The Persuaders

The concept I related to most in this film was the concept of loyalty beyond reason. Not only do I agree 100% that it's completely irrational to want an iPod over an mp3 player (because, of course, iPods are not mp3 players), but I would rather have a pretty little iPod than a stupid wannabe mp3 player. iPods are sleeker, more colorful, and more... fun? That's what they say, anyway. And I'm buying it.

Not onlydoes this concept apply to mp3 players, but it also applies to the student loan monopoly that Sallie Mae has held in America for a long time (other than federal loans). Sallie Mae was the only loan company that organized. Everyone who used loans used Sallie Mae. Now, though, there's all sorts of class action lawsuits against the company because of fluctuating interest rates that shouldn't be fluctuating, the fact that they make it impossible to consolidate or defer loans (or really even pay them at all), and so on and so forth. During the rise of all of this controversy, I'm starting to see other loan companies advertise on TV and the internet. People are starting to realize that they have other options, and that those options are credible. When I started college, I knew that there was loan companies other than Sallie Mae. It didn't feel right to consider those loan companies, though. Just like it doesn't feel right to consider some chunky and less-cute-than-an-iPod mp3 player.

Other than that, I do have to say that I couldn't help but giggle sometimes when Rushkoff was sitting at his computer. Also, I found this website:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/