I received an email from Amazon a few weeks ago. The email invited me to join Amazon Vine. For those of you unfamiliar with Vine, it’s an invitation-only program where I can get something for free by simply writing a review about it.
Essentially, Amazon is willing to pay me for my opinion. Sweet!
So, I signed up for Amazon Vine. It would be foolish not to. I was a bit disappointed because the only thing on the list of things I could get for free is a catalytic converter for a 2008 Subaru Forester. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I don’t own a 2008 Subaru Forester.
But that’s not relevant to the point I’m trying to make.
This is:
Fair Warning
The thing about every Vine review is that it’s flagged as such. There’s a notice next to each review written by a Vine member. Anyone reading that review can easily see that the reviewer received compensation for their opinion. Even if that compensation was just a catalytic converter for a 2008 Forester.
This isn’t a new thing. Back in the 80’s, the phrase, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV” came to be to ensure gullible people didn’t think they were getting a doctor’s advice when picking out a cold medicine.
Since then, we’ve seen countless celebrity endorsements with the warning that what we’re seeing is a paid advertisement. It doesn’t matter if the celebrity likes the product, they just need to pretend that they do. And, whenever they’re getting paid, we get made aware of it.
So, the precedent has already been set. If you’re going to pay someone to pretend to have an opinion that favors what you’re selling, you need to warn people that what they’re seeing isn’t necessarily real.
Activism for Hire
Last week, I received several emails from a guy who claims to have a company that provides “Activism for Hire”. He’s offering to be a guest on my podcast where he’ll talk about companies that pay people to show up and pretend to be for or against whatever you want them to be for or against.
I didn’t reply because I’m sure he’s not offering his expertise for free. And, seeing how I find more loose change on the street than the money I make from the ads on my site, I’m in no position to pay anyone for anything.
So, I did what I always do and did a little research on my own.
It’s Just Business
First off, I found out that paid protesters don’t like to be called “paid protesters”. They prefer to be called “compensated activists”. I prefer to call them “mostly peaceful protesters”, but…whatever.
The average paid protester makes $46 per hour. That’s an annualized total of $95,899. But none of them make $95K a year, because it’s not a full-time gig. Instead, most paid protesters do it in their spare time to earn a little extra pocket money.
Which is why you see so many old folks at these left-wing protests, because they’ve got nothing better to do.
And it’s why so many of these protesters can’t give you any details about the cause they’re pretending to be supporting. Because they’re being paid to be there. They’re not being paid to care.
It’s like that famous Marlon Brandon line in The Wild One. You walk up to one of these “compensated activists” and ask them, “What are you rebelling against?” And they reply, “Whaddaya got?”
It’s impossible to tell which protesters are paid and which truly believe in the cause. But the activist media networks still show shots of the people in attendance and try to convince everyone that things like the “No Kings” protests are more impactful than they really are.
It Ought to be a Crime
There’s no law against using paid protesters. If someone can’t get enough people to believe in them or their cause, they can just purchase someone’s outrage.
There’s nothing illegal about it. Unethical? Clearly. But it’s not a crime.
However, it seems fair that people outside the protest looking in should have a way of knowing how much of the protest is real, and how much has been bought and paid for.
Which brings me back to Amazon Vine reviews and not-really-doctors appearing in TV commercials.
Because I think that pretending to be against anything related to President Trump is a bit more dangerous than someone pretending to be a doctor giving advice on the benefits of Geritol, or which bunion pads to use.
And if I’m required to disclose that I’m getting paid to review a catalytic converter for a 2008 Forester, then these “compensated activists” should be required to disclose that they’re getting paid to be there.
What I’m proposing is that these not-really-protesters are somehow identified as being paid for their participation. There needs to be a way for anyone to easily tell who is truly supporting the cause, and who’s being paid to pretend that they do.
It could be something as simple as requiring them to wear a dayglo yellow tee-shirt. And on the front of the shirt would be the words, “I’m not a protester, but I play one on TV”.
