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  The Society for Consumer Advocates and Mavens

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CORPORATE GOOD CAUSE PRETENDERS

The "pretenders" are those businesses and industries that set out to portray themselves as doing good things in the public interest. Some may even create "bogus" citizen and consumer groups which may be "fronts" for major corporations or trade associations pretending to be operating in the public interest but instead may be intent on spreading potentially misleading information via the media using biased surveys and "slanted" public opinion polls.

These so-called "good-for-you" groups may primarily be interested in trying to influence and fight governmental regulation instead of promoting good health or dispensing valid, reliable scientific information. Very little can be done to protect consumers from these "pretenders".

These created "do-gooder" citizen and consumer groups who advertise, employ telemarketers and poll-takers, as well as mail solicitors who dispense and collect information, are too often never really scrutinized by the media or anyone else, and in many cases are not even required to identify sponsors of the citizen and consumer groups, advertisements and so on, or who funds the operations!

For example, when you see corporate conglomerate energy or oil company advertisements claiming "on the record" that they are environmentally responsible and dedicated to a clean environment, yet "off the record" they may stand accused of polluting the environment while lobbying legislators to vote against more regulations, even the Endangered Species Act, all because more government regulations may hinder industry growth and revenues.

The next time you see a "warm and fuzzy" nature advertisement conceivably twisting the truth and reality while saying and proving essentially nothing, ask the question. Are they really concerned global citizens or just pretending to be?

SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCE: ADBUSTERS MAGAZINE WINTER 1996

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