The mask of Ethics

- Luna 

What is the meaning of "wash"?

To remove something.

To clean a stain, to erase dirt — not just from clothes, not just from skin, but from our minds, from our thoughts, from the darker corners of society.

Washing means renewal. It’s not only physical — it’s emotional and societal. We wash our hands. But we also long to wash away injustice. We want to cleanse our surroundings of dishonesty, cruelty, and everything that pollutes our humanity.

But what if this idea of “washing” was used not to clean, but to cover something filthy? When if the washing meaning, becomes nothing but eye-washing.

That’s what bluewashing is.

Bluewashing is when corporations or institutions use the image, reputation, and values of the United Nations — especially the symbolism of the color blue — to appear ethical, responsible, and socially conscious. They look like they care about the world. They speak the language of peace, equality, and sustainability. But behind that polished face, their hands are still dirty.

These companies pretend to be pure. They promote themselves as saviors of the environment, supporters of human rights, or defenders of the planet. But in reality, many of them are doing the opposite. They’re polluting. Exploiting. Lying. And all the while, smiling for the camera.

This is not just hypocrisy — it’s a kind of silent crime. They create a mask — and behind it, they do whatever benefits their business, no matter the cost to people, planet, or principles.

They do not fix the problem; they fix the image.

They don't need to tell the truth — they just need to look believable.

They use big speeches, blue flags, flowery ads, soft music in the background of every campaign. They use buzzwords like “green,” “sustainable,” “responsible,” “carbon-neutral.” And while the public claps and trusts, the real work — the destructive work — continues, quietly and strategically.

And this is where it becomes dangerous. Because people begin to trust the mask. We begin to believe in their roleplay of goodness. And in doing so, we lose our ability to separate what’s real from what’s performed.

They are not only manipulating the environment — they are manipulating emotions.

They are not killing with bullets, but with mental pollution.

A terrorist uses fear and weapons. These corporations use hope as a weapon. They play with our optimism, our trust in global institutions like the UN, our desire to believe that the world is getting better. They sell that dream to us. But it’s a dream made of fog.

For me, it feels like terrorism — not with bombs, but with lies wrapped in good intentions.

Not physical destruction, but slow erosion of truth.

They create beautiful illusions. But behind their beautiful campaigns, forests vanish. Rivers grow darker. Workers remain unheard. Air becomes unbreathable. But the website stays clean. The logo shines blue.

They act like they care, but what they care for is profit.

They act like they help, but what they help is their brand.

It’s an emotional scam — and we are the ones being scammed.

They want people to admire them. So they adopt the blue, the values of peace and progress — but only as decoration. Not as duty.

And the saddest part? When these false saints rise, the real warriors of justice get buried under doubt. People begin to question not only the companies, but also the institutions that originally inspired hope. Even the name of the United Nations loses some of its power in the eyes of the public. The trust breaks a little.

And when trust breaks, the world becomes more fragile. Real ethics is quiet, difficult, and slow. It doesn’t wear makeup. It doesn’t throw parties for doing the right thing. It suffers. It sacrifices. But these companies? They skip the sacrifice — and go straight to the celebration.

And maybe that’s the true danger of bluewashing — it replaces transformation with theatre.

It turns social responsibility into a costume.It turns caring into marketing.

It’s not enough to look good.

Being good means standing by values even when no one is watching. Even when profit screams in the opposite direction. Even when no applause comes. But the bluewashers don’t want to wait that long. They don’t want to earn trust — they want to buy it.

And when truth becomes a brand, and lies become strategy — who do we trust anymore?