Surviving Capitalism (Not) : How Big Soda Co-Opted the NAACP and Hispanic Federation

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, January 25, 2013

How Big Soda Co-Opted the NAACP and Hispanic Federation

Click here to access article by Nancy F. Huehnergarth from Huffington Post.

The author cites two examples of how corporation philanthropy co-opts groups that might be potential adversaries and transforms them into political allies serving their corporate interests.

If you want a prime example of how Big Soda successfully uses its "philanthropy" (e.g., deep-pockets) to silence potential critics, look at the embarrassing mess in which the storied NAACP and the Hispanic Federation now find themselves embroiled.