Boing Boing: Google to HMOs: pay us and we’ll defuse “Sicko”:
Google’s “Health Advertising Team” is trying to sell the health industry on buying ads to be shown opposite searches for “Sicko.” The idea is to counter Michael Moore’s amazing, enraging, must-see indictment of the health industry’s grip on American society by running ads over search results for Sicko.
Isn’t that a little “evil,” Sergey?
I like that part of the quote, because that’s a dress rehearsal for what any large accumulation of wealth, power or capital will begin telling itself when it starts grinding smaller entities under its wheels in the name of its own ongoing health and prosperity. Like Google will.
“Sigh. People just don’t understand all the wonderful things we do that don’t wreck lives, kill people or make the world worse … and how if we don’t do some bad stuff we can’t do so much more good.”
None of them ever seem to be willing to listen to the suggestion “Don’t grow so large that your sustenance involves making those tradeoffs.”
See also: Wal-Mart’s sponsorship of numerous neighborhood carnivals, pro-bike fundraisers, etc.
Big capital’s most honest and staunch defenders readily agree that it has neither a heart nor any particular imperative to act on any kindness that might exist in that non-existent organ … but its mouthpieces butter their public image bread convincing us that there is a heart somewhere in there, and that its brimming with love for the little people.