Effects of 'corporate invasion' becoming obvious on college campuses

Alas, the corporate invasion has descended once more on our Mall and we gleefully welcome the games and free samples. Once upon a time university campuses were the fertile ground on which social criticism bloomed, where different worlds were proposed, where injustices where decried, but that is over now. Those activities are now left to small, late night, altered state, philosophizing sessions, never to take feet and voice in the public arena. The homogenizing effects of corporatization have deeply taken root and in the name of product recognition, convenience, and a few saved pennies we've practically thrown away our individuality both as people and cities.

An endangered environment and its animals are still the only battle cries to which I've seen evidence of an organized response. These are worthy causes but there is so much more endangered: We are loosing our local businesses to the likes of Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Barnes and Noble and now Starbucks! Already, you can travel America and feel like you've never left home. And we resoundingly say, "so what?'' The effect is less diversity of ideas and of exposure to them (if they exist), less ownership and all the power that carries, more employees in a dependent status, and the deep entrenchment of a stratified society. The rich get richer - and with the ongoing corporate downsizing and factory flight to developing countries, the poor get poorer and the middle class is a bunch of zombies. In effect what is truly endangered is the American dream and with that our effective freedom and most valuable of all - our minds.

What are the alternatives? Are there alternatives? Is anyone talking and/or thinking about alternatives? Certainly not on the U of A mall where if you listen closely you'll hear the students chanting, "Soma, Soma, Soma ... " while they sell their souls to the corporations without even realizing it.