Toxic Sludge is Good for You is one scary book. I found it difficult to read mainly because I found myself frustrated reading it and had to keep putting it down. I was and was not surprised by some of the revelations in the book. I always thought public relations firms and certain big business and industrial lobby groups had far too much weight and control over public discourse and setting the public agenda, so that was no surprise. I did not realize the extent and lengths that these groups went to to ensure their own view points and agenda become the popular opinion. I never realized the public sphere was being so vastly manipulated.
On the other hand, the fact that such a book was published and some of the more atrocious P.R. campaigns brought to light I guess means that these groups are not entirely without over sight. Still, I am glad I am not going into public relations. I just do not think I could stomach it.
In his notes Professor Lipton writes that this book is a “negative analysis of PR and not the only way that PR can be analyzed.” (15) I am sure someone, somewhere could put out a positive book on the PR industry, but it would probably be bought and paid for by the industry itself.
This book acts as a warning for people to be aware and critical of how this industry works behind the scenes to ensure its own agenda becomes popular opinion. It also teaches how important words are to the development of public opinion. For instance, in the chapter, “The Sludge Hits the Fan,” as the authors are preparing to come up with a title for their book they get a phone call from a representative of “biosolids” insisting that their product is not toxic. It led to an investigation by the authors into the “Water Environment Foundation” and rather ironically became an appropriate title for the novel, and its own entire chapter. The “biosolid” representative was so intent on ensuring the name sludge was not used for the product that she basically instigated an investigation that otherwise may not have happened, which frankly, serves her right.
It is also interesting that citizens of towns who were heaving this toxic sludge on their farm lands could tell from the sense of smell that it was toxic. “I’ve smelled cow manure, the rice paddies in Vietnam they use human manure to fertilize. That’s a different smell,” said Sierra Blanca resident Leonard Theus. “This is like a chemical smell.” (117) I do not even want to think about what that smell might smell like. I too have smelled cow manure, and pig manure, both of which make me want to throw up when I do smell them. I lived in Hanover, Ontario at one point and Bruce and Grey counties are famous both for their large scale beef cattle farms and their large scale pig farms. I learned to avoid both in any drive in the country. I used to wonder if they ever tested the oxygen of the air in those places, because most of the time it seemed you were being overwhelmed. I can not imagine how bad toxic sludge smells. The fact they put this crap on our farm lands where it can enter into our underground water wells and ruin good, farming soil is enough to make my head spin.
Like I said, I hated this book in that “Gawd, I knew this was happening, but I did not want to believe it” kind of way. I can only quote Professor Lipton from class, “You are in university now, ignorance is not an option.” It wasn’t.
Works Cited
Lipton, Mark. “Toxic Sludge is Good for You.” Lipton’s Notes: 2007.
Stauber, John, and Rampton, Sheldon. “Toxic Sludge is Good for You!” Maine: Common Courage Press, 1995.
Tags: books, Communications, education, media
