June 7, 2006 9:17AM 

# They Don’t Make Trade Associations Like They Used To 

By [Jerry Taylor](https://www.cato.org/people/jerry-taylor) 

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For those of us who tire of witnessing [British Petroleum apologize](http://www.slate.com/?id=2072470&device=) for being in the oil business, or roll our eyes over Chevron PR campaigns dedicated to telling us how [we can and should buy less of their product](http://www.chevron.com/social_responsibility/energy_conservation/what_you_can_do.asp), it may seem that it was always thus. But it was not. Check out this 1956 [short film](http://www.archive.org/details/Destinat1956) produced by the American Petroleum Institute. Now THAT’S what a self-confident, take-no-guff industry looks like. Someone should tell “Big Oil” to take it’s thumb out of it’s mouth and start defending their right to exist.

##### Related Tags 

[Energy and Environment](https://www.cato.org/research/energy-environment), [General](https://www.cato.org/general) 

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