Somehow I missed Dow Chemical's latest advertising campaign, the Human Element, which began in 2006. Today, I open the New Yorker to a two page eye-catching ad. There is a picture of a child, a Tibetan child, and a new element in the Periodic Table, Hu, Human, 7 E + 09, whatever that means, and these words.
Meet one of the best minds on the planet. When you look at the world through the eyes of the Human element, anything is possible because everything is valued. People. Resources. Ideas. Even the future of a young man in Tibet studying Chaucer or chemistry. Because, among the bonds between hydrogen and oxygen or sodium and chlorine, there is an even stronger bond. Our bond with the Human Element. It is the chemistry of life on earth. And that's what the Dow Chemical company is all about.
You probably remember Dow Chemical company if you went to college in the 60's. You protested their production of napalm and agent orange. They bought Union Carbide, which was responsible for deaths and injuries in Bhopal, and they claim they are not responsible for reimbursing people for their legal claims because they did not own it at the time. First, I google their web-site. Oh, they look impressive indeed. Then, I check them out at Wikipedia. They still pollute and seem to care about very little but profits, and yet they have this amazing advertising campaign.
Ah, like the government. "Mission Accomplished." Who needs truth?
Check out Dow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Chemical_Company
They produce plastics and they pollute and they don't clean up. It is 13 years since I trekked in the mountains of Nepal, and we went as close to Tibet as was legally possible at the time. There were few schools and I doubt the children were learning about Chaucer and chemistry. I doubt that it has changed much since then, but if it has, again I doubt that Chaucer and chemistry as Dow practices it are the two things that would enhance the lives of the people. Plastics and pollution. I don't think so. Dow - masters at advertising and false claims.
Well, then, again, maybe that is their idea of what it is to be human. They miss the spirit. Humans aren't worth much if you look at them as a bag of chemicals. Neither is the earth. The life force is where we soar.
