Should Those Who Are Part of the Problem Be Part of the Solution? (continued)

In the last chapter ofThe Shangri-La Dietandthis post, I said it was foolish for those who want to improve the world to denigrate those in industry. (”[Food] companies will put anything in their food if they think the extra marketing hype will help them sell more of it,” saidMarian Nestle.)A recent articlein theNY Timesdescribed in detail how a wash-your-hands campaign became more effective by studying industry tactics. The head of the campaign said pretty much what I’ve been saying:

“For a long time, the public health community was distrustful [not to mention scornful] of industry, because many felt these companies were trying to sell products that made people’s lives less healthy, by encouraging them to smoke, or to eat unhealthy foods, or by selling expensive products people didn’t really need,” Dr. Curtis said. “But those tactics also allow us to save lives. If we want to really help the world, we need every tool we can get.”

And every person.

Thanks to Marian Lizzi.