01/30/98

Separating Trash from Treasures

Informed decision making is getting harder and harder. Ever since advertising became such a sophisticated art, every product, politician, and piece of real estate can be wrapped in such pretty packages of pictures and text that we can't tell trash from treasures. They say, "Let the buyer beware," and wary we are, but camouflage can fool even the most discriminating.

Take a shopping trip to your local supermarket. The strawberries in little plastic mesh baskets have green paper covering the bottom. The ones on top are bright red and perfect. But get them home and what kind are underneath? Soft, mushy, moldy ones! Buy the new package of mixed vegetables with cheese sauce in the same size box as the ones without sauce. Open the box to discover a plastic bag with plenty of sauce and barely enough vegetables to serve one person!

Trying to become an informed voter is especially difficult. Televised debates provide excellent forums for revealing the differing points of view of the candidates. However, each debate covers so many topics and gives the participants so little time to respond, that all the listener gets are carefully rehearsed soundbites.

Following each debate, the news commentators tell the viewers how to interpret what the candidates said! Better to follow the debate with a roundtable discussion among a few ordinary citizens who could discuss their understanding of the debated issues while the candidates listen. The candidates would then be given an opportunity to clarify their positions as well as to take called-in questions from viewers.

Buying a house can be another exercise in consumer frustration, accompanied by the usual flowery verbiage. It's unbelievable what a fixer-upper's dream can look like. A buyer's nightmare! Try viewing the quaint, older home with historical significance. It's total lack of insulation and drafty rooftops (with real oak rafters, of course) will make your heating bills significant.

When buyer and seller finally come to terms on price, the process gets really harrowing. The realtor, who each party thinks is representing his interests, often recommends an attorney, bank, and building inspector. Informing the buyer is patently NOT the agenda of these people; making a deal is. No matter that the buyer is the one laying out the money. Beware buyer, beware. When you move in, there will be surprises galore, all subsumed under the phrase "the joys of home ownership".

This may sound cynical; it is meant to be both serious and amusing. It's fun to sell; it's fun to fool other people now and then. Nevertheless, we do need ways of getting hard facts when important decisions are on the line, facts about consuming healthy foods, choosing leadership at the polls, and buying big ticket items like a home.

Business people, politicians, and sales representatives need to take their responsibilities to the public seriously, instead of making fooling the public a game or scam.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.