Regarding Alicia Ebaugh’s Sept. 15 column, “Consumers need truth from corporations,” I disagree with her conclusion that legal bounds should be set for the ethical choices of corporations.

While it is certainly questionable and sometimes deplorable the way companies market themselves and their products, it is not reasonable or possible for the government to legally bind corporations to market themselves in what the government defines as an ethical way.

I am not proposing companies should be allowed to market products without disclosing potential health risks or be allowed to “exploit” their workers; in fact, these two issues have already been addressed in the United States with the creation of the FDA and OSHA. However unethical a company may seem, undisclosed product risks and workers’ safety are the only issues that can and should be addressed by law. All other aspects of companies’ marketing lie in the domain of the consumer’s discretion.

Beyond harming others, the First Amendment does protect one’s right to lie, and the same holds true for a company. While some may question the presentation of a sports car as a means to improve one’s self-image or a beer ad that hints not-so-subtly that a six-pack of Smirnoff Ice is all one needs to create a spontaneous party in an ATM booth, it is not the government’s function to dictate to companies what they are allowed to present as “truth” (beyond the two instances I mentioned previously).

This is where consumers must rely on their own common sense and their dollar’s power over corporate America. Implicit in the capitalist model is the ability of consumers to force a company to change how it treats its workers, where it makes its products and how it markets them, simply by buying elsewhere.

I certainly am not condoning sweatshop labor or any practice associated with it — I do however feel that how a product is made generally falls outside the category of a potential consumer health risk. Also, I believe it is within the reach of determined consumers to find out how and where companies make their products. Therefore, we need to not let emotion overcome reason and let the consumer, not the legislator, decide what marketing ethics are acceptable for corporate America.

Noah Stahl

Junior

Computer Engineering