Are Corporations Outwitting Us? (Business As Usual) (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

BP has had a series of t.v. ads of late telling us how responsible they are and how they're breaking their necks to make things better, while never ever actually accepting responsibility for the massive Gulf oil leak. Of course, this company is banking on the short memories of most Americans with this propaganda, and will probably come out smelling like a rose, not unlike a certain former president seems to be.

Wal*Mart also has a whole series of t.v. ads depicting their employees as being happier than pigs in s**t, bragging about being a part of a wonderful company that watches out for them and offers endless opportunities for upward mobility. I never see this in reality. The employees in these stores have always looked they way I think I would look (and feel) working for this oppressive corporation: tired, overworked, underpaid, unable to become part of a union, and just trying to squeak by. I have run into only a couple of them who have the sort of exuberance that the advertisement "workers" have, and I imagine that wears off rapidly. It does seem, however, according to a recent news blip, that the company will be offering health insurance, after....how many years? Obviously their arms were twisted to the point where it would become a P.R. embarrassment for them if they didn't bend. Why else would they do it? Just to be nice guys?

I really hope people are seeing through this, but I haven't much faith they will, seeing as how so many of us believe what these companies tell us. If it's on t.v., it must be true...

 

[Steve_Pannell]

I think you answered your own question in the topic title.

 

[TravisR]

This thread is going to get closed but most people are morons and that's how corporations will always get away with virtually anything that they do. Much like today's crop of movies, I blame the public for not rising up and demanding something better but until people can get a brain and think beyond what immediately effects them, nothing is going to change.

 

[FoxyMulder]

It's not that people are morons. it's that people are too trusting, they think wrongly that big business has their best interests at heart, of course big business is only interested in more profit and their shareholders, i think there is no excuse these days for people to not do proper research on anything, the internet has a valuable wealth of information, it's just a matter of finding the real info and not the poorly written stuff.

To answer the question, are corporations outwitting us, yes they are.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

It's just advertising. FWIW, people, morons and otherwise, have too much to deal with in their own daily lives to worry all that much about the details of Walmart's business practices. (Cf. the difference in clicks between Miley & Robin and ongoing revolutions & civil wars in the Middle East).

As for health insurance, the ACA (AKA Obamacare) essentially forces all large companies to offer health care. (One of many ACA band-aids that doesn't address the root problem, but that's for another forum. )

Dick, you should watch the BP episode of South Park again. "We're sorry!"

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is going in areas of discussion that are not appropriate at HTF.