ABSTRACT
By the early 1950s companies had begun to assert a human-like kinship between corporations and the individual. This chapter shows how another corporate entity, Standard Oil of California (SOCA), used its Standard Oiler publication in the early 1950 s to affirm the value of self-government to its readers. The Standard Oiler complemented its warnings about the inefficiencies of an intrusive, meddling government by urging its readers to consider more carefully how America’s free enterprise system was the optimal route toward citizens’ freedom to achieve a productive and more satisfying life. By 1950, SOCA faced a series of events that challenged its ability to present itself as a constructive force in shaping what it meant to be an American. Self-governance plays a vital role in solidifying such an appeal because it furthers the sense of consonance between individual and the organization.
