Student activism influenced PepsiCo's Burma pull-out

In the wake of PepsiCo Inc.'s announcement to sever all ties with their Burmese business partner, some have questioned the role of student activism in their decision.

Let's humor Shullo momentarily and assume that PepsiCo broke its ties for reasons other than student activism.

In such a scenario, would all of the campaigning carried out by Students for a Democratic Burma in the past two years have been for naught? If viewed in a narrow manner, perhaps, but certainly not when one considers the larger picture.

Here are some areas, PepsiCo pull-out or no, in which our activism, plus that of the nation-wide Free Burma movement, has made a substantial impact.

Expression of solidarity: When people are facing repression at the hands of their own government, it is extremely important for them to know that people around the world are concerned. This can be a source of strength for them in their struggle for justice, even against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's leading voice for human rights and democracy, has stated, "I would like to thank all of you . . . who have done so much for the Free Burma campaign. Your action could well release an international truth force that will join the current of our struggle for democracy in Burma."

Increased awareness of corporate behavior: One cannot be concerned about the well-being of other humans or the environment without considering the actions of multinational corporations. In this case PepsiCo was supporting a dictatorship known for killing and torturing its own people.

Many oil companies, such as Texaco, UNOCAL and Arco are still doing so in Burma. This support for tyranny can be seen in Nigeria, where Shell Oil has been operating in conjunction with the regime which is responsible for the hanging of activist and poet Ken Saro-Wiwa, among other atrocities.

In other cases workers are being underpaid and grossly mistreated (Nike in Indonesia, Disney in Haiti), pollution is negatively affecting people's health (Texaco in Ecuador), or rainforest is being demolished at a frightening rate (Mitsubishi all over the world).

These examples are part of what could be volumes of crimes committed by powerful corporations.

Increased human rights discourse: Three years ago most people didn't know where Burma was.

Now, after years of demonstrations, letters in the Collegian, fasting and other actions, Penn State students have become more aware of not only this particular situation but of others in which people are being persecuted or brutally treated by their governments.

Positive impact on United States policy: Burma isn't simply a hot issue on college campuses, but also within the halls of Congress and the White House.

This is due, at least in part, to an outpouring of constituent concern. To date, Clinton has yet to accede to our demands and place economic sanctions on Burma, but at the very least he's feeling strong pressure to do so.

Back to the original proposition that student action did not influence Pepsi's decision to leave Burma. With any knowledge of the campaign it becomes clear that this argument is simply preposterous.

In the past several years PepsiCo has lost literally millions of dollars worth of contracts with such schools as Harvard and Stanford.

Additionally, they risked larger long-term losses due to a poor image with part of their most prized market: students and youth.

Simply put, the boycott was starting to impact PepsiCo's bottom line, and who knows how bad it would have become for their profits if they had remained in Burma?

Ultimately, I have found the Burma campaign to be very empowering for both myself and other students interested in having a positive effect in the world.

PepsiCo's withdrawal from Burma proves that concerted, sustained action can eventually have such an impact. We are able to play a role in shaping the future for people all over the world with whom we interact every day, directly or indirectly.

We can no longer afford to think of ourselves as isolated from other humans simply because they seem distant or out of sight.

Indeed, our fates are inextricably linked with people who literally live on the other side of the planet.

We must work to secure respect for their human dignity and rights as a means of ensuring our own.