>Peter said:  “For a growing number of people it's like selling snake oil
>and ripping
>off consumers.”
Steve replied:
>Peter, if you want to convince people that emphasizing that “Organic” is
>better than “Ordinary” is like selling snake oil 

Let's keep Peter's quote in context.  He wasn't talking simply about 
emphasizing that organic is better; he was responding to a mention of a 10 
oz jar for $15.  Is "organic" honey better?  Probably, depending on the 
particulars.  Is $15/10 oz "organic" honey snake oil?  We could answer in 
the affirmative to both these questions, couldn't we, especially going by 
the definition of snake oil that Peter provided?

I think it's a fair generalization to say that nobody buys $24/lb honey 
valuing that honey for food (as opposed to a souvenir, gift item, status 
symbol, etc.)  I also think it's ridiculous to think that people are going 
to pay $24/lb to support the organic cause, i.e. that that would be 
people's real motivation.  People don't pay 400%-600% of the fair value 
for items to support causes, do they?  They just make separate donations, 
right?

Eric

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