I have just started on this page, but will post updates over coming months. Updating my Facebook Dilemma thoughts today was a key driver to start this page.
There are many cases where fortunes come to hang on either:
- persuading the general population that a product/service is “for the good of all”
- persuade that claims of product problems or negative outcomes are false
Fortunes have been made while persuasion was successful. Are all huge sources of wealth always against what is right? No, but there certainly have sufficient examples where huge wealth has been generated by activities counter to best interests of the people that serve as a warning we should not just assuming those with ‘might’ are ‘right’.
Clearly it can turn out that activities that create great wealth have been hiding facts. How can we be sure even today there are not huge money making industries covering up their dark sides?
Are we now immune to being persuaded by wealth enterprises?
Examples products pushed as ‘for the good of all’ and the tactics:
- Tobacco:
- Fund ‘science’ supporting positive health outcomes and disputing negative health outcomes.
- Advertise and promote sport to create an association with health activities
- Gambling:
- Advertise and promote sport to create an association with health activities
- Alcohol:
- Advertise and promote sport to create an association with health activities
- Sugar Based Drinks:
- Coca-Cola originally contained cocaine, but moved to the combination of high sugar and caffeine
- Fund ‘science’ supporting positive health outcomes and disputing negative health outcomes.
- Oil, Coal & Gas
- Fund ‘science’ supporting positive health outcomes and disputing negative health outcomes.
- Global Companies Promoting Population Growth
- Fund campaigns arguing “the earth is not overpopulated”
- Fund anti-extinction crisis ‘research’
- Fund counter campaigns against environmental conservation
