Posted by caraher on May 28, 2008, at 16:13:31
In reply to Lou's response to caraher's post-leiokoka, posted by Lou Pilder on May 27, 2008, at 11:16:38
> Friends,
> It is written here,[...this promotion ..disturbing...].
> I am unsure as to what the advertisment purports as to be disturbing. If anyone could list the criteria seen in the advertisment that could constitute to be disturbing in your opinion, then I could have the opportunity to respond accordingly.It's not that there's any particular element of the ad/promotion that is in itself disturbing. I definitely would not post the link if that were so!
What disturbs me is the collective myopia required for the automaker's most visible response to the current elevation in fuel prices. Rather than promoting more efficient vehicles or (better still) laying out a plan for transitioning to renewable energy in transportation, they chose to subsidize the purchase of inefficient cars by capping customers' short-term fuel expenses.
It's disturbing to me to see someone - or in this case, many people - willfully ignore facts they find inconvenient in order to pursue a path that can lead only to ruin. It's a little like seeing a soldier head off to battle in a war he cannot win - there's nothing intrinsically disturbing about a photograph of him marching away in uniform, but knowing that there's a good chance he won't come back adds new dimensions to the picture. (Which I say not to compare the soldier's situation to this one! I use it only to discuss how something with no obviously unsettling elements can acquire them upon reflection. If I were to choose a metaphor for the fossil fuel situation it would probably involve lemmings...)
poster:caraher
thread:830101
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20080428/msgs/831695.html