Kia Franklin

The Funny Thing About Consumer Freedom — on the Consumer Law and Policy Blog

A la Consumer Law and Policy blog, Stephen Colbert exposes the “Center for Consumer Freedom” for what it is really about in his interview with Rick Berman, a lawyer/lobbyist for the group. Visit the blog for the full deal including helpful links, other exposees on CCF, and the Colbert video clip, which is pretty hilarious.

Rick Berman seemed at least to have a sense of what was going on on the show, unlike some clueless guests who despite Colbert’s fame honestly appear to have no idea what’s happening. And he had a pretty good sense of humor about it all too—although having a sense of humor about touting your anti-consumer organization as one that promotes consumer “freedom” may be more scary than funny. (Unless we’re talking funny “mwooohaha” rather than funny “haha.” Is that why 60 minutes nicknamed him “Dr. Evil”?)

Center for Consumer “Freedom”. Hmmm…. Is it really up for debate whether consumer “freedom” actually means “consumers’ ability to purchase products that are or could be harmful, without adequate information about potential harms and without adequate remedies if they are ultimately harmed”? When we’re talking about consumer freedom, aren’t we talking about consumers’ ability to make informed choices about the products they purchase and the contractual obligations/responsibilities that attach to those transactions? I don’t know, maybe it really is a semantics issue and not a matter of deception.

I crack myself up. Really, I do.

Anyway, maybe humor is the best approach for groups like this and the people who run them. It certainly appears to work better than appeals to fairness. Check out the CL&P Blog for more.

Kia Franklin: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 9:55 AM, Nov 06, 2007 in Blog Stroll | Civil Justice
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