Special Interest Group: A group of people with a narrow focus on one area of an interest.
This could be a shared interest in a sport, issue. or condition.
On the surface, a special interest group might be a "good" thing, as they might bring the interest up to others in order to educate them about the issue. This often leads to requesting support for the cause. An example might be parents of autistic kids sharing information about autism and how their children can be successful in school. That's a good way of tapping into sharing with others by special interest groups.
But sometimes, special interest groups head into the murky waters of ceasing to work for "the common good," but lean towards supporting a group simply for profit or other personal gain. One of the prime examples of this are the lobbyist that present their special interest before Congress, hoping to sway votes on issues in ways that help their cause. As you know, sometimes this leads to questionable and unfair practices, including those with legal problems.
Sadly, special interest groups seem to have gone away from unity for the sake of educating others or improving life, but promoting their views if it's for the best interests of others or not. These special interests are usually a minority but bully the majority into bowing down. Politics, long an arena of strife, have become saturated with special interests.
When does it become too much? Or more accurately, when will we stand up and say, "Stop bullying everyone!" It's fine to share your interest with others, and if you are sincere, you'll want to convince others that your way is the way things should be done, whether medical, educational, religious, or political issues.
This has been bothering me for a long time, but guess what finally prompted me to protest? Super Bowl ads. Seriously. I haven't watched an NFL game in years and couldn't care less who is in the Super Bowl, much less care which one wins the game. The ads shown during the Super Bowl cost $3.8 million dollars for a 30 second spot!!! This doesn't include the money spent creating just the "right" ad to do this.
But special interests have reared their ugly heads and spoken out against some of the ads. If they were really insulting or dangerous, I could understand it. But that's not the case. There are several ads that won't be shown due to protests.
For instance, the Vegetarian Special Interest groups have given Taco Bell such a hard time that they pulled their ad. It advertised their 12 pack of tacos as a good choice for a Super Bowl Party food. It made fun of the guest that brought the veggie tray. It was an AD! Yes, people have veggie trays for super bowl parties - but they dip them in decadent sauces and eat hot wings, and high calorie cheese dips. Super Bowl parties are land mines for dieters.
Last I checked, a taco has vegetables - tomatoes, lettuce, and probably some onions. So rather than saying, "Yay Taco Bell - you're featuring a food with vegetables!" Noooo... they had a little temper tantrum because of the comments made about the veggie tray. Result? Taco Bell pulled the ad! Well, the jokes on you Veggies - people are now watching the Taco Bell ad on you-tube and seeing it on TV - all without the company having to pay the $3.8 million for the ad spot!
It's a sad state of affairs when special interest groups tie up our effective processes - but it's just plain silly when it determines the ads shown during a football game!
