The right to informed consent is defined as “the agreement by a person to a proposed course of conduct after the lawyer has communicated adequate information and explanation about the material risks of and reasonably available alternatives to the proposed course of conduct.” In re Collmar, 417 B.R. 920, 923 (Bankr, N.D. Ind. 2009). And although is should apply to all interactions in which the individual is or can be subjected to abuse by entities and corporations that have power to harm them, it only applies to “medical procedures.” For everything else, we have to depend on watchdog organizations, government regulators and corporate disclosure.
Unfortunately, watchdog organizations are rarely heeded, and when they are, it is with suspicion because they are deemed “fringe elements.” Government regulators, at best are overwhelmed and stunned into immobility, and at worse, are own by the very corporate entities that are obligated to oversee. As to corporate disclosure… if there is a dollar sign associated with the relinquishing of information, you can bet it isn’t going to happen.
Because of all of this, informed consent is pretty much impossible to maintain. Even the most studious among us will never have the ability to know everything that needs to be known to ensure health and well-being, and safeguard against abuse.
The Great Lie
We are, by our very nature, creatures of repetition. We crave continuity, routine, repetition, sameness, and similarity because these are what make us feel safe and secure. Because this is our nature, and because we are easily wooed into repetitive and routine behaviors, this also means that our lives are filled to the brim with addictions. Not only are we addicted to substances that may not be healthy; we are addicted to behaviors that may not be healthy either. And although much of what we call “routine” is simply a series of addictive behaviors and relatively benign, it is upon those tendencies that Madison Avenue has staked its claim, taken ownership, and has made an immeasurable fortune.
If you require proof of what I’m saying (and I hope you do), turn off the television for a week. Just the thought of it makes most people cringe. And those that actually try will find themselves going through 7 days of extremely uncomfortable anxiety attacks.
The greatest stressors in our lives are change based – and the greater the change, the more dire the reaction. So we avoid it whenever possible. But that does not alter the fact that Madison Avenue is fully aware of our addictive tendencies, and have taken compete advantage of them.
*************************
The phrase “Truth in Advertising,” designed to pacify the disbeliever, has nothing to do with TRUTH in advertising. Similarly, “Truth in Lending,” has nothing to do with TRUTH in lending. These are politically correct, politically designed deceptions that lead us down the erroneous path of trust, confidence and obedience.
Whenever an industry, corporation or governmental institution is caught in a lie, they automatically move through a series of very predictable maneuvers created to divert our attention away from the TRUTH, and wear us down in the meantime. And this is done with such a pure absence of ethics that it is almost admirable. Here is the dance of the lie…
1. They deny anecdotal evidence. Essentially they are saying “prove it… prove that we are lying, scientifically.
2. They perform their own studies to disprove the antidotal evidence and pay for “outside” studies to claim independent corroboration. (Unfortunately, independent investigators tend to support the conclusions of those that are paying their bills.)
3. They push the responsibility for their lies and lack of ethics onto the government agencies that should be been monitoring and regulating their activities
4. They demand “human rights,” without having any individual responsibility for their unethical actions
5. They claim “Intellectual Property,” “Industry “secrets,” and “Entitlement to Confidentiality” so as not to have to divulge actions or ingredients that have caused harm, or provide support to those accusing them of wrong-doing
6. They employ extraordinary lobbying techniques that bog down legislation or establish new legislation
7. They provide massive donations to political candidates in exchange for their support of their industry
8. They do damage control by engaging in mass media campaigns
a. High Fructose Corn Syrup is “safe in moderate amounts”
9. They legally change the name of a harmful product
a. Changing “High Fructose Corn Syrup” to “Corn Syrup”
10. They denounce opposition studies as statistically unsound, and the studies flawed
11. They patent “terms” deceptively
a. “Real Cheese”
b. “All Natural”
12. They refuse to adhere to the law, and pay menial fines as compared to the vast amount of money earned through deception (if prosecution EVER gets that far)
a. Monsanto refused to comply with a court order to destroy all of their GMO sugar beet crops because “the judge didn’t know what he was talking about”
By the time this dance is done, months and years have passed. Any chance for redemption is erased, and responsibility is nullified. There’s no way to opt out of the dance, and the best that any of us can hope for is that we are paying attention when the truth FINALLY emerges.
Sadly, Madison Avenue and corporatism are alive and well in the world today. In fact, it is so “well” that many of us are literally dying as a result of its prosperity.
Stay awake.
No comments:
Post a Comment