Realising-consumer-rights

Introduction: the march of technology
US President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 Consumer protection address to
Congress was a watershed moment for consumer advocacy. It came
after decades of activism from co-operatives and workers’ councils, and
prominent voices including Ralph Nader in the States and Michael Young
in the UK. 1 It was the first time a head of state formally recognised the
need for consumer protections and then proposed steps to realise them.
The right to safety, to be informed, to choose and be heard formed the
backbone of a vision for consumer rights. This vision was the catalyst
for what, in the intervening decades, has become the global consumer
movement, its influence felt well beyond the shores of the USA. Consumer
bodies globally have since built on Kennedy’s pioneering steps and updated
and expanded his vision with the addition of four further rights to redress,
education, a healthy environment and the satisfaction of basic needs.
“The march of technology - affecting, for example, the foods we eat, the
medicines we take, and the many appliances we use in our homes - has
increased the difficulties of the consumer along with his opportunities;
and it has outmoded many of the old laws and regulations and made new
legislation necessary.”
President John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the USA
Special Message to the Congress on Protecting the Consumer Interest.
15 March 1962
These words from over 50 years ago could just as easily have been current
president Barack Obama’s in 2014. Technology marches on, gathering
pace with each stride. Genetically modified crops, nano-medicines and
the proliferation of smart devices are just some of the contemporary
manifestations of each of the categories that Kennedy highlighted.
On specifics too, Kennedy’s comments strike a chord, touching on the
trustworthiness of the meat we eat, the influence that marketing and
“highly developed arts of persuasion” have on consumer choice and the
need for government to open up data that can be (re)used in the service
of consumers. For contemporary equivalents think horsemeat, targeted
online advertising and data.gov.uk – all of which are live consumer issues
in 2014.
1
See Matthew Hilton, Consumerism in 20th Century Britain, Cambridge University Press,
2003 for brief history of consumer movement
Consumer Futures 6