Video Game Industry Wants to Avoid Bakugan Tire Dispute
When American Tire Depot was sued by the federal government for exposing thousands of child safety latch issues, they used their media defense tool: the news. But the tire company’s media wasn’t working at the time, so now it is trying to claim that this is a political move by Democrats in Congress to raise gas prices. Even if that’s true, this is yet another lawsuit that can be easily beaten. This one is different.
What is happening here?
The US Senate is voting to confirm Merck CEO Kenneth Lewis to head up the Merck Consumer Healthcare division. A Merck official told shareholders that the consumer division was being handed off to Lewis to increase profitability. Since the FDA had not fined Merck anything related to its shoddy work, why would this be an issue?
The reason is because the FDA did not find Merck’s lax manufacturing practices in the defective tires in question. Instead, the agency found the outlet, American Tires, did not provide workers with proper footwear. Who in the name of maintaining decent working conditions would have allowed workers to be improperly protected? The answer is obvious. No employer is perfect.
Did the Obama administration approve this?
It appears so. At least one Democrat on the House Commerce Committee voted for the cloture motion to pass the resolution. That means even members of Congress who voted against this resolution are now saying that they voted in favor of it.
The company has now lost two major lawsuits. One suit was thrown out because the workers were not properly protected. The complaint stated that the workers were subjected to hazardous materials and dangerous working conditions. In the second lawsuit, the judge ruled that the outlet discriminated against Hispanic employees. The judge called this conduct “disparate treatment” and awarded damages.
Does the American tire depot have a counter lawsuit?
It appears so. It was recently revealed that the company’s president, Mikelrach, received a settlement after being asked to resign due to the Bakugan Battle at an Australian tournament. Apparently, Bakugan Battle is a disgusting video game. If it is acceptable to expose young kids to this imagery, then it is clearly unacceptable to expose them to tire wheels.
Does this affect American jobs? I doubt it. The lawsuit exposed the insensitive behavior of a few employees. The large majority of the workforce is very pleased that no one was hurt during the course of the incident.
Will American tire stores sue the Bakugan Battle?
Probably not. As the video game industry grows, more games will feature this type of violence. It appears that the lawsuit is likely to stay dead in court.
What about other video game manufacturers? Some may be forced to create a version of their popular game without the bakugan violence. They may decide to do this out of political correctness, but it will likely come at a price. Nintendo for instance, currently has no plans to bring out a game that features bakugan fighting.
Will American tire stores close because of this?
I believe so. With the financial crisis that the nation is facing right now, it is difficult to find ways to lose money. Even if they are temporarily profitable, they will be forced to cut back on their inventory which will result in more people shopping at the local mall.
This may also affect the national economy. A sick tire depot may even affect the price of tires for consumers all across the country. With unemployment on the rise, this could have a significant impact on consumer spending power. This may also cause American tire stores to become unprofitable, which will surely lead to the video game giant losing millions.
If you want to donate to the plaintiff’s fund, you may want to consider donating to an environmental charity first. This is because the tire fire is burning out fast and there is no immediate threat of smoke damage to the environment. However, if a lawsuit against American tire was brought against them, it may still lead to serious consequences for the company. The local economy could be severely damaged if the owner of the American tire Depot, Inc. is found guilty of discrimination.