By David A. Sargent,Special to the Sun Journal

LEWISTON – The positive side of mega-marketer Wal-Mart got another airing Thursday night at Bates College.

A free and public screening of “Why Wal-Mart Works – and Why That Makes Some People C-R-A-Z-Y” sponsored by the Bates College Republicans drew a small audience of mostly students.

It was a repeat showing of the documentary, which presents an insider’s look at the world’s largest company. It offers information supporting the position that Wal-Mart’s quest for better pricing and the creation of new efficiencies in distribution have led to an overall stronger marketplace.

Geoff Abbott, Bates Class of ’08 and treasurer of the Bates’ Republicans, said 40 or 50 people turned out for the first showing. But, because that was during exam week in December, he said he hoped this second showing would allow more people to see it. Only about a dozen students attended Thursday night.

The film by documentary producers Ron and Robert Galloway has been shown nationwide and the makers have appeared on many television news and talk shows.

Abbott said this film counters “anti-Wal-Mart rhetoric” in another film shown on the Bates campus recently. He said there’s campus debate about the pros and cons of Wal-Mart, but he has had little feedback from the community at large. He said screenings of the two films with opposing viewpoints “was more motivated by students on campus.”

“My point is that people who are vehemently against Wal-Mart neglect to realize the economic reality of the situation,” Abbott said before Thursday’s screening.

He said the other film, “Wal-Mart – The High Cost of Low Price,” was presented by an on-campus organization called The New World Coalition.

“A common argument I hear is that what Wal-Mart has done to the Lewiston-Auburn area is the same thing it has done to other towns in America,” Abbott said. He said he believes that every time Wal-Mart displaces a business or jobs, it winds up employing more than it affected negatively.

Thursday’s pro-Wal-Mart film presented low-key arguments and interviews with Wal-Mart employees. It covered issues such as health care, globalization and community involvement.

One economist in it said people who complain that the retail giant pays as little as it can in wages should consider whether they have, themselves, bought something on sale when they might have been willing to pay more.

“Is that an act of immorality?” he asked.

A lengthy segment of the documentary also shows how Wal-Mart executives and employees helped Waveland, Miss., citizens after their store was demolished by Hurricane Katrina.

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