car marketing - two different ploys

[pinkytoe]

I thought this was kind of an interesting article on trying to reach us to sell cars through different ploys; I had seen the Cadillac one but not the Ford:
http://grist.org/list/why-do-we-work-so-hard-cadillac-and-ford-have-very-different-answers/

[catherine]

I thought this was kind of an interesting article on trying to reach us to sell cars through different ploys; I had seen the Cadillac one but not the Ford:
http://grist.org/list/why-do-we-work-so-hard-cadillac-and-ford-have-very-different-answers/

Awesome!! I was in tears! (what kind of enviro-geek am i??) I had seen that Cadillac ad and really found it well, not my style. Ford's response is almost enough to make me want to buy a plug-in Ford in 10 years after my Prius wears out!

[JaneV2.0]

Excellent comment:

"Why do we work so hard? Many of us have to pay for the most expensive health care (insurance isn't care) on the planet, pay out the yin yang for college and will have to fund our own retirement so we can pretend to pay low taxes while effectively subsidizing corporations that are enabled by congress in avoiding taxes and externalizing their costs onto our asses and assuring labor-insecurity to keep us in line and we are willing to accept it all in exchange for shiny wampum." (GPaudler)

[ApatheticNoMore]

"Why do we work so hard? Many of us have to pay for the most expensive health care (insurance isn't care) on the planet, pay out the yin yang for college and will have to fund our own retirement so we can pretend to pay low taxes while effectively subsidizing corporations that are enabled by congress in avoiding taxes and externalizing their costs onto our asses and assuring labor-insecurity to keep us in line and we are willing to accept it all in exchange for shiny wampum." (GPaudler)

I think the above framing is false as it assumes everyone works hard because they need the money (even if they need the money because the system stinks). I think that's clearly untrue. While it is no doubt true for some people, anyone near the poverty line I imagine, I could give a fig leaf about the additional income. If reduced hours for reduced pay were ACTUALY ON OFFER, you just look at how fast I reduce my so called expenses. But it's not on offer and if you go for it individually in the short term you will fight an uphill battle (incidently a walk I have walked before). It's not one of the choices being offered. So I could rail about the cost of this and that (often absurd and rent seeking is often baked in the cake), but I'd rather just rail for 4 weeks mandatory vacation if the real point actually is to work less (instead of 100 other unrelated agendas and the kitchen sink as well - I grok all the interrelationships - but if they are used to entirely obscure the main point why bother). Reducing college costs might be worth doing but it won't get you the free time 4 weeks mandatory vacation ACTUALLY WOULD GET YOU. Now there is another approach to this of MASSIVELY reducing the cost of living to the point where everyone could live on a part-time wage at McDonalds or something but that is radical (and you'd have to reduce things beyond just healthcare like the whole scam of housing costing so much and so on - I mean the basic structure of American society is an expensive cost of living - it's not just a few "bad" industries that cause that).

So I think unless you can reduce the cost of living to the point where companies needs employees MORE THAN employees need jobs you'll never get more free time collectively just by reducing the cost of living.

As for:
"and we are willing to accept it all in exchange for shiny wampum."

I think many people have decided a shiny wampum is all they can realistically expect (and they are lucky to be able to afford a shiny wampum I guess :)). And I get sick and tired sometimes of dealing with things besides shiny wampum as well :). Human relationships? Ugh a source of endless troubles sometimes. Jobs, ambition, politics? A source of troubles. Shopping at the thrift store? Nice and peaceful :)

[JaneV2.0]

Yes, the truth is more nuanced. I knew people when I worked that put off taking their vacation because they honestly couldn't figure out what to do with themselves without other people telling them*--a concept I can't even begin to grasp. With seniority, we eventually got 8 or 9 weeks off, and occasional unpaid time you could volunteer for, which must have driven the worker bees nuts.

But the commenter is right about health care, and ridiculous college costs (with usurious loans), and sky-high subsidies, and ever-lower federal taxes. And wampum, too--though I have a personal weakness for shiny objects, I must admit...

*Or maybe the thought of spending time with their loved ones was more daunting than the daily grind...

[ApatheticNoMore]

Ok I finally watched the Ford commercial. Yea, I like it, way better than the Government Motors commercial. Is it actually being aired though or is it just an internet phenomena? Of course I buy strictly Asian cars but I still like the commercial.

Of course it has nothing to do with why most people work so hard, as I figure many who are trying to improve the world work purely for the money and try to make the world better in our ever so limited spare time (like me). Because the latter seldom pays the bills.