWane
Inc., an Alabama based manufacturer of cast iron pipe. If the
New York Times is to be believe, McWane has one of the worst
environmental and worker safety records of any U.S. Corporation.
The company appears to follow Delano's credo, and puts extraordinary
effort into not getting caught B staying one step ahead of the
law. In addition, the family owned business has given millions
to Alabama charities. As a result, many Alabamians have a favorable
view of McWane for its generosity, and know nothing of its reckless
indifference to human life. It will be interesting to see if
the report has any effect on McWane's fortunes.
Perhaps there ought to be an
absolute level of evil that can never be outweighed by good deeds.
Banek does eventually draw such a line, but where society should
draw the line is a source of much dispute. As a nation we ought
to say that genocide is never acceptable, but in some situations
we do tolerate its practice by some of our allies, particularly
if they are not caught in the act. (U.S. opposition to the International
Criminal Court was supposed to be about fears it would be used
against Americans, but perhaps the fear is more that it might
impair our alliances with unsavory dictators.) We ought to say
that reckless indifference to human life is never permitted,
but we do tolerate this behavior by wealthy corporations, in
part because they buy acceptance with campaign contributions
and philanthropy.
Critics claim that the company invests great effort in staying
one step ahead of regulators and prosecutors, because getting
caught might tip the equation that allows it a certain respectability.
Both McWane and Changing Lanes illustrate the lengths
to which some evil doers will go to keep their criminal behavior
out of the public eye. In the movies, where justice usually prevails,
the evil law firm cowers before a potential whistle-blower. In
real life, where money and power determine justice, McWane just
keeps on making pipe.
Posted February 24, 2003
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