More on the "controversy"

[bleedorange]

Isn't marketing somewhat important, though? I mean, if it hadn't been for that radio ad a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have known to go get myself a new lemon pie from Whataburger. And, man, it was tasty. Nothing dishonest there.

[plasticeyeball]

I would suggest that a person who seeks personal validation from the car they drive may want to work on their self-esteem

[Good Old Neon]

Whereas a person who seeks personal validation by talking shit about people who use image as a factor in deciding what car to purchase needs to work on what, exactly?

 

 

The two of you can try and twist what I have written, and you might even get some mileage out of it, maybe even some enjoyment - we can sit here playing little semantic word games all day, till the cows make their meandering way back to camp

[bobbob1313]

Where I work, in my neck of the woods – the VW is the starter car for the upwardly mobile sales rep – looks a little bit like a BMW – at a fraction of the cost. Those sad little status seekers who have all but forgotten that life is not a race to accrue the most stuff, or an attempt to impress all the wrong people.

 

I said the same thing about the majority of people who drive Hummers and you like lost your shit and started yelling at me about stuff. It was funny.

 

But dude, what is your profession that you never come into contact with any marketng? Do you grow all of your own food and ride a bicycle made from the pieces of a tree that you chopped down yourself?

 

You've never been influenced by an advertisement even once in your life?

[heyjada]

I've driven a VW (currently with SBS in the CD player) for 5 years and work in advertising. Boy am I on the shit list today.

[Good Old Neon]

I said the same thing about the majority of people who drive Hummers and you like lost your shit and started yelling at me about stuff. It was funny.

 

But dude, what is your profession that you never come into contact with any marketng? Do you grow all of your own food and ride a bicycle made from the pieces of a tree that you chopped down yourself?

 

You've never been influenced by an advertisement even once in your life?

 

There is a qualitative difference between claiming ALL people who drive a particular car are assholes vs. commenting on people you actually like, know

[tjr]

The two of you can try and twist what I have written, and you might even get some mileage out of it, maybe even some enjoyment - we can sit here playing little semantic word games all day, till the cows make their meandering way back to camp

[bobbob1313]

There is a qualitative difference between claiming ALL people who drive a particular car are assholes vs. commenting on people you actually like, know

[caliber66]

The two of you can try and twist what I have written, and you might even get some mileage out of it, maybe even some enjoyment - we can sit here playing little semantic word games all day, till the cows make their meandering way back to camp

[redjim]

pm

[WilcoFan]

I just watched the 2 ads on Pitchfork. They suck, but I might be excited if I saw one on t.v. because I'm such a big Wilco fan.

[jenbobblehead]

For a "fan" of Wilco, you sure seem mean spirited... just the opposite of people I've met through Wilco.

well, i think he drives a toyota. see my "marketing works" post a few pages back.

[caliber66]

pm

Thanks, Jimmy, but we're still pretty much on topic, and attempting to stay there, so we'll move to PM later. Thanks for checking in.

[Good Old Neon]

You judged the worth of their lives. You said they are "Sad little status seekers".

 

"Those sad little status seekers who have all but forgotten that life is not a race to accrue the most stuff, or an attempt to impress all the wrong people."

 

That, to me, says you feel like they have sacrificed themselves and their personality in order to impress people. Like they are somehow below you.

 

Is it lonely up there on that pedestal?

 

And they are, and they

[ction]

pm

 

I've actually kinda missed you. For real.

 

(this is sean)

[Good Old Neon]

So you're making a blanket statement about a whole group of people based on a very, very small sample of only those people you know? Or if not, what's the relevance?

 

No, that's exactly what I did not do:

 

Where I work, in my neck of the woods

[bobbob1313]

And they are, and they

[ction]

My entire point throughout this discussion has been

[caliber66]

No, that's exactly what I did not do:

 

Where I work, in my neck of the woods

[Good Old Neon]

Is a computer a necesary item? Is a microwave? Is a car, even, necesary for you to live?

 

The answer to all of these, and more, is no. What they do is make life easier by making things more efficient. I don't derive my happiness from the things I own, but they can supplement it. I'm not going to be depressed if I don't own a Nintendo Wii, but it is a fun thing to own and play with, and so I want one. That's what it comes down to. Nobody needs a Volkswagen over a Geo Metro. But if you can afford, why the hell wouldn't you buy a nicer car with a better stereo and good gas mileage? And it's not like Volkswagen's are fucking Benzes or anything? They are mid level cars for middle to upper middle class people.

 

And what kind of friends do you have that you can call them "Sad little status seekers" to their face and they don't mind.

 

All good points, Earl.

 

But, what if all this consumption, production, etc is leading us towards a not too sustainable future? Should we, as a people, be willing to mortgage our children

[Good Old Neon]

And you are using that to make a point about others who drive VWs, or is that not your point? If not, what is? That those particular people have fallen victim to the manipulations of Madison Avenue? That says far more about your friends than it does about marketers.

 

Your second point.

 

They're work friends - and very nice people - we just disagree on many issues. I have all sorts of friends, some are very earthy crunchy, others not so much - from very liberal - to scary conservative, but we all share one thing - a sense of humor.

[MrRain422]

But if you're only referring to a few people that you know, and not everyone who drives a VW, then what are you getting at in regards to this television commercial?

[EL the Famous]

All good points, Earl.

 

But, what if all this consumption, production, etc is leading us towards a not too sustainable future? Should we, as a people, be willing to mortgage our children

[Good Old Neon]

But if you're only referring to a few people that you know, and not everyone who drives a VW, then what are you getting at in regards to this television commercial?

 

That the coastal driving

[Good Old Neon]

Here - let me help you:

 

"But if driving a VW means skipping the party to drive along the cost with my friends and nick drake on a beautiful starry night, or if it means that i'd be so impressed with a little VW rabbit or golf that i'd move it to make sure it was in a legal parking spot--well, i'd rather be that kind of person."

 

I was responding to this statement - I gave an example that attempted to show that this image of a VW driver is fiction - that the person driving the VW is just as likely to be a Nick Drake hating fascist or whatever....

 

You are simply being sold on an image.