All Natural
People with lots of nervous energy are really big on 'all-natural' things: food, clothing, hair products, etc, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what they are on about. What does natural even mean? Comes from the earth? In that case everything is natural, everything is made of atoms and has a chemical formula when you get down to it. I'm beginning to think that what 'all natural' really means is simply that the product has a sticker which says all natural. Heavy, I know.
Maybe all natural products are just another way to siphon extra money out of the pockets of gullible consumers. Maybe companies who market all natural products prey off the pure, but uninformed intentions of people who think that the world is full of scary bad things that exist in our food and our home products.
Fear does sell right? Conservatives buy up guns because they are afraid dark skinned people might try to rob them. Liberals would rather get robbed by said people than offend them, but are deathly afraid of evil chemicals in their food. Me? I'm afraid of specifics so I prefer to speak in generalities. We all have our vices. My point is this: shouldn't we be skeptical of companies who would sell us products based on non-specific fears of undetermined threats? Are GMO foods really going to hurt us, or are we now able to cheaply feed the world now that we have them. Is a semi-automatic assault rifle really the best protection against an intruder, or would a deadbolt on the door do the trick for a fraction of the financial and legal price. Think about it. Vague threats are a form of product in themselves and too many of us buy into them.
For me, when I see the 'all natural' label on a product I immediately wonder why the company is taking me for such a fool. For example Hansens Soda has the same ingredients as Coke, but Hansens carries an 'all natural' label and a higher price.
The FDA has actually been investigating the issue of vague 'all natural' labeling since 2004 and I'm not sure if they've reached any conclusions. Obviously the issue is subjective by nature, which has led to such gullibility in the minds of Americans, among whom the FDA surveyed that the all natural label is very persuasive. 64% of people polled reported they were more likely to buy products with the subjective label than products without, a reality testified to by the rise of companies like Trader Joes and the emergence of organic sections in nearly every grocery store.
Fear sells pretty damn well. So does sex. Now if Trader Joes could somehow simultaneously make me afraid the unnatural foods while somehow incorporating boobs into the equation they might have a new customer. Barring that, how about having their female workers start shaving their legs and armpits for a start.
Maybe all natural products are just another way to siphon extra money out of the pockets of gullible consumers. Maybe companies who market all natural products prey off the pure, but uninformed intentions of people who think that the world is full of scary bad things that exist in our food and our home products.
Fear does sell right? Conservatives buy up guns because they are afraid dark skinned people might try to rob them. Liberals would rather get robbed by said people than offend them, but are deathly afraid of evil chemicals in their food. Me? I'm afraid of specifics so I prefer to speak in generalities. We all have our vices. My point is this: shouldn't we be skeptical of companies who would sell us products based on non-specific fears of undetermined threats? Are GMO foods really going to hurt us, or are we now able to cheaply feed the world now that we have them. Is a semi-automatic assault rifle really the best protection against an intruder, or would a deadbolt on the door do the trick for a fraction of the financial and legal price. Think about it. Vague threats are a form of product in themselves and too many of us buy into them.
For me, when I see the 'all natural' label on a product I immediately wonder why the company is taking me for such a fool. For example Hansens Soda has the same ingredients as Coke, but Hansens carries an 'all natural' label and a higher price.
The FDA has actually been investigating the issue of vague 'all natural' labeling since 2004 and I'm not sure if they've reached any conclusions. Obviously the issue is subjective by nature, which has led to such gullibility in the minds of Americans, among whom the FDA surveyed that the all natural label is very persuasive. 64% of people polled reported they were more likely to buy products with the subjective label than products without, a reality testified to by the rise of companies like Trader Joes and the emergence of organic sections in nearly every grocery store.
Fear sells pretty damn well. So does sex. Now if Trader Joes could somehow simultaneously make me afraid the unnatural foods while somehow incorporating boobs into the equation they might have a new customer. Barring that, how about having their female workers start shaving their legs and armpits for a start.
Labels: an all natural rant
posted by doeman at
9:51 AM
1 Comments:
Come on Joel, the braless hippies don't do it for you? Maybe you need to lower your standards.
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