Corporations Are Not Humans : Not Even Close--Episode 28

                         CORPORATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM 

   Corporations are now moving aggressively to colonize the
 second major institution of cultural reproduction, the schools. According to Consumers Union, 20 million U.S. schoolchildren used some form of corporate-sponsored teaching materials in their 
classrooms in 1990.  Some of these are straightforward promotions of junk food, clothing, and personal-care items. For example
, the National Potato Board joined forces with Lifetime Learning Systems to present "Count Your Chips," a math-oriented program celebrating the potato chip for National Potato Lovers' Month.
NutraSweet, a sugar substitute, sponsored a "total health" program. 
   Corporations have also been aggressive in getting their junk
foods into school vending machines and school lunch programs. Trade shows and journals aimed at school food-service workers are full of appeals such as : "Bring Taco Bell products to your school 
!" "Pizza Hut makes school lunch fun." Coca-Cola launched 
a lobbying attack on proposed legislation to ban the sale of soft drinks of "minimal nutritional value" in public schools. Randal W. Donaldson, a spokesman for Coca-Cola in Atlanta, said :"Our strategy is ubiquity. We want to put soft drinks within arms' reach of desire. We strive to make soft drinks widely available, and schools are one channel we want to make them available in." 
   Other messages seek to indoctrinate young minds in the beliefs and values of corporate libertarianism. Thus Mobil Corporation, which is well known for buying op-ed space in the New York Times to promote its view of the public interest, offered a curriculum module produced by the Learning Enrichment Corporation for classroom use that claimed to help students
 evaluate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) , mainly by touting its benefits. 
   Faced with the inevitability of an environmentally aware public, corporations have responded by painting themselves green and

 seeking to define the problem and its solutions in ways that support corporate objectives. Another Mobil contribution to public education is a video prepared for classroom use that touts plastic as the best waste to put in landfills. An Exxon module
entitled "Energy Cube" omits discussion of fuel efficiency, alternatives to fossil fuels,  and global warming. Indeed, it attempts to equate gasoline with solar energy in students' minds by 
explaining that its "energy value comes from solar energy stored in its organic energy bonds."
    Mobil and other corporations actively support the National Council on Economic Education, whose mission is to promote the teaching of economics in elementary and high schools. A paid Mobil op-ed piece in the New York Times lamented the fact that high school seniors were able to give correct answers to only 35 percent of questions on a national economic literacy survey.

Obviously Mobil has its own idea of what a correct answer is. The op-ed piece noted  :

When it comes to domestic issues, it helps to understand the impact that raising or cutting taxes will have on job security and your 
standard of living. And when it comes to environmental policy and regulations, it's necessary to comprehend basic economic principles such as supply and demand, cost versus benefit and a company's need for profits.

   General Motors mailed a video "I Need the Earth and the Earth 
Needs Me" to every public, private, and parochial el
ementary school in the country. Against a backdrop of happy children swimming in sparkling waters and ru
nning in picturesque landscapes, the GM video promotes such activities as planting trees and recycling. There
 is no mention of mass transit or the need to redesign cities to reduce transportation needs. GM recommends 
forming car pools recycling used motor oil. All the 
statements made in the video and the accompanying teacher's guide are accurate. Yet the overall picture is misleading because it omits critical facts and ideas. 





   Channel One, an advertiser-sponsored school television program, beams its news and ads for candy bars, fast food, and sneakers directly into the classroom for twelve minutes a day in more than 12,000 schools. In exchange for a satellite dish and video equipment for each classroom, the school must agree that Channel One will be shown on at least 90 percent of school days to 90 percent of the children. Teachers are not allowed to interrupt the show or turn it off.