Trans-Fat & Global Warming?

Have you noticed that you can't turn on the TV, radio or browse the internet lately without some company trying to make you believe that they are doing their best to be "green?" From soy milk made using wind-power to cars that run off of strawberry jam, companies are falling all over themselves in an effort to make you believe that they genuinely care about the alleged state of the Earth's eco-system. Do they really care? If you answered "yes" to that question, perhaps you may want to check yourself into the local mental health center (at least for a few days). Sure the people who work for these companies may genuinely care in some varying degrees about the alleged state of our planet, but that's not really the point . Remember, most companies and corporations are considered independent entities. How they function and what they do is the result of an ongoing conglomeration of ideas, perceptions and opinions rather than the result of a agenda-driven ideology concocted by a single individual. The activities of a company are not always reflective of the people who work there. The bottom line here is that as a whole, most companies couldn't give rat's ass about any of this eco-nonsense other than the fact that it has a proven and noticeable impact on potential revenue. That's it. And that's the key.

I can still remember the CEO of a company I recently worked for, during one of his recent all-hands meetings address this new green phenomena. He said almost laughingly... "Now, I'm not going to stand here and try and convince you all that things like [man-made] global warming are real. Whether any one of you believes in this or not, isn't really pertinent. What is pertinent, is that the perception is already out there amongst our customers and potential customers." Wow.

Now for some of my new readers who think that I'm about to launch into some anti-capitalist, evil corporation, Che Guevara induced rant, I urge you to continue on. I am nothing if not pro-capitalist. I believe that the best solution to most of the world's ills lies in the free-market and the empowerment of all people through sound economics. And the current "eco-mania" craze that has recently infested most corporations of the world, is a perfect example of why capitalism and free-markets are much better at developing solutions (with less negative side-effects) to alleged issues such as global warming. Why...?

Historically, which entity do you suppose has responded to and fulfilled the needs and desires of the masses faster... the free market or bureaucratic legislators?

For example, if tomorrow, it is concluded through vast amounts of research, that the majority of Americans really, really like pictures of parakeets wearing hats, well then guess what, in less than a week you'd see... that's right, pictures of parakeets in hats adorning almost every piece of packaging and advertising that crossed your path (in reality TV, this is known as the "American Idol effect"). Now, while that is somewhat silly example, think about stuff like "trans-fat." Somewhere not long ago, some study said that's it's a good idea to reduce our trans-fat intake. For whatever reason, that particular study received quite a bit of media attention. And from that attention a consumer perception quickly evolved (i.e. trans fat = bad) The next morning we all woke up and found that everything in the supermarket was suddenly emblazoned with the words "No trans-fat." What is trans-fat anyway? I don't know except that I've been told that's it's bad for me. And since the perception is that it's bad, all of the companies that produce the food I eat (or will potentially buy) want me to know right away that their product ain't got none of that bad stuff. Why? Well unlike some big government bureaucracy, the simple truth is that most companies won't survive if they don't quickly cater to consumer perceptions... whether it's trans-fat, global warming or yes, even strawberry jam. As consumers, I think we often forget that we hold the upper-hand, even amongst these large, evil multinationals.

So, do companies really need to be strong-armed by some bloated government agency into doing something if the consumer already needs or desires it? The answer: No. See, this is the beauty of capitalism.. the ongoing birth of opportunities. Corporations spend billions of dollars every year trying to get inside our heads to find out what really pleases us. Do you think the current clamor of alternative fuel vehicle development was all due to the government? You'd better think twice. Researchers have long noted that the ongoing perception among consumers is that gas prices are just getting way too high. Automobile manufacturers realized that they better do something and quickly. They didn't need some bureaucrat to tell them that. Buying gas is a direct operational cost of owning a car right? If the operational cost of driving a car gets too high what do you think that does to car sales? Do you think Ford, GM or Toyota are just going to sit around twittling their thumbs while this happens? Think again.