The “Work” of Deception: Fraud, Virtue, and Protection in Twentieth Century Capitalism

This session explores how deceptive commercial practices generate labor – both on the side of those orchestrating frauds and those trying to prevent them. Though deception and trade have long gone hand in hand, technological advancements, new techniques of persuasion, and changes to the corporate form added new layers of ambiguity to market practices in the twentieth century. In response, reformers called for greater public oversight while seemingly virtuous enterprises called for self-regulation. Jennifer Black’s paper points to early efforts in US advertising to self-police, in order to improve the industry’s reputation and avoid federal regulation. These efforts were largely unsuccessful; self-regulation in the ad industry would ultimately fizzle, and lead to oversight through the Federal Trade Commission. Cynthia Meyers analyzes the effects of the FTC’s attempts to root out deceptive messaging in television commercials (1959-62). Investigations of product claims led to renewed efforts to self-regulate as well as an increased reliance on emotional appeals in advertising. Turning from corporate messaging to consumer protection, Richard Popp’s study of TV repair scams explores how the technological complexities of consumer electronics created new opportunities for commercial exploitation in the midcentury US. In doing so, the paper looks beyond the point of sale to show how maintenance and repair left consumers all the more vulnerable to fraud. Finally, Chis McKenna’s paper takes us inside the C-suite to explore the evolution of whistleblower protections in the US and EU. As McKenna argues, a wave of regulatory changes, prompted by persistent concerns about corporate greed and white-collar crime, opened additional avenues in the late twentieth century for senior executives to turn on their employers, co-opting the modern corporation to regulate itself. As the panel demonstrates, the work of deception and the work of suppressing it are endemic and actively-evolving features of modern capitalism.