Sometimes I have a hard time, as many of us do, looking deeper. We tend to believe what we do without consequence. We fight wars within our homes and ourselves, often oblivious to whom and what we are fighting. We jump on bandwagons because we are told to by the media, our friends, respected individuals. But we seldom look deeper. Ask questions. About the people and things we curse and hate and disagree with. About the industries who have "screwed us over" or "brought on their own demise."
The Internet is hugely effective. It has the power to unite and divide but most importantly it has the power to enlighten. Causing people to look deeper into themselves by venturing across county, state and even international lines. The online world has no borders. We are all connected.
I was quietly annoyed this week by the mass hysteria surrounding one tasteless commercial. I'm sorry but really? Is this REALLY an issue worth fighting? I find it hard to believe that mothers are more offended by this commercial than they are by their peers for responding so militantly against it. It seems to me that there are much worthier issues to be militant about. Stories to tell and eyes to open to what fixable injustices are going on in our communities, country and world at large.
Which is why I thought it so important to direct your attention to this post.
Before reading this, I was vehemently opposed to the "bailing-out" of the big three car companies, basing my opinion on what I'd heard from CNN and NPR correspondents who like most of us, dwell outside the decomposing walls of Detroit.
Thank you, Jim for changing my mind and forcing me to look deeper. And thanks to all of you who use your voices to inspire, educate and enlighten those of us who don't know any better but to skim the surface.
GGC
45 comments:
Rebecca - I was pretty amazed at how pissed off people were over that commercial, too. I mean I watched it and went away thinking it wasn't particularly effective at pushing their product, but really, who gives a shit? It seems like we're all just sitting around waiting to be offended so that we can unite and take a stand against something. (take a stand against Prop 8 - not pain pills for Christ's sake!)
Speaking of lack of compassion. I was in the elevator at work the other day (I work in a hospital) listening to this absolute bitch ranting on about how pissed off she was that she works her ass off to pay her house-note and thinks it's unfair that those who are in foreclosure are getting a break "just because they don't pay their bills". I was really horrified that she seemed unable to grasp the effect that the mass layoffs have had on people's lives, just because she herself has not been effected.
I'm so glad that you called attention to Jim's post as well. I read it and it articulated some of the things I was struggling with in regards to the bailout, but after reading it, I realized that I, too, fled Michigan thanks to the economy, and I'm less troubled by the bailout than I am by the fact that it's been so easy to blame the auto industry for what's happened to us.
I thought, (and posted) the exact same thing about the Motrin fiasco. Yes, the ad was stupid, but, really? Use your powers for GOOD people. Seriously.
Thank you! I couldn't understand what the big thing was about the Motrin ad. It was a bad ad but whatever. There are lots of bad ads on television. I'm a mom of 2 who wore both kids when they were babies and I could have cared less about the ad.
I also read Jim's post the other day and it was just perfect. It made me think and was so well written.
I just read the other comments and can't let the housing comment go...
Gina, I agree that it's terrible that people that had good jobs are no longer able to pay their bills. However...My husband is military and we've had to live apart for over 6 months because were live in a neighborhood full of foreclosures and were unable to sell our house. These aren't just people that lost their jobs and can no longer pay their mortgage.
The foreclosures in my neighborhood are due to huge, zero money down mortgages given to day laborers. Why did people want a house that they couldn't afford? Why did the banks give these people loans? We finally sold our house this week at a loss of $150K. Thank god we made money on our last house! This loss is totally NONDEDUCTIBLE.
So, the bailout does NOTHING for me. We are the hardworking family, paying our bills on time month after month, watching the value of our house plummet due to others' stupidity.
Good for you for looking deeper. There's so much to look at, I can't keep up.
Love,
Andrea
The add bugged me because it is a public dissing of women. A sign of how many people unfortunately feel. But I was only mildly annoyed.
As far as Detroit. I think they need assistance, but they need to make some hard choices. They've chosen gas guzzlers over responsible choices for far too long, and they are hurting. They need to show some good faith, not take three corporate jets to ask for funding.
I've worked hard for the money I pay in taxes, and I'm perfecting willing to pay them, and even pay more of them if I make more, but respect the hard work of the people who pay their taxes to use it responsibly.
I agree with everything you said. Particularly about Jim's post - I was against the bailout until I read what he had to say, and while the whole thing still doesn't thrill me, I understand why we need to help these companies.
Re: the Motrin Scandal- hahahaha so silly and dumb.
Re: Jim's post- so very good. Not even so much for the defense of the auto industry, but his outlook on the economy in general. (Although the two are obviously intrinsically tied.) Buying locally while driving foreign, the collapse of vocational training and manufacturing in a country that was built upon just that, forking over our pride as a country for access to cheaper JUNK, and a chance to finally reshape an economy that is sustainable- these are issues that I am glad to see coming to light. Thanks for sharing this article.
I've been of the mindset that the car companies have dug their own graves (with our help in purchasing all those hideous, gas-guzzling monstrosities---shame on us), but I will read Sweet Juniper's post with an open mind. And, my thoughts on those families---so many families---who would be devastated by their collapse.
The Motrin thing? Much ado about little, IMO. It was an easy thing to rail against and got way too much "ink". I can see those (male) executives at Motrin shaking their head at the hubbub and wondering if their "crazy" comment was that far off.
Thanks for linking to Jim's post. I think it was brilliantly written. I recently moved out of the Detroit area for work in another state, after spendign my entire life in Michigan. My dad, brother, uncle, cousin's husband, best friend - they all work/worked for the auto-industry. This is so personal for me. It's a very, very sad time in history, and the plight of Detroit is heart wrenching. I want to desperately move back to Michigan to be with my family, but there are no jobs to be found.
Thank you so much for this Rebecca. Normally I'm so unsure about writing serious things but reactions like yours have inspired me to feel like I do have something more to say than just, you know, kid stuff.
I think you've perfectly captured the heart of what's the problem here: people need to look beyond the talking points and really consider what's at stake.
The current situation for the automakers is entirely a result of the overall credit crisis--- people aren't buying cars because they can't get credit. To all the people wagging their fingers about SUVs and lack of hybrids, etc., that's a strange emotional response that is largely irrelevant. These companies don't need help because they designed poor cars or environmentally unfriendly vehicles---those assertions are FLAT OUT WRONG. And I find it so weird that people have such a visceral hatred for these companies based on those false memes.
If I were in LA, you would have to restrain me from driving down to Long Beach to take pictures of all the "superior-designed" mercedes, hondas, toyotas, etc. that are piling up there. those companies are renting vast parking lots to store their imported cars because the credit crisis has prevented people from being able to buy their cars, too (and some of those companies are fortunate enough to have governments supported by taxpayers who recognize the importance of their domestic auto industries).
oh god, I could rant all day. thanks Rebecca and everyone else!
Bec, thanks for this post. I came upon you from urbanmamas in pdx, & came upon juniper from reading his comments on here when your car got broken into about living in 'the most dangerous city'. I love my hometown (Detroit). I moved away to get job experience to bring back & be qualified to make it better (I'm an Urban Planner). I grew up with almost everyone in my family working for GM am in the midst of writing a post on what it means to me. It is impossible for anyonr who comes from Detroit has any sort of pride in it to hear people say 'screw them' without taking it a little personally.
I was just thinking about you yesterday & thinking about how I can identify with you, who I'll probably never meet, am older than, have all these differences, but still similarities. How it makes the world seem smaller, less scary. Like I said in the comment you appreciated, it all makes those 'us's & them's' seem not so black & white & more just human.
I agree. The wasted energy of people upset over that stupid commercial... here's an idea, don't watch t.v. than you won't have to see it, haha. I am more upset over the corn industries commercials trying to save face from high fructose corn syrups... not that i was overly upset but those were in fact totally offensive but then we all fight our own fight, right? its all valid to the individual so its hard to discount someone's anger from the next. I read the post you were referring to and was glad to be opened up a bit.
I think Jim's post clearly identifies the real dilemma here: how do we as a nation respond to a company that, as he said, has made some colossal judgement errors in the last ten years, and still protect the families directly affected by the industry? He mentions in the post that he hopes any bailout will have "plenty of strings attached" but I, like many Americans, am pretty ignorant about what those strings would actually look like, and how they'd be enforceable. It's hard not to be outraged when you hear about choices executives make--like those financial executives who celebrated the 700 billion dollar bailout with a week at the spa. Will Detroit's executives get the same? My brother works for a parts company in Ann Arbor, and all the employees there are getting Thanksgiving week off. If they have vacation days, they can use them. If not, it's an unpaid vacation. Are the auto industry's biggest CEOs facing similar deals? Until they feel the same pinch as everyone else, it's hard to stomach saving them. And yet, if we don't, the misery will continue.
It's a scary time.
My thought on the car co. issue was that absolutely, Detroit has been devestated and has been so for may years. The reason US car manufacturers cannot sell their product currently, is because the cars aren't what the majority of people want. The companies spent tons of money on lobbyist fighting the gas mileage regulations that consumers WANTED.
That being said, give them the money, stipulate that some of it must be spent on research for hybrid/better fuel economy cars,mandated gas mileage, and put a REASONABLE cap on executive pay, but continue to pay the union workers a LIVING wage.
I think it's a cop out to say, "We can't compete because we can't pay our workers less than it costs to live." The reason they can't compete is because their product is substandard and that they FOUGHT tooth and nail to keep it that way.
...but, just my two cents.
that spot was dumbness. it sounds like i wrote it.
it's frustrating to live in a world full of mistakes we didn't make and we not only have to live with, but are expected to pay for, as well, when all any of that does is destabilize our own colective future.
jim for mayor of detroit!
As another hardworking family that wouldn't even DREAM to buy a house we could not afford (That being said, we would have to dish out at least a million bones for a two bedroom in our 'hood) I do agree with you dv, to a point. People should be responsible for their own demise and for acting irresponsibly but I think we really have to focus on what we can all do as a community to help one another move forward and on. We are all in this together and no one is better than anyone else. I really think in order to forge and fight this we have to hold the hands of those that have fallen, even if they tripped themselves. Because the truth is? By letting them fall, we all fall down.
You are so right. We ARE all connected. We have to help each other. Even if we don't want to. Even if it's not our 'fault'.
Kudos to you and Jim.
I never wore my baby- my attitude was, I carried you for nine months already. No more. The Motrin commercial is annoying, obnoxious...but there are bigger problems in our country and around the world. Economic collapse, civil rights issues, ethnic cleansing, etc.
Jim's post articulates the complexity of the bail-out issue. I feel the auto industry, along with the credit companies, have taken advantage of the public. Perhaps no one deserves the proverbial "get out of jail free" card, but these are extraordinary times. We are all in this together- Unfortunately, the failure of these industries cannot happen in a bubble- each one of us will feel the effects of another great depression in this country.
Hi Rebecca,
While I agree his post is well-written and makes a strong case for the complexity of the auto industry's bailout, I cannot ignore a ridiculously offensive statement. I'm also shocked that no one else seems to have noticed. Jim writes, "Maybe brown people somewhere across an ocean will make whatever it is they're selling or shuffling on paper or e-mailing each other about."
"Brown people"?! Wow. It's hard for me to respect someone, no matter how articulate, if they throw a clearly disrespectful, unnecessary comment about race in a discussion about domestic economic issues. Reading your blog for years led me to believe you might share a similar sentiment about the presence of that phrase in his post.
you are right that there are many things that also need to be worried about. many things that could be/should be/are considered more important. but that commercial was, in my opinion not only offensive and uneducated, but just one more slight toward the more, for lack of a better word, earth mama, mamas. a lot of mothers were upset by it, and rightfully so. a lot of women who aren't mothers yet (like me) were upset by it, and rightfully so.
i think it's really easy to be like "you're so worked up over this, why not put some of that energy and passion toward human rights or environmental or animal causes, or, i dunno, fighting the idiocy that is prop 8, for example." i find myself feeling that way about a lot of things. but that doesn't mean those things don't deserve attention, and it's really not even that those things are being brought to the fore at the expense of other (more) worthy issues. i'm a rabid lefty, myself, but i think this is the left's biggest issue--we spend so much time fighting eachother about what is worthy or what matters or what should be dealt with first that we a) lose all the momentum for everything, and b) do little but pull eachother down in the process.
anyway, i'm probably not making sense anymore, but i get why so many moms got so mad. i guess it's the straw that broke the NFL-mama's back, as it were.
Thanks for directing me to Jim's post - there's so much food for thought there I think it will be marinating for a long time.
I was less quiet about the Motrin incident. I posted on Monday that I was annoyed by the over-reaction and by what I saw as people attempting to increase their on-line profile to the detriment of this community's credibility.
oh man, I thought the exact same thing about the uproar about the Motrin ad. I saw all these comments and calls for action on Twitter and I thought, "Really? THIS is what we are going to fight about?"
I was amazed at the Motrin commercial - it is a statement of what a rich, indolent country we are that people waste their time getting pissed off about bullshit like that.
I doubt someone living a subsistence life in a third world country would give a rats ass about a commercial.
I blogged about the auto industry bailout, too. My take on the issue is this: The banks are getting tons of money without an accountability structure in place. So, instead of using the $$$ to buy up the bad mortgages, the focus is now on mergers&acquisitions; in other words: The big banks are getting richer because they're buying smaller banks with TAXPAYER monye.
In contrast, the auto industry asked for less than 4% of this $$$ and already agreed to a clear accountability and financial tracking structure. All they need is for the credit market to unfreeze, so that people can get loans again with which to buy cars (like the 2009 Ford Focus Hybrid, for example).
But wait! That credit market won't unfreeze because, despite the fact that the bank bailout money was supposed to do that, it's now going into M&A. The snake is biting its tail.
Of course, Jim said this better than I could.
It does seem like fighting an issue like this is a waste of energy.
In response to MK - I don't think Jim (or Rebecca for that matter) meant anything offensive by his use of the term "brown people." I think the phrase was used to illustrate how many large corporations view other nations' populace and workforce as being a group which can be easily exploited. The term "developing nations" basically means people doing the same amount of work for less, because their standard of living, which is worse than "developed" nations, can be accepted without rioting, revolution, or worse. This is the ugly truth of globalization in the eyes of developed nations' corporations.
The auto industry has for years complained about the small car market being dominated by foreign makers, and instead went the route of the bigger auto, which they could control hand over fist. The time has come to compete with the foreign auto makers, and if smaller profit margins are the new reality, then let that be the worst result of their new business model.
What Anonymous said. Thank you, Anon. I absolutely agree and know Jim didn't mean "brown people" according to Jim but according to those who freely exploit those living oversees and see them as faceless entities. The sad truth unfortunately and something we must be aware of so we can change.
Re: Amber. Great points and I agree we should (of course!) fighting for what we believe in. I just felt the Motrin situation was more of a lynch mob stirred up by a few and followed by a great many and for what, really? I guess, I was just confused why it was so offensive. I wear my baby, too and though the commercial was just as lame as most commercials depicting moms. I also get annoyed when moms are selling cleaning products, wearing khaki pants and Reeboks and rolling their eyes at their fat beer-drinking husbands who are perpetually tracking mud all over the carpet.
Because THAT is what moms (and their no-good husbands) look like? Uh... none that I associate with. So there you go. Ad execs nine times out of ten get it wrong.
And Foodie? Totally agree with you that those Corn Syrup commercials? Suck! But more than just being offensive they are HILARIOUS because, like the Motrin ad, anyone with half a brain can watch them and say "Oh LOOOORD, are they desperate or what to RELATE to the people...?"
Which, as we all know, they are.
I wish as many people had gotten all uptight about Prop 8 as had about that stupid commercial. It was a stupid commercial, but I don't think i would have even taken a second look at it if not for the brou-ha-ha.
rebecca: re your response, totally right on all points, for sure.
you bring up one of many reasons why i don't have a tv...or facebook or myspace or twitter. lol. i never hear about things until they go around the blogosphere or get in the paper. advertising = suck.
????? I'm at a loss to figure out why that ad would offend anyone. I wore my baby when he was small. And I never saw it as a cause or a lifestyle choice. It was just a way for me to get my shopping done when he was too little to sit up. And as he got heavier, it did start to hurt my back, so I was really happy to stop wearing him. And I'm always happy to have Motrin when I'm in pain.
Off to read the post you mentioned.
I see why some people might roll their eyes- and then move on cause that's about al it warrants- at the Motrin commercial but it's really not that big of a deal.
Jim's post was really well written. I am concerned over the amount of job losses that would come from these car companies failing. I live in Alabama and our elected officials made a great point the other day before Congress: Why are only these certain companies failing? In Alabama we host a ton of car manufacturing plants and they are doing great. So shouldn't these companies be held accountable for the mistakes they've made? Because it's not to be blamed completely on the economy. Someone above posted this: "If I were in LA, you would have to restrain me from driving down to Long Beach to take pictures of all the "superior-designed" mercedes, hondas, toyotas, etc. that are piling up there. those companies are renting vast parking lots to store their imported cars because the credit crisis has prevented people from being able to buy their cars, too (and some of those companies are fortunate enough to have governments supported by taxpayers who recognize the importance of their domestic auto industries)."
Well, those companies you just listed are American made cars. Every one you listed have plants in Alabama, including other major auto makers, and provide thousands of jobs. They are not in jeopardy. Why are these others? Why is it our responsibility to pay for their mistakes. I think they need to fail, in my opinion. Businesses fail every day in this country and life goes on.
Which brings me to the housing issue. DIVRCHK said that it is not our responsiblity to help people in foreclosure and Rebecca said we should give them a hand or else we all fall down. This is where differing politics come in to play. It is 100% the fault of the banks and the home owners. DIVRCHK is so correct: they had no business buying a house they could not afford. And banks had no business giving 100% loans. Period. It's not my reponsibility to hold someone's hand as they go through it because they made a stupid mistake. It's just not. And you wanna know something: we did the same thing. We got a 100% loan on a house that was around $50k over what we really needed or could afford. Should we find ourselves in the position of foreclosure never in a million years would I expect you, Rebecca, or anyone else to hold our hands and help us through it. It's our responsiblity.
I think this is a major problem in this country. No one wants to take responsibility anymore and expects others (or the government) to "bail" them out when needed. And there are more and more people thinking that's OK. Yet in "holding someone's hand" as they fall will only take us down with them, not lift them up. We can't protect everyone from stupid mistakes. What happened to the idea that we learn from mistakes? And when did we expect someone else to make our mistakes right and erase them? I just don't get it.
re: Alabama:
"Alabama offered a stunning $253 million incentive package to Mercedes. Additionally, the State also offered to train the workers, clear and improve the site, upgrade utilities, and buy 2,500 Mercedes Benz vehicles. All told, it is estimated that the incentive package totaled anywhere from $153,000 to $220,000 per created job. On top of all this, the State gave the foreign automaker a large parcel of land worth between $250 and $300 million, which was coincidentally how much the company expected to invest in building the plant." ---Pete Karmanos
Where were the Alabamans protesting their tax money going to foreign corporations? Alabama gave Mercedes alone half a billion dollars. and mercedes wasn't even asking for it: Alabama just GAVE it to them. Who knows how much Alabama and Tennessee etc. have given all those other companies to lure them down to enticing right-to-work environments where unions will never be established?
look, you are 100% incorrect to say that all those foreign cars are made in the USA. some foreign cars are made here. but even those ones are often assembled from foreign-made parts. there are still many, many auto plants in Japan, Korea, and Germany building cars that get imported to the United States.
Again, I ask, where is the compassion? We felt it for Alabamans (even the foolish, ignorant Alabamans who continue to live on the gulf coast) after the hurricanes. The crisis afflicting Detroit is not entirely of its own making. It is all our own making. We prefer cheap, crappy made by poorly-treated foreign workers that we can throw away every two years. we don't respect working people. We prefer sending our money to foreign countries and help build foreign economies while slowly destroying our own. people will be dying here just as if this were an economic disaster. people are already dying here. we have the worst murder rate in the country. and no one gives a damn.
I meant just as if this were a natural disaster in my last paragraph.
Well, at least I got a good laugh about the foolish, ignorant Alabama folks who continue to live on the Gulf after hurricanes. We all really should up and move. Actually, just clear out the entire coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississipi...and oh, the entire state of Florida because they have hurricanes, too. Where shall us ignorant folks go? Midwest? Oh....tornados. Cali? Oops...earthquakes. Suggestions jdg? We're all just ignorant waiting for someone to tell us where to live to avoid the possiblity of a hurricane.
The fact is that every state, not just us idiots in Alabama, are selling off our land and rights to foreign countries. There are so many things our government- large and small- are doing wrong and it will bring our country down. Like you said we have no respect for our own people. Yet we keep allowing so many things to continue- our elected officials to continue doing things- that are taking us down.
Jo Bonner- a rep for Alabama, who was not even CONTESTED in this election, voted for the bailout. He posted on his page a letter that said, and I'm summarizing here, that he understood the majority of people in Alabama wanted him to vote against the bailout. But HE felt differently and voted how HE wanted. Not how the people who elected him wanted because, well as you stated, are a bunch of ignorant people. This is where our government is. Can't think for ourselves, they need to do it for us.
good god chill out miranda. of course I don't really think the people who live on the gulf coast are ignorant. I was using that as an example to show that maybe the people who live here who have made the "stupid mistake" of working in the auto industry and who will lose their livelihoods deserve some compassion---just like the people who made the "stupid mistake" of living on the gulf coast. I knew that would rile you a little but I thought you'd understand I was trying to make a comparison and play on the rhetoric you DID hear from the pundits during the hurricanes ("why don't these people evacuate? why do they rebuild there? why should we help THEM.") I guess that could have been more clear, but I think the comparison is still important.
Do we as a nation turn our backs on the people who live in the paths of hurricanes, or do we try to help them? Similarly, when an economic disaster hits, do we turn our backs on people whose livelihoods come from designing, building, and selling American-made products in America with the money STAYING in America?
You might find it surprising that all the foreign companies who are doing "so well" down there in right-to-work Alabama support this bailout, because the bailout will go to help pay the parts suppliers who, in some cases, supply parts for their vehicles, and if those companies fail then their cars won't get made. And those companies aren't doing as well as you think. Look at the current sales figures.
Everything is connected. I wouldn't get too comfortable there in Alabama. You never know when our type of disaster will strike you too.
I blog about news, and just couldn't bring myself to post about the Motrin thing...but in the same breathe I'll say the recent news about McDonald's enlisting moms as "quality correspondents" raised my ire, and sent my fingers typing...so go figure. Guess it's just what pushes your individual buttons.
Aphra
http://www.relevantmom.blogspot.com
Oh thank goodness others didn't get the hubbub over the Motrin ad. I thought it was just me. I thought maybe I wasn't cool enough or smart enough or discerning enough to understand what all the uproar was about. It was so much ado about very little, imo.
Oh Jim, I'm chill. Peace, love, joy and all that jazz. And I don't think it matters what state you live in at the moment. No one should be too comfy at the moment if you live in the U.S. :)
I'd like to think we can rant about lots of things - ads that belittle the job of motherhood, the truly sad state of the domestic automotive industry, the bigoted fuckwads in Fresno, the resurgence of stirrup pants, the unfortunate casting of Godfather III...
Thanks for pointing me to Jim's post. I should have known he'd have an illuminating insight into all of this.
I feel really stupid here because I don't get what is so offensive about that ad. I do wear my baby and sometimes my back does hurt. Are the mamas upset because the ad implies that we wear babies because it's trendy. Seriously, people are upset about this? I think it's just blogging fodder for many. Yay! Finally something to blog about. Gah! If this is all we have to complain about, we must be doing pretty damn good.
As for Motrin: Who gives a crap? I mean, your back hurts because youre carting your kid around all day. Completely understandable. It happens to all of us. Kids get heavy. So you take motrin and finally relax at the end of the day. That ad is not offensive. Silliness.
As for Detroit: My hometown. My hockeytown. My city that I love. I am a true Michigander and I am praying for this problem to be fixed so we can all be happy and proud Detroiters again. I am FOR the bail out, but I think big cutbacks should be made on executive salaries. Jen Granholm said that some execs make more in a month than people making minimum wage make in a lifetime. Ouch. Think about us, execs. Do you WANT there to be a solid manufacturing industry here? We get stuff from Asia, middle east, etc. We NEED a manufacturing industry in the US. We NEED the auto industry. Detroit is not the only place that will fall if the Big 3 go down. :( This saddens me.
That Motrin commercial didn't bother me. I don't get worked up over stuff like that.
And I love this post. Because people tend to think issues are black or white, but there is so much gray out there!!
Thank you for this. I wholeheartedly agree.
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