Liz Lemon and The Ilusion of Choice

If you haven't seen it, the TV show 30ROCK is worth binge watching. It’s a great take on pop culture and entertainment as mixed with modern day life and the compromises we have to make.

In the 5th season (2010), an episode called Brooklyn Without Limits (BWL) features a fictional brand (think: TOMS shoes, American Apparel, etc.) that the show’s protagonist, Liz Lemon (a TV producer for a comedy sketch show), falls in love with.

Liz — who continually struggles with her insecurities — has finally found jeans “that make her butt look good”.

However, the jeans — and the company that makes them — has a dark side as revealed by Liz’s boss, mentor, and head of the network, Jack. He reveals to “Lemon” that everything is owned by Halliburton.

Below are a few clips to watch — in order — to give you a sense of the flow.

• The beginning: Liz discovers the jeans with her friend — and co-star of the show — Jenna
• The end: Jack reveals the secret behind the brand
• The entire episode (poor quality, but mostly complete)

[You might find the secondary story line about Steve Austin, a political candidate a bit familiar, too (“I want to usher in the rebirth of this country… I will clean up Washington”)... remember, this was 2010]

However, art reflects life in more ways than one…

Chipotle… brought to you in part by McDonalds
Burts Bees… owned by Clorox
Tom’s of Maine… owned by Colgate
Aveda… owned by Estee Lauder… owned by…

Halliburton (kidding…)

However, a select few companies control a majority of the brands we know. It’s almost worse for beer fans. And, it's bad for everyone when it comes to media.

So, now you know. The real question is what are you going to do about it?