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Belching Out the Devil: Global Adventures with Coca-Cola
by
Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas - a legendarily seditious comedian and human rights activist - is a recovering Coca-Cola addict, a self-described "middle-aged fat dad with asthma" who decides to trek around the globe investigating the stories and people Coca-Cola's iconic advertising campaigns don't mention: child laborers in sugar cane fields of El Salvador; Indian workers exposed
...morePaperback, 384 pages
Published
June 2nd 2009
by Nation Books
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What a gem to find this in Whitehaven library. I read Thomas' other book a few years ago whilst on holiday in Poland and remember laughing out loud on a train and garnering sharp looks from the other commuters.
I saw Mark's 'Killer Coke' gig which was mainly about the Columbian killings of Trade Unionists and was afraid there would not be a huge amount of new material in the book. I was wrong,
This is a broad investigation into Coke's power as a multinational. The humour wo...more
I saw Mark's 'Killer Coke' gig which was mainly about the Columbian killings of Trade Unionists and was afraid there would not be a huge amount of new material in the book. I was wrong,
This is a broad investigation into Coke's power as a multinational. The humour wo...more
I've been putting off reading this book since it was released. I've long admitted that it's Coca-Cola's branding which makes us want to drink it - the taste is certainly nothing to write home about. What they do so spectacularly well is to get a hook into people's emotions: buying a coke often is all about half-forgotten memories of childhood rather than anything else.
Reading this book has confirmed my worries about them as an operation. Anyone who spends so many dollars on branding...more
Reading this book has confirmed my worries about them as an operation. Anyone who spends so many dollars on branding...more
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While I was reading this book I took a few moments to try and remember the last time I drank a cola of any kind, much less Coca-Cola itself. I really couldn't remember when it was, so I'm guessing that it was probably in excess of 5 years ago.
So in some ways this book wasn't aimed at someone like me. Its target audience is more the current coke drinkers. And if I had read it when I'd been a coke drinker (I was only ever an occassional customer) then this would have seen me stopping ...more
So in some ways this book wasn't aimed at someone like me. Its target audience is more the current coke drinkers. And if I had read it when I'd been a coke drinker (I was only ever an occassional customer) then this would have seen me stopping ...more
As we all move towards globalism I thought it would behoove me to read about how companies are moving within this realm. Coke is a huge brand and when I saw this book it caught my eye.
The author explains the structure of Coke, how it works internally and with it's suppliers and distributors. The company has published corporate policies and the author set about to explore whether these were being held to throughout the chain. He travels to Central America, India, and exotic Delaware t...more
The author explains the structure of Coke, how it works internally and with it's suppliers and distributors. The company has published corporate policies and the author set about to explore whether these were being held to throughout the chain. He travels to Central America, India, and exotic Delaware t...more
Written with Mark Thomas' trademark sarcasm and crusading zeal, this is an account of his lengthy investigation into working practices at Coca-Cola worldwide, and it's not a pretty tale. Water stealing, suppression of trade unions, human rights abuses and even turning a blind eye to murders - if this doesn't shock you then i don't know what will.
I enjoyed this book but then I suspected I would...like a great many i have concerns over the hijacking of international cultures under the banner of globilisation so it was interesting to get a view point of what lies behind a brand.
In the case of Coca Cola Mark Thomas unearths Union breaking,intimidation,depleting resources,toxicity in places such as Mexico,India,Columbia ,el Salvador and Ireland.
To be fair many of the practices don't lie at Coca Cola's feet alone most multi nation...more
In the case of Coca Cola Mark Thomas unearths Union breaking,intimidation,depleting resources,toxicity in places such as Mexico,India,Columbia ,el Salvador and Ireland.
To be fair many of the practices don't lie at Coca Cola's feet alone most multi nation...more
Summary: Mark Thomas has a vendetta. A vendetta against Coca Cola. He travels the world finding out about their horrible labor practices and the uselessness of their product: though, he concedes their great marketing and their clear duping of the world public.
Review: I got, about, 3 chapters into this book until I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I cannot speak dispassionately about how much I hated this book anymore than Mark Thomas can speak dispassionately about how much ...more
Review: I got, about, 3 chapters into this book until I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I cannot speak dispassionately about how much I hated this book anymore than Mark Thomas can speak dispassionately about how much ...more
A much more serious book than previously from Mark Thomas. Whilst containing some laugh out loud one liners, gone are the social disobedience set pieces for which Mark is infamous. As such he is entering the same playing field as the more renowned and established anti-globalisation journalism giants of Klein and Pilger. In this context 'Belching Out the Devil' does not have the solid research base and grand scope of other authors in this field. However it effectively balances Mark's humorously s...more
I am not anti-capitalist and I try not to be prejudiced about big corporations but this book from Mark Thomas obviously weights in the balance... and not in favour of the giant Coca-Cola Company! A very good field research with a lot of hard facts. I don't drink Coke as a personal taste but after reading this book I would definitely quit if I did. The writing is very informal and easy to understand. I did not stop laughing for a minute; Thomas' humour and irony make it a pleasant journey into th...more
Mark Thomas is a British comedian who also does journalism, investigating abuses by corporations and the impacts of global capitalism on the world's poor and working classes. This book focuses on the Coca Cola Corporation, about which Thomas has spent years investigating and reporting.
There is good reporting and research here. We learn how Coca Cola benefits from child labor in its supply line while keeping itself at just enough of a legal distance. We learn of horrific union bust...more
There is good reporting and research here. We learn how Coca Cola benefits from child labor in its supply line while keeping itself at just enough of a legal distance. We learn of horrific union bust...more
Interestingly, though billed as comedy and written by a comedian, this book is not at all funny. The writing is kind of awful and the punctuation follows no rules I can discern. Still, it is painful and informative and angering and worth reading. But definitely not funny.
If you drink Coke (or any of their products) you may want to know that the U.S. company has been responsible for union-busting all over the world, throwing otherwise fine employees into poverty and fear for their...more
If you drink Coke (or any of their products) you may want to know that the U.S. company has been responsible for union-busting all over the world, throwing otherwise fine employees into poverty and fear for their...more
An interesting and entertaining read. Although it's not as easy to get worked up about the evils of a corporation like Coca-Cola as it is about the arms trade there are some very disturbing and thought provoking facts here.
Some points are a little over laboured, and the book would definitely have benefited from a little more proof reading (think there are more typos than in any book I have ever read) but it is a worthwhile read.
Some points are a little over laboured, and the book would definitely have benefited from a little more proof reading (think there are more typos than in any book I have ever read) but it is a worthwhile read.
Waffles on at points about the same thing time and time again but still quite fascinating. I'd like to say I boycotted Coke and Coke products after reading this but alas I have not. Then again if I boycotted every company that is grosely unethical I'd be living under the underpass with one or two new hobo friends.
Intelligent, witty, funny, disrespectful - but with a genuine feeling of warmth and respect for those that TCCC has wronged over teh years.
Is this picking on an easy target? Yes, but TCCC should work on making themselves less of an easy target rather than complaining.
Is this picking on an easy target? Yes, but TCCC should work on making themselves less of an easy target rather than complaining.
Weird formatting in the book - lots of paragraphs for no apparent reason. Made reading it a bit weird...but formatting aside, I really wanted to like this...and I did, in parts. Maybe my expections were too high - Mark is known for his 'agitating' and yet this was more of a straight forward report of what Coke do rather than how Mark took them on...too much to expect from one person? Probably, but there you go...
Yet another reason not to drink coke!
Read this while on holiday in France, came back and tried to convince my right wing friend not to drink coke because it is evil. Surprise! It didn't work. Will not be buying Coke in future.
Read this while on holiday in France, came back and tried to convince my right wing friend not to drink coke because it is evil. Surprise! It didn't work. Will not be buying Coke in future.
A nice read written by a comic. Some of the humor was a little too British for me, but the story was interesting. Made a good case for why you should not drink Coke.
A witty and well laid out read, If you have it in for big business, then I highly recomend it. Good ol Coke, denial is a wonderful thing.
The information is great. The book could've used a little more editing and a little less of Mark Thomas's humor.
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Fascinating read, I will certainly think twice before ever drinking another Coca Cola product! I know Thomas is only telling one side of the story, but even if half of what he says is accurate it's an absolute disgrace.
infuriating hillarious and edifying
I became a fan of Mark Thomas when in the mid-nineties I watched the Comedy Product on Channel four. It's interesting to see that he has lost none of his motivation and thankfully, none of his humour either. After reading this book, I can say that I will never drink Coca-Cola again. I was shocked at their union-busting tactics and the lengths that they will go to in order to achieve total marketplace dominance. Just like Coke itself, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and corrupts your err mora...more
What I learned from this book:
Coca Cola are even more evil than I knew.
I love Mark Thomas.
I'm a massive pedant/grammar geek, and desperately wanted to offer to proof read the lovely Mr Thomas' next book!
Coca Cola are even more evil than I knew.
I love Mark Thomas.
I'm a massive pedant/grammar geek, and desperately wanted to offer to proof read the lovely Mr Thomas' next book!
Why do big companies have to be so evil?
Jcheld
marked it as to-read
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