Look at this CraigsList ad my brother just sent me:
Socially Conscious Finance Bloggers Needed
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Reply to: job-532956231@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-01-08, 9:01PM EST
The Panelist (http://www.ThePanelist.com), now a partner of Forbes.com, is looking for writers to blog about topics in socially responsible investing. Specifically, we need bloggers to evaluate the ethical values and/or stock valuations of publicly traded companies.
We are also looking for bloggers for the following ongoing projects:
Philanthropy Wars - Compare the philanthropic efforts of competing companies, for example, Yahoo vs. Google or Coke vs. Pepsi
Sustainability Programs - All of the major banks (Lehman, Goldman, Morgan Stanley) have sustainability programs. Which of these are legitimate and which are shallow PR attempts?
Sector blogging - Follow a sector (paper and lumber, wind power, technology, automobiles, health care/pharmaceuticals, telecom) and discuss the socially responsible or irresponsible events taking place in that sector
Event coverage - Cover the socially responsible events in your area (must have a digital camera), write book and documentary film reviews
To apply, send a sample blog in the body of your email (no attachments please). Blogs do not have to exceed 500 words and can be shorter. You must be able to write and edit your own work. We pay about $10/blog for strong writing, finance knowledge and a commitment to and delivery of a set amount of blog entries per month. This is a terrific venue for exposure, as our entries often get picked up by Yahoo Finance, Treehugger, SeekingAlpha and The Huffington Post.
Wow, $10 a blog!!!!! Sign me up. At best they might get 15 year-old tree-humpers to write for them.
Anyway, the only small point I wanted to make is this:
Why do we have "Socially Conscious Investing"???
Or, rather, why don't we have any movements for "Economically Conscious Socialism"???
The answer, of course, is that here in America, the bastion of capitalism, socialists still firmly control the public dialogue....and not to mention, your wallet.
4 comments:
I think somehow equating socialism and being aware of your own morals and value in your life's actions is a bit reductionist, no? We are all trying to figure out how to balance our economic needs with our other needs, and simply discounting that such a thing as being socially conscious and an investor at the same time is short-sighted on your part. And it seems hardly possible to think that there isn't more than enough ubercapitalism out there to satisfy you.
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C,
Reminds me of a bunch of the job ads I saw on Craigslist related to volunteer/low-pay work for gay rights advocacy. Each ad said: "Do a job that matters!"
Excuse me, I guess all those people flipping hamburgers and selling clothes and handling M&A and so on are just doing it for fun, because their jobs don't matter. They can't possibly be doing jobs that affect other people in any way, otherwise their jobs would matter.
Anne,
Where is all this "ubercapitalism" you mention? Not in America, you mean? Where?
anne,
I didn't say that "socially conscious investing" was "socialism" or that it shouldn't exist. I was making a larger point about public dialogue control. Perhaps an example would help.
Take for instance "obesity". Look at all the propaganda, the media coverage, the medical coverage, and the policy treatment thereof and you won't find a whisper of its fundamental cause. Whatever the level of unhealthy binging these days, it is the result of incredibly cheap food (link). People eat more food because they can afford it. Case closed. This is the type of Economic Awareness or Economically Conscious Socialism is missing from public debate. Just acknowledge the real cause and stop castigating Coca-Cola, McDonalds, etc.
So how should this little economic fact be wielded?
Well, to tackle obesity, I say allow health insurance companies price discriminate.
Another example would be so-called public education. No statist (or any of their compadres in Big Media) will ever mention how much incredibly cheaper private schooling is. Again, it's another salient economic fact that is deliberately removed from the public dialog by some of your dissembling socialist friends.
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