Coca-Cola, Philip Morris Shift Waste Blame to Public to Block Bans

Adam Ruins Everything - The Corporate Conspiracy to Blame You for Their Trash — truTV

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Packaging corporations established Keep America Beautiful to dismantle returnable container systems and manufacture a green culture that blames individual consumers for corporate pollution.

AI-assisted summary of Adam Ruins Everything - The Corporate Conspiracy to Blame You for Their Trash — original source. Check the original for full context.

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Key ideas

  • Keep America Beautiful was created not as a grassroots group, but as an industry-backed coalition of over twenty corporations—including Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, and Dixie Cup—designed to deflect corporate liability for packaging waste. (0:00)
  • Industry public relations popularized the term 'litterbug' and launched the 1971 'crying Indian' PSA to shift public focus from manufacturer accountability to individual behavior. (0:00)
  • The successful PR campaign helped defeat legislative bans on disposable bottles, resulting in more than 100 billion beverage containers being wasted annually in the United States. (1:00)
  • Adam warns that consumer-driven 'green' purchasing, such as replacing a functioning hybrid car with a new Tesla, can cause more environmental harm due to the manufacturing footprint. (1:00)

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by truTV on December 21, 2016, this clip from Adam Ruins Everything examines why consumers have been forced to shoulder all the blame for corporate waste habits. The program utilizes a blend of comedy, history, and science as host Adam Conover dispels widespread misconceptions about society and consumer culture.

## TL;DR Adam Conover reveals that the anti-litter organization Keep America Beautiful and the label 'litterbug' were actually engineered by packaging giants like Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup to deflect accountability for disposable waste onto everyday consumers. Through corporate public relations campaigns, including the famous 1971 'crying Indian' PSA, industry leaders successfully thwarted container deposit legislation and encouraged the public to internalize guilt for pollution. Adam explains that this PR push dismantled functional returnable systems and spawned a culture of green consumerism, which can backfire when individuals discard functioning goods to buy new eco-friendly products like electric cars.

## Atmosphere & style The segment maintains a brisk, satirical, and irreverent tone, punctuating Adam's factual explanations with exaggerated sketches of scheming corporate executives and overly melodramatic citizens. Adam plays his signature role as the relentlessly cheerful, intrusive buzzkill who delights in bursting his companion's idealistic bubble with blunt reality checks. The viewing experience feels entertaining yet cynical, delivering a sharp critique of manufactured guilt through fast-paced, high-energy comedy.

## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) Keep America Beautiful was created not as a grassroots group, but as an industry-backed coalition of over twenty corporations—including Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, and Dixie Cup—designed to deflect corporate liability for packaging waste. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) Industry public relations popularized the term 'litterbug' and launched the 1971 'crying Indian' PSA to shift public focus from manufacturer accountability to individual behavior. - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) The successful PR campaign helped defeat legislative bans on disposable bottles, resulting in more than 100 billion beverage containers being wasted annually in the United States. - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) Adam warns that consumer-driven 'green' purchasing, such as replacing a functioning hybrid car with a new Tesla, can cause more environmental harm due to the manufacturing footprint.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) Corporations including Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, and Dixie Cup sought to deflect public anger regarding the trash created by their disposable products. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) Packaging manufacturers coined and popularized the derogatory term 'litterbug' to assign blame to consumers rather than producers. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) Keep America Beautiful was established by a coalition of over twenty major corporations to shield industry practices under the guise of an anti-litter campaign. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) The famous 1971 'crying Indian' public service announcement was an effective piece of corporate public relations rather than an independent environmental initiative. - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) Corporate messaging successfully convinced the public to internalize moral guilt for litter and pollution. - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) The shift in public perception enabled the defeat of proposed bans on disposable containers and undermined traditional bottle deposit and reuse systems. - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) Over 100 billion beverage containers end up wasted each year in the United States, getting incinerated, landfilled, or littered. - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) The prevailing 'green culture' largely blames individual habits rather than addressing systemic corporate waste generation. - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) Buying new eco-friendly products like electric vehicles to replace functional existing vehicles often increases net environmental harm due to production impacts.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) The Invention of the “Litterbug” and Keep America Beautiful

In a dramatized corporate boardroom meeting, corporate executives lament that the public holds their industries responsible for the mounting trash crisis. A representative proclaims, “Coca-Cola is tired of making a bunch of garbage and then getting yelled at for making all that garbage.” Representatives from Philip Morris and Dixie Cup quickly join the consensus, agreeing that the fault lies not with the manufacturers who design disposable products, but with the consumers who discard them. To reshape public perception, the executives coin a catchy derogatory label for these consumers: "litterbugs." With the backing of over twenty major corporations, they launch the original anti-litter organization, Keep America Beautiful.

Adam Conover reveals to his stunned companion that Keep America Beautiful was not a grassroots environmental initiative, but an industry-backed coalition established specifically to dodge corporate accountability. By popularizing the term "litterbug," these packaging and consumer goods giants successfully deflected public outrage away from corporate production practices and pinned it directly onto individual behavior. This sustained public relations effort culminated in one of the most celebrated television campaigns in history: the iconic 1971 "crying Indian" public service announcement. When his companion expresses disbelief that such a revered commercial could have an ulterior motive, Adam bluntly confirms the reality: “The most famous PSA in history was actually a piece of corporate propaganda.”

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Corporate Shift of Blame for Trash accDescr: Diagram illustrating how packaging corporations formed Keep America Beautiful to redirect public blame to consumers.

subgraph Corporations ["Manufacturing Giants"] C1["Coca-Cola"] C2["Philip Morris"] C3["Dixie Cup"] end

subgraph Strategy ["PR Strategy"] KAB["Keep America Beautiful (Coalition of 20+ Companies)"] Term["Popularized the term 'Litterbug'"] Ad["'Crying Indian' PSA Campaign"] end

subgraph Outcome ["Public Impact"] Shift["Blame shifted from manufacturers to consumers"] Bans["Bottle deposit & container bans struck down"] end

Corporations --> KAB KAB --> Term KAB --> Ad Term --> Shift Ad --> Shift Shift --> Bans ```

[01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) The Cost of Individual Guilt and the Illusion of "Green" Consumerism

The public relations offensive proved wildly effective across the United States. Proposed legislative bans on disposable bottles were struck down, and everyday citizens fully internalized the burden of environmental degradation. A satirical vignette highlights this manufactured guilt as a distraught man weeps over a dead cow, crying out, “Eating that can didn't kill Bessie... I killed Bessie! I'm a litterbug!” As a consequence of dismantling traditional reuse and deposit systems in favor of single-use convenience, modern society remains trapped in disposable packaging models. Adam emphasizes that although dropping trash makes someone a jerk, the foundational problem was engineered by industry leaders who abandoned functional returnable systems and fabricated an entire green ethos that holds consumers responsible for corporate pollution.

Hearing this revelation, Adam's companion decides to take personal action by strictly purchasing eco-friendly products, boasting that she plans to replace her current hybrid vehicle with a brand-new electric Tesla. Adam immediately interrupts her enthusiasm to point out the flawed logic behind hyper-consumerist environmentalism. Replacing a functioning hybrid with an entirely new electric vehicle incurs significant manufacturing and resource costs, meaning that impulse can paradoxically harm the planet more than continuing to drive her existing car.

- Over 100 billion beverage containers are wasted each year in the United States alone. - Discarded containers regularly end up incinerated, dumped into municipal landfills, or scattered as street and roadside litter. - Adam articulates the systemic impact of the industry's PR pivot: “These companies threw out an effective recycling system and instead asked us to pick up their trash, and their marketing campaign helped create an entire green culture that blames individuals for pollution rather than the companies making it.”

## Notable quotes > [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) The most famous PSA in history was actually a piece of corporate propaganda. — Adam Conover

## Mentioned Adam Conover, Adam Ruins Everything, Keep America Beautiful, The Coca-Cola Company, Philip Morris, Dixie Cup, Tesla, truTV

## Video description Yes, littering is terrible. But why should consumers shoulder all the blame for bad corporate habits?

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In Adam Ruins Everything, host Adam Conover employs a combination of comedy, history and science to dispel widespread misconceptions about everything we take for granted. A blend of entertainment and enlightenment, Adam Ruins Everything is like that friend who knows a little bit too much about everything and is going to tell you about it... whether you like it or not.

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Adam Ruins Everything - The Corporate Conspiracy to Blame You for Their Trash

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk)

中文简报

可口可乐与菲利普莫里斯将废弃物责任转嫁公众以阻挠禁令 包装企业成立“保持美国美丽”组织，以瓦解可退还容器系统，并营造一种将企业污染归咎于个人消费者的环保文化。 亚当·科诺弗揭露，反乱扔垃圾组织“保持美国美丽”以及“乱扔垃圾者”（litterbug）这一称谓，实际上是由可口可乐和迪克西纸杯等包装巨头策划的，旨在将一次性废弃物的责任转嫁给普通消费者。通过包括1971年著名的“哭泣的印第安人”公益广告在内的企业公关活动，行业领袖成功阻挠了容器押金立法，并引导公众将污染内化为个人内疚。亚当解释称，这场公关攻势瓦解了运转良好的可退还系统，催生了绿色消费主义文化；而当个人为了购买电动汽车等环保新品而丢弃功能完好的物品时，这种文化可能会适得其反。 “保持美国美丽”并非草根团体，而是由包括可口可乐、菲利普莫里斯和迪克西纸杯在内的20多家企业组成、由行业资助的联盟，旨在转移企业对包装废弃物的责任。 (0:00) 行业公关推广了“乱扔垃圾者”这一称谓，并推出了1971年“哭泣的印第安人”公益广告，以将公众关注点从制造商责任转移至个人行为。 (0:00) 这场成功的公关活动协助挫败了针对一次性瓶子的立法禁令，导致美国每年浪费超过1000亿个饮料容器。 (1:00) 亚当警告称，消费者主导的“绿色”购买行为（例如用一辆新特斯拉替换功能完好的混合动力汽车）由于制造过程产生的碳足迹，可能会造成更大的环境危害。 (1:00)

Reading summary

In an episode of truTV's Adam Ruins Everything, host Adam Conover argues that major packaging and consumer goods corporations orchestrated a decades-long public relations strategy to deflect responsibility for the disposable waste crisis onto individual consumers. Corporate Origins of Keep America Beautiful (0:00) Conover highlights that anti-litter initiatives like Keep America Beautiful were not grassroots environmental campaigns, but coalitions established by more than twenty major packaging and consumer corporations, including Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, and Dixie Cup. Seeking to preempt public outrage and regulatory scrutiny over their manufacturing of disposable goods, these firms coined the derogatory label 'litterbug' to shift the focus of waste management from industrial production to consumer etiquette. This sustained public relations campaign produced the iconic 1971 'crying Indian' public service announcement, which Conover characterizes as an effective piece of corporate propaganda designed to anchor environmental culpability in personal behavior. Policy Defeat and the Rise of Disposable Packaging (1:00) The public relations campaign successfully altered the legislative and cultural landscape across the United States. Proposed statutory bans on disposable bottles were defeated, allowing corporations to dismantle functional deposit and returnable bottle systems in favor of single-use convenience models. Consequently, the burden of managing packaging waste was transferred to municipal services and individual taxpayers. According to the source, more than 100 billion beverage containers are now wasted annually in the United States alone, with discarded packaging ending up incinerated, buried in municipal landfills, or strewn across roadsides. The Fallacy of Hyper-Consumerist Solutions (1:00) The internalization of personal guilt has also promoted a commercialized green ethos that emphasizes purchasing new eco-friendly products over addressing systemic production issues. Conover cautions against the assumption that buying green goods automatically reduces an individual's environmental footprint. For example, replacing an operational hybrid vehicle with a brand-new electric vehicle incurs substantial upfront manufacturing and raw resource costs, which can ultimately generate more environmental harm than continuing to drive an existing, functional car. While Conover maintains that personal littering remains objectionable, the program concludes that an individual-centered green ethos fails to address the foundational problem engineered by industrial manufacturers who abandoned sustainable return systems in pursuit of disposable packaging.

精炼阅读摘要

Adam Conover在节目中指出，美国著名的反乱扔垃圾组织Keep America Beautiful实为可口可乐等消费品巨头组建的公关联盟，其核心目的是通过创造“乱扔垃圾者”（litterbug）等话语将企业制造废弃物的系统性责任转嫁给普通消费者，以此抵制针对包装容器的监管立法。 企业联盟的公关策略与责任转嫁 (0:00) 在面临公众对垃圾危机日益增长的问责压力时，包括可口可乐、菲利普莫里斯（Philip Morris）和迪克西杯（Dixie Cup）在内的20多家大型企业联合创立了名为Keep America Beautiful的组织。根据节目陈述，该机构并非自发的草根环保组织，而是包装与消费巨头为规避自身生产责任而设立的公关工具。企业通过推广贬义词汇“乱扔垃圾者”，成功将公共舆论的批判焦点从一次性产品的生产源头转移到消费者的终端处置行为上。 这一公关行动的代表作是1971年标志性的“哭泣的印第安人”公益广告。Adam Conover将该广告定性为企业宣传工具，指出其利用情感触动使公众相信环境恶化纯粹是个人品德败坏的后果，从而掩盖了巨头企业以一次性塑料与包装取代传统回收体系的商业动机。 押金制度瓦解与内疚感的制度化 (1:00) 企业主导的舆论重塑对立法和监管产生了深远影响。原本针对一次性饮料瓶的限制性法案在公关攻势下被否决，传统行之有效的容器押金和重复使用系统遭到废弃，取而代之的是依赖个人自觉的单向废弃模式。数据显示，仅在全美范围内，每年就有超过1000亿个饮料容器被废弃，最终沦为路边垃圾、被填埋或被焚烧。 随着制度约束的消失，公众反被植入深重的道德罪恶感。节目通过讽刺情节指出，大众内化了“破坏环境完全是自身行为所致”的说辞，忽视了现代垃圾危机的根本原因在于行业巨头主动切断了可持续的回收闭环，并构建了一套将污染责任归咎于受害消费者的绿色话语体系。 过度消费导向的虚假环保陷阱 (1:00) 在个体责任论深入人心后，绿色消费主义逐渐成为公众应对环保焦虑的常见反应。节目展示了消费者试图通过购买所谓环保产品来减轻道德负担的现象，例如急于将功能完好的混合动力车置换为全新的特斯拉电动汽车。 Adam Conover指出这种消费逻辑存在本质缺陷。生产一辆全新的电动汽车本身需要消耗巨大的能源与原材料，盲目更换尚在正常服役期的车辆反而会带来不可忽视的环境负荷。这种以消费替代系统性变革的冲动，再次反映了过度强调个体行为所导致的环保误区。 该节目揭示了企业如何通过公关叙事将一次性包装带来的系统性环境危机改写为个体道德缺陷，并反思了以盲目换新为特征的绿色消费主义；但针对如何在现代便利需求与严格的企业生产监管之间建立切实可行的替代性回收制度，节目未提供深入的制度方案。

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 该视频由 truTV 于 2016 年 12 月 21 日发布在 YouTube 频道上，选自节目《亚当搞砸一切》（Adam Ruins Everything）。视频简介指出，乱扔垃圾固然恶劣，但探讨了消费者为何要独自为企业不良的生产习惯承担全部罪责。 ## TL;DR 节目揭露了跨国企业如何通过精心设计的公关策略将环境污染的责任甩锅给普通大众。包括可口可乐和菲利普莫里斯在内的数十家大企业联手创立了“保持美国美丽”组织，创造了贬损性的“litterbug”词汇，并炮制出知名的“哭泣的印第安人”公益广告，将一次性包装泛滥的矛头从制造商转向消费者。这一举措成功瓦解了原本的回收体系与包装禁令，导致每年上千亿饮料容器被废弃，同时还催生出一种片面指责个人行为、盲目崇尚购买所谓环保产品（如换购全新电动车）的虚伪绿色消费文化。 ## Atmosphere & style 全片充斥着讽刺幽默与犀利的讽喻感，通过夸张荒诞的董事会情景短剧撕开企业冠冕堂皇的说辞。主持人亚当与同伴之间一问一答的快节奏互动既好笑又令人清醒，伴随着残酷真相的层层揭露，观众经历着从对煽情广告的同情到发现受骗后的错愕反转。整段叙事在轻松戏谑的喜剧外壳下，精准刺痛了过度消费社会的神经，带来发人深省的思想冲击。 ## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) 知名环保组织“保持美国美丽”（Keep America Beautiful）实际上是由可口可乐、菲利普莫里斯等20多家制造垃圾的企业联合创立的公关工具。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) 广告史上著名的公益广告“哭泣的印第安人”实为企业宣传手段，旨在通过发明“Litterbugs”（乱丢垃圾的虫子）概念将包装污染的责任转嫁给消费者。 - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) 企业的责任转嫁策略导致多地饮料瓶禁令被废除并摧毁了传统回收体系，如今每年有超过1000亿个饮料容器被丢弃、填埋或焚烧。 - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) 盲目的绿色消费主义（例如在已有混动车的情况下立即购置全新特斯拉）可能因忽视制造全周期的环境成本而对生态造成更大伤害。 ## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) 大企业高管因公众指责其产生大量垃圾而发起反制公关，试图将环境责任从生产端推卸给消费端。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) 可口可乐、菲利普莫里斯和迪克西纸杯等跨国企业是推动垃圾责任转嫁的核心力量。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) 企业界联合发明了具有强烈道德谴责意味的词汇“Litterbugs”，将矛头全面指向终端消费者。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) 非营利组织“保持美国美丽”（Keep America Beautiful）表面倡导环保，实则由排污大企业在幕后资助设立。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) 历史上极具影响力的“哭泣的印第安人”公益广告本质上是洗脑公众的商业宣传工具。 - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) 企业公关成功煽动了公众的道德自责，进而瓦解了针对一次性包装的法规和禁令。 - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) 全美每年有超过1000亿个饮料容器遭到白白浪费，被送往填埋场、焚化炉或散落自然界。 - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) 乱扔垃圾固然缺乏公德，但大企业借机摧毁了原有的回收循环机制，并强迫纳税人买单处理垃圾残局。 - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) 片面的“绿色文化”引导公众过度关注个人道德选择，掩盖了工业体系制造的系统性环境破坏。 - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) 频繁更换购买全新环保产品并不等于真正环保，过度消费本身同样具有巨大的环境破坏力。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) 企业的“甩锅”阴谋与“保持美国美丽”组织的诞生 大企业的董事会会议室内，一众企业高管正在为公众将垃圾污染归咎于他们而愤怒不已。可口可乐的代表愤愤不平地抱怨公司生产了大量垃圾却反遭斥责，正如他直言：“Coca-Cola is tired of making a bunch of garbage and then getting yelled at for making all that garbage.” 烟草巨头菲利普莫里斯（Philip Morris）的高管随即附和这一逻辑，把责任全盘推给消费者：“When you think about it, it's the customer's fault for throwing our garbage away.” 随后，生产一次性纸杯的迪克西纸杯（Dixie Cup）代表也表示赞同，提议直接把矛头指向顾客。为了让宣传更有杀伤力，高管们决定用一个极具指责意味的蔑称来称呼这些消费者——“乱丢垃圾的虫子”（Litterbugs）。 在20多家大型企业的联手推动下，他们共同创立了美国最初的反乱扔垃圾组织——“保持美国美丽”（Keep America Beautiful）。亚当向身旁目瞪口呆的同伴揭露，这个看似纯公益的环保组织，实质上是由制造垃圾的大企业一手创立的。大企业通过这场公关战，成功推广了“litterbug”这一标签，将垃圾泛滥的罪责从生产端彻底转嫁到消费者个人头上。这场公关行动的巅峰，便是推出了广告史上最知名的公益广告——“哭泣的印第安人”（The Crying Indian）。同伴难以置信地感叹那支曾经打动无数人的广告居然是场骗局，亚当则冷酷地道出真相：“The most famous PSA in history was actually a piece of corporate propaganda.” ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 企业转移垃圾责任的公关机制 accDescr: 展示企业如何通过创建组织和推出宣传广告将垃圾处理责任从制造端转移至消费端 subgraph Corporate["企业利益联盟"] A["生产一次性包装的企业<br>(可口可乐、菲利普莫里斯、迪克西等)"] B["面临公众指责与禁令威胁"] A --> B end subgraph Campaign["公关宣传反击"] C["创立组织：Keep America Beautiful"] D["创造污名化词汇：Litterbugs"] E["推出经典广告：哭泣的印第安人 PSA"] B --> C C --> D C --> E end subgraph Impact["现实后果"] F["推翻饮料瓶包装禁令"] G["公众产生自我道德自责"] H["企业逃避回收与治污责任"] E --> F E --> G E --> H end ``` - 参与推动该公关策略的跨国公司包括可口可乐、菲利普莫里斯以及迪克西纸杯等20多家企业。 - “保持美国美丽”（Keep America Beautiful）组织通过制度化推广“litterbug”概念，重塑了公众对环境责任的认知。 - 历史上最具影响力的公益宣传片“哭泣的印第安人”本质上是企业为了掩盖自身生产过剩与一次性包装问题而制造的宣传工具。 --- ### [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=60s) 个人责任的洗脑与绿色消费主义的陷阱 这套公关宣传取得了极其显著的成效。各地的饮料瓶禁令被纷纷废除，美国民众开始陷入无休止的自我问责之中，甚至在自家牲畜误食易拉罐丧命时痛哭流涕地责怪自己是个“乱丢垃圾的虫子”。这种认知转变导致全社会被彻底锁定在一次性消费模式中：如今每年有超过1000亿个饮料容器被白白浪费，最终被填埋、焚烧，或者随处散落在自然环境中。 亚当明确澄清了自己的立场，强调乱扔垃圾的人确实缺乏道德修养：“If you litter, you're a jerk.” 但问题的核心在于，这些大企业为了自身利益摧毁了一套行之有效的回收体系，反而要求公众自掏腰包、出力去收拾残局。这一营销策略成功培育出一种片面的“绿色文化”，将环境恶化的责任全部归咎于个人行为，而非源头制造污染的大企业。受到触动的同伴当即表态要抵制污染企业，转而只购买环保产品——比如自己已经拥有一辆混合动力车，并打算立即购买一辆全新的特斯拉电动车来拯救地球。亚当对此迅速泼了一盆冷水，指出在已有混动车的前提下执意购买新电动车并不环保：“That choice can actually hurt the environment.” - 每年有超过1000亿个饮料容器遭到丢弃，流入垃圾填埋场、焚化炉或散落各处。 - 企业的宣传策略成功颠覆了原本有效的循环回收体系，将原本属于制造商的外部性成本全部转嫁给普通公众。 - “绿色文化”往往过分强调个人消费选择（如购买混动车或全新电动车），却忽视了过度消费与产品生产制造全周期中产生的巨大碳足迹与环境破坏。 ## Notable quotes > [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk&t=0s) The most famous PSA in history was actually a piece of corporate propaganda. — 亚当 ## Mentioned Adam Conover, 可口可乐, 菲利普莫里斯, 迪克西纸杯, 保持美国美丽, 哭泣的印第安人, 特斯拉 ## Video description Yes, littering is terrible. But why should consumers shoulder all the blame for bad corporate habits? Subscribe: http://bit.ly/truTVSubscribe Watch Full Episodes for FREE: http://bit.ly/1Rw2yzp Check Adam’s Sources: http://bit.ly/1Q7MHpK In Adam Ruins Everything, host Adam Conover employs a combination of comedy, history and science to dispel widespread misconceptions about everything we take for granted. A blend of entertainment and enlightenment, Adam Ruins Everything is like that friend who knows a little bit too much about everything and is going to tell you about it... whether you like it or not. truTV Official Site: http://www.trutv.com/ Like truTV on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truTV Follow truTV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/truTV Follow truTV on Tumblr: http://trutv.tumblr.com/ Get the truTV app on Google Play: http://bit.ly/1eYxjPP Get the truTV app on iTunes: http://apple.co/1JiGkjh Way more truTV! Watch clips, sneak peeks and exclusives from original shows like Comedy Knockout, Those Who Can't and more – plus fresh video from hit shows like Impractical Jokers and The Carbonaro Effect. Adam Ruins Everything - The Corporate Conspiracy to Blame You for Their Trash [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk)

Source quotes

[0:00] 亚当: The most famous PSA in history was actually a piece of corporate propaganda.

Source quotes

[0:00] Adam Conover: The most famous PSA in history was actually a piece of corporate propaganda.

Original transcript

[0:00] People are blaming us for the litter problems. [0:02] Well, I won't stand for it! [0:05] (crowd exclaiming) [0:05] Hear, hear! [0:06] Coca-Cola is tired of making a bunch of garbage [0:09] and then getting yelled at for making all that garbage. [0:12] Philip Morris concurs. [0:13] When you think about it, it's the customer's fault [0:15] for throwing our garbage away. [0:17] (man) Dixie Cup agrees. [0:18] We'll blame the customer. [0:20] (man 2) I know a better word for them. [0:22] Litterbugs. [0:24] (cheering and applause) [0:25] And so, with the help of over 20 companies, [0:27] they founded the original anti-litter group, [0:30] Keep America Beautiful. [0:32] Wait, Keep America Beautiful was founded by litter companies? [0:35] Yep, these companies actually popularized [0:37] the term "litterbug" [0:39] and shifted the litter blame from themselves onto you. [0:42] And all of this culminated [0:43] in Keep America Beautiful's most famous ad, [0:46] the crying Indian. [0:47] No. No, not that beautiful ad. [0:50] I'm afraid so. [0:52] The most famous PSA in history [0:54] was actually a piece of corporate propaganda. [0:59] And all of this totally worked. [1:01] Bottle bans were struck down [1:03] and Americans started blaming ourselves [1:05] for the litter problem. [1:07] Eating that can didn't kill Bessie... [1:10] I killed Bessie! [1:12] I'm a litterbug! [1:16] And today, we're stuck with disposables, [1:18] and every year, over 100 billion [1:21] beverage containers end up wasted, [1:23] either in landfills or incinerators, [1:25] or yeah, just plain littered. [1:30] Now, look, I want to be clear. [1:32] If you litter, you're a jerk. [1:34] But these companies threw out an effective recycling system [1:37] and instead asked us to pick up their trash, [1:40] and their marketing campaign helped create [1:42] an entire green culture that blames [1:44] individuals for pollution [1:45] rather than the companies making it. [1:48] That's terrible. [1:50] Well, from now on, I'm going to stop supporting companies [1:52] that pollute and I'll only buy green products, [1:54] like my hybrid. [1:55] And pretty soon, I'm going electric [1:58] with a brand-new Tesla. [2:00] Wait, you already have a hybrid [2:02] but you're gonna buy a brand-new electric car? [2:04] That choice can actually hurt the environment. [2:07] Hurt the environment, yay!