When I was studying for my Bachelor’s degree, I had a controversial and brilliant professor who had lived in over 65 countries and served as Jamaican deputy ambassador to Canada. Dr. Clinton Hewan is the person who opened my eyes to the world of politics and, in particular, US foreign policy in the Developing (Third) World.
Dr. Hewan was not shy about expressing his opinions. Even if you didn’t like what he said (and many didn’t), he always had logical and well-reasoned thoughts – almost always based on fact – for what he believed. People called him racist (with respect to whites) and thought that his attitude and approach was aggressive.
One of the most important things I learned from Dr. Hewan was that everything is political. He used to say just that in nearly every class and it would rile everybody up (his intent, I’m sure). They’d snicker and argue and he would fire back with examples from his years of work as a diplomat, from our day-to-day lives, and from an endless list of resources he gave us. I came to understand that everything in the human realm does have a political connection. I was not happy with that realization.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “political” as:
Relating to the government or public affairs of a country.
Several years ago when I was preparing a workshop on international affairs for The Red Cross, I searched for my own example of how politics has infiltrated our world in seemingly mundane ways. And I came up with one people immediately scoffed at: toothpaste.
Crest is a household name. Many dentists provide it in their take-home kits after a cleaning, it holds a prominent place on grocery store shelves, and it is on the ADA list of approved toothpastes. Crest actually shares at least two qualities with political connections/influence.
Proctor & Gamble makes Crest. “…P&G GGRPP focuses on legislative and public policy issues that impact the Company’s bottom line and long-term business interests. Where permitted by law, P&G GGRPP engages and educates policy-makers and key stakeholders on issues that impact our business; facilitates the exchange of information between key decision makers and public policy organizations in the United States and abroad; and leads Company actions on policy matters both unilaterally and in industry coalitions and associations.”
(https://us.pg.com/structure-and-governance/our-political-involvement/)
The company allocates a part of its budget for lobbying and the support of specific organizations: for example, it allocates no funds for the National Environmental Develop Assoc-Clean Air Project (NEDACAP) or the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT). It does, though, support the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC).
Crest also contains fluoride. The ADA only recommends toothpastes that contain fluoride, a substance proven to cause a myriad of health issues, including neurological damage.
“All toothpastes with the ADA Seal of Acceptance must contain fluoride.”
(https://www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/toothpastes)
The politics of fluoridation is a book in and of itself, but if P & G sold a toothpaste without fluoride – which is detrimental to health – it would not obtain the ADA seal of approval, not be able to push it on the market, and likely not achieve the popularity it has today.
This is a very brief synopsis of those politics as they relate to fluoride:
http://fluoridealert.org/fan-tv/politics/
Not voting, not engaging in matters that affect this country and the globe, and telling yourself “it doesn’t/won’t affect me,” are to leave every decision that influences daily life in our society up to others.
Because everything is political.
The Grey Zone 