I know that guy!

Yesterday this post appeared on slashdot. Not long after it was blasted to my old university's message boards.

I KNOW this guy. I think he probably knows me too. We had class together. And now there is an article about him in Business week.

And here is where his website used to be, I hope it will be back soon.

The website was a parody of the Wal-mart Foundation website which according to Dan's new site :

The Wal-Mart Foundation's main purpose is to generate positive public relations for the Wal-Mart brand name and logo; it does so by donating small amounts here and there in an attempt to behave like a philanthropy.

As the Wal-Mart Foundation would never tell you that their goal was to help improve the brand name image of the stores, I figured I would "correct" this through parody. The site uncompromisingly promoted Wal-Mart, missing no opportunity to pretend that the sum total of Wal-Mart's impact on the communities they operate in is positive, and reminding consumers on nearly every page about Wal-Mart's low prices.

I agree with Dan on pricipal that we should not allow ourselves to be fooled by philanthropy divisions of corporations that are shutting down small businesses. After looking at the real website I do notice that there is an aweful lot about what the foundation does and has done, and not a lot about how to get this assistance. But you read it and decide for yourself.