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Guilt Free There's an element of human nature that means that people like to justify their actions, either to themselves or to others - usually both. Advertisers have exploited this with adverts that push a product as being ‘guilt free’. For example: ‘You can eat this chocolate bar without putting on weight’, or ‘you deserve this as a reward’. Guilt of course was refined by the church as method of keeping people in line. Politicians have found it an effective tool. While advertisers promote their particular brand as being ‘green’ and intimate that purchasing it will somehow help save the earth, politicians promote themselves in exactly the same way. They use guilt as a tool. Some companies have embraced this as a marketing strategy. People who would otherwise shun make up and other such niceties trip over each other to purchase expensive, cheaply made goods on the pretext that buying them will somehow aid the poor in the so-called developing world, or will save an endangered species. There are even promotions where a company promises to pay a percentage towards some worthwhile cause for every item bought. Both the buyers and sellers delude themselves. I've been with people who, while displaying some over-priced tat that they purchased trump it with ‘…and do you know for every dollar spent the company gives 1 cent to the children-without-pets foundation?’. If they really wanted to give money to such a charity they would be far better off giving it directly. Some ‘gurus’ promote themselves by telling people they can achieve enlightenment by having free sex. They can do what you want and not feel guilty – it brings the punters in.