Since the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, Americans across the country have lived in utter shock. Mourners tried to cope with the reality of the terror, while relief workers began the arduous task of picking through the remains of the World Trade Center towers. Shortly after the event unfolded, many American merchants reacted in the spirit of capitalism: They churned out some star-spangled merchandise.
The opportunity to exploit the situation was evidently too good to pass up. Marketers capitalized on our newfound patriotism by slapping “The Pledge of Allegiance” on a T-shirt and selling it for “only” $9.95. American flags of every size disappeared from stores. Car manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors created ads with a patriotic angle as part of their pitch. General Motors urged consumers to “Keep America Rolling,” presumably by buying one of its cars.
Despite the stumbling economy, the public has been eager to buy anything and everything if the colors red, white and blue are featured. Citizens have reveled in the opportunity to prove — through purchasing material goods — that we are proud to be Americans.
Corporate marketers are not the only ones to capitalize on the recent tragedy. E-mail solicitations have reportedly been sent out to ask for donations to the Red Cross and other relief organizations. These e-mails, which often are sent by con artists, direct donors to private Web sites, which are ostensibly designed to obtain credit card numbers that criminals can later use for fraudulent purposes.In a time when our nation is still mourning the events of Sept. 11, it is sickening that there are some people who are attempting to exploit this tragedy for their own personal gains.
And it is even more unfortunate that Americans who have been bombarded with these messages to “show solidarity” by buying products are apparently responding in exactly the way the advertisers hoped.
Instead of falling for these ploys, why not actually do something to help the victims of the national tragedy? Donations of money, food or blood are still needed, and would be a more appropriate way to show your support. Having your fingernails airbrushed with stars and stripes or wearing a “We Remember” T-shirt is Yankee Doodle dandy, but we fail to see how it helps victims and their families.