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Capitalism 2.0
I am glad that people like Bono and Bill Gates are endorsing the practice of spreading corporate profits among the world's disadvantaged and helping convince the business élite that it is in their interest to care about the world's less fortunate [Aug. 11]. Both individuals have used their influence to do great things and trigger lasting change. But let's not forget that our elected representatives must be the ones held primarily responsible for protecting the poor. The mandate of a corporation can never be as binding as that of the state. Since the government must set a minimum wage for justice's sake, perhaps it can set maximums for corporate profits or individual salaries and offer incentives for the rich to give back.
Ralph Scheidler,
Fort Fairfield, Maine, U.S.

Gates' article made me want to stand up and cheer. As he phrased it, "There are two great forces of human nature: self-interest and caring for others." By using his own wealth and influence to respond to world poverty in a meaningful way, Gates exemplifies the latter force. His initiatives (sharing technology, providing small- business loans, eradicating preventable diseases) make measurable differences. Thank you for providing a forum for him to share his ideas.
Rebecca E. Hight,
Penney Farms, Fla., U.S.

While Bill Gates does a fine job outlining his creative capitalism initiative, his exclusive focus on developing nations at the expense of his own is a tremendous oversight. Corporations in developed countries certainly should feel socially responsible for those in developing ones. But if they ever want to be taken seriously as agents of social change and as stakeholders in local communities, they need to consider their own domestic markets as well. Gates is fooling himself when he brushes over the U.S.'s economic woes so lightly, especially when creative capitalism could potentially solve some problems like our own oft-neglected poverty and inner-city urban blight. Only when America proves that capitalism can cure social ills within its own borders should it start looking to prove so abroad.
Regina Tavani,
Nashua, N.H., U.S.

Hollywood's Ticking Time Bomb
I agree with James Poniewozik's assessment that Hollywood has yet to demonize China in the same way the news media have [Aug. 11]. However, one need only look at the parallels between negative news coverage and negative pop-culture depictions of Arabs and the Middle East during the past decade, or similar coverage of the Japanese during World War II, to see how closely one influences the other and how both influence the minds of the American people in different ways. The current political climate suggests that China is next. It may be only a matter of time before the "delightful pandas" take on a more ominous form.
Leila Cruz,
Wheaton, Md., U.S.