Hypocritical or not?

[Earl Weiss]

If you are going to use a car with a stars and stripes wrap in your ad to seemingly promotes your product as "American" is it hypocritical to wrap a foreign car?

Am I just being too sensitive?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I guess first you would have to define a foreign car. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, and probably numerous others assemble vehicles in America. Ford builds or has assembled some of their Super Duty trucks in Mexico. Which one is foreign?

That being said, I would wrap a Ford, Chevy, or Chrysler product if it were me.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I guess first you would have to define a foreign car. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, and probably numerous others assemble vehicles in America. Ford builds or has assembled some of their Super Duty trucks in Mexico. Which one is foreign?

QUOTE]

Point well taken. However, there is a vast difference between assembling foreign parts or something with mainly foreign parts and actualy making something here. Years ago Lee Iacocca decried imports yet the comapny he headed rebadged some of them as the domestic product. It's no surprise as to what companies were affected most by Tsunami caused part shortages.

Thanks for the input and the "If it were you" comment.

 

[soapy]

I see a VW bug running around in our town with a stars and stripes wrap. I just don't think it is right. It was won in a duck race a few years back. The same dealer sold GM products which would have been a better choice. I mean really the VW bug was Hitlers "people's car".

 

[ted mcmeekin]

yes of course

 

[jfmoran]

There are no US Automakers

There are no "true" US automakers. Ford comes the closest, but at one time had a partnership with Mazda. Chrysler is on its way to being owned by Fiat after having been owned by Mercedes (with Uncle Sam in the middle) and GM (Government Motors) owns several Europoean Brands. Guaranteed they all use some foreign parts in their vehicles. You got Ford's built in Mexico and Toyota's built in the US. Which one's the American car?

 

[Waxman]

More flags=better.

I say put the American flag on anything! Well.....almost anything.

This is America and if a person loves the flag, they should feel free to display it. Tastefully is always better, IMO.

 

[bigleo48]

Reminds me of a funny story with my father in law.

Back in the 80s when my wife bought her first car, a Honda Civic, my father-in-law wasn't too happy that she purchased a foreign car and what he considered a death trap. He wanted her to buy a Ford Probe and he drove a T-Bird.

The Probe was a Mazda and after a little research, I discovered that the T-Bird was intentionally made with over 50% foreign parts so that car would not count in the total gas guzzler rules that all manufacturers had to follow (something of the sort anyway). Also, the Civic scored higher in safety than the T-Bird.

So his perceptions were simply that...not based on fact. I agree with JFMorgan...no such thing as an american car...just some have more pieces made in the USA. Had a BMW Z3 & Z4, both designed in the USA, built in NC with engine from Bavaria. Typical I think. Also, the Big 3 where stalled over the Japanese earthquake for the lack of parts coming from the manufacturing plants in the area.

Having said this...we must follow perceptions when dealing with the public.

 

[pitzerwm]

Even the unions have dropped "Buy American". VW, Mercedes, Toyota, & Honda are all made here now.

 

[bigleo48]

I say put the American flag on anything! Well.....almost anything.

This is America and if a person loves the flag, they should feel free to display it. Tastefully is always better, IMO.

Hey Waxman,

As a Canadian, I struggle to understand the whole flag waving thing in the USA.

I think most Canadians love their flag and are proud of their country, but Canadian flags are rarely seen here compared to the US.

I'm certainly not criticizing...your flag is much nicer than ours for starters and perhaps Canadians should...we just don't seem to feel the need to. I have NEVER seen a Canadian car wrapped in the flag. Its just one of those little differences that puzzle me.

Big

 

[madscientist]

Big,

I think you may be desensitized to the Canadian flag so you don't notice it as much as you do a "foreign" flag. Next time you drive to work, make an effort to count the number of flags you see. You may be surprised.

When it comes to wrapping flags on cars and various other ways of displaying (not on flagpoles), you are certainly correct.

 

[rph9168]

I think the American flag has become very commercialized since we have experienced so many conflicts over the past fifty years. It has become a way for some to mean that if you buy goods or services from a company that prominently displays the flag in their marketing you are a patriot. Ironically organizations like the Civil Liberties Union have supported efforts to stop private citizens from flying the flag and making the pledge of allegiance outlawed in schools and public events while supporting efforts to allow burning it. Somehow we have gone off the deep end where we are so concerned about offending someone by being patriotic that we have stepped on the rights of patriots.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

The abundance of flag-flying americans may be perception as well. The US is smaller than Canada, but has about 10 times as many people.

 

[jfmoran]

The American Flag is a great source of pride tied to the founding of our nation. It is also a global icon of freedom, liberty, capitalism and hatred of western civilization. Maybe that will add a little perspective to our Northern neighbors.

 

[Waxman]

I dunno; I just like the American flag. Ever since I started a business I have felt more patiotic.

Some nations have a strong association w/their flag and some do not. Don't know why.

 

[JJJakubowski]

I can understand why "foreigners" do not --- cannot --- understand why many Americans have so much special pride in our country and reverence for the Flag which symbolizes it.

Contrary to our own current President's opinion: America is exceptional! Our Constitution is extraordinary --- brilliant and truly inspired. It established for the world the standard and template for representative Democracy.

And the freedoms guaranteed by that remarkable and unique founding document enabled individuals in the USA to work and achieve at their highest potential. Consequently, our country soon came to lead the world in almost every human endeavor --- certainly science, medicine, industry, and (arguably) art. Those achievements then served to benefit the entire world.

And then America did what no other country could do: we went on to save the world from tyranny ... time and time again. When we Americans see our "colors" we see represented the blood shed and ultimate sacrifice made by so many for so long to preserve and share freedom. There is also idealism, unity and hope symbolized in our stars and stripes.

Most other flags/countries cannot evoke all that. For example, our esteemed brothers north of us have a flag with a graphic that most immediately brings to mind maple syrup and kick butt hockey. Nothing to be ashamed of, but ...

==========

BTW, this post resonates with the one recently started by Mac regarding 9/11. There I added my observation that none of my Lib/Dem neighbors flew the Flag to commemorate that day ... or any day ... ever. Those on the Left in this country share (at best) Leo's "ho hum" attitude about our Flag. And many on that side of the political aisle (even at its highest tiers!) have shown abject, outrageous disrespect for our Flag. If they "don't have a clue" , is it any surprise those from beyond our borders do not?

JJJ/SSCWN

 

[bigleo48]

JJJ,

With 10 times the population, you would expect more from the USA that you would from a relatively small, more dispersed northern neighbor...no doubt. However, over the years I use that metric to look at the two countries as I would expect ten times more in everything from the US and that's pretty much what I've seen. An example is Olympic medal count...the USA gets about 10 times more medals that Canada in the last summer Olympics (winter would not be a fair comparison as we are more nordic and hence would get more medals per pop).

Your comment of the constitution is true when referring to the US, but Canada has an equally strong one and is perhaps more democratic due to curbs put on big business involvement in government, either via contributions or lobbying. We also have fewer business types in office.

One of the widely accepted reasons for the USA success (from Political Science courses the world over) is one very big basic fact. The US landmass geographically, is the biggest best placed piece of land in the whole world. Have a look at a globe and look at the US land vs. everybody else. You guys have the biggest and best spot. Add the fact that USA was built by immigration of mostly from Europe and typically a poor, semi-skilled, but hard working with a lot of drive and smarts, but without the Europeen baggage that they left behind and so given a clean slate...you can see how the USA succeeded...and succeeded you did!

 

[Earl Weiss]

Contrary to our own current President's opinion: America is exceptional! JJJ/SSCWN

JJ FWIW the ad in question is on page 93 of the latest issue of SSCWN.

Any way count me in as one who will sorely miss you. We have agreed to disagree in the past, but you have noteably been respectful in your discourse which brings me to the item quoted above.

Can you cite any specific item which leads you to report on the current president's opinion as noted above?