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In today's America we believe in nothing in moderation
vinlyn
Colorado...for now Veteran
I'm not posting the original article because I didn't feel it was that interesting, or that appropriate to our forum. But I thought the headline of Kathleen Parker's Op-Ed piece was an intriguing concept: "In today's America we believe in nothing in moderation".
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Comments
Yup!
Sure, only if i can say : "classic overcompensation for your weaner."
But yeah, excessiveness pretty much defines Americana.
Also, http://www.heartattackgrill.com/
please be mindful of where you post, guys - go to the appropriate forum first, THEN start a 'new conversation'.... mmk? Thnx
This is the age of the self and worship of the self - one is encouraged to believe in nothing (but not so far as to promote anarchism) just enough to maintain spending on the self... it keeps the wheels turning and its certainly not limited to America...
What do you expect from a consumer driven society? Also, don't confuse marketing with the average consumer's choices, or point to a fringe population and claim that defines the average person.
For instance, unlike smaller nations, we're captive to our autos for normal life unless we live in a big city, and even there "budget cuts" are eliminating the bus for many of those lucky citizens. If you actually look at the cars on the road, most of them are compacts, especially the newer cars. So do we snear at the big boats left on the road? There are lots of people stuck driving older gas guzzlers because they can't afford to trade up, and in the past we were pretty much stuck buying big cars (the small cars were cheaply made and cheaply sold). We're not stupid. We wouldn't pay a hundred bucks to fill up a tank every week if we had the income and down payment for something better.
And of course, if you're in farming country or run a business, or have a big family, you need that bigger vehicle. Should the owner of the van have a sign that says, "Yes, it's just me going to the store alone in this beast today, but I have four kids at home that usually fill the seats!"
So let's talk about marketing. If you're trying to sell something, you want to attract more buyers and stand out from the competition. You can cut the price, but the whole idea is to make more profit. So a favorite marketing gimik is to make the product bigger. Bigger portions on the plate. Most of the cost of running a restaurant comes from the building and turning on the kitchen burners and paying the staff. Putting a few extra ounces of meat on your plate or another spoonful of mashed potatoes is pennies once the they get you into the seat.
So bigger servings. I can't finish a meal in a restaurant anymore. Free refills. You do realize that's about a dime's worth of soda water and syrup in that huge gulp jug, right? Do you know the plastic cup costs as much as the contents, and stations have to count the cups while nobody cares how much soda is dispensed?
Anyway, it's amazing how marketing works. On the other hand, marketing something as "going green" now is a big thing. But in my experience, the stupid suits in the boardroom don't know how to change and will keep doing the same old thing until their customers leave for new companies that satisfy comsumer demand. That's what had to happen with the US auto industry.
It consumes much natural resources to produce that problem. It's the source of many chronic diseases.
I don't indulge in food.I eat fix portion of unprocessed food every day. I don't eat out and don't eat junk food. After 10 years moving to NA, my weight stays pretty much the same: BMI ratio is 20. They say: I am too skinny. Skinny or not is not a standard for healthy weight, it's a perception. I read a report that the standard for normal weight has trended higher compared to 50 years ago.
So what is the point? Anything above 500hp is a waste, because if your point is to get from point A to point B the quickest, then traction problems will prevent that from happening. I doubt there is anyone that has witnessed the top speed of a Shelby 500 on a public road, so what are you going to do with an additional 500hp?
But we are conditioned to look at the numbers and greedily think that more is better, and owning more puts you one up on your neighbor, whether that "more" actually does anything for you or not.
My rational for buying it was that I'm 6' 6", so there are numerous cars I just can not comfortably drive, some I can't safely drive, and even some that I can't drive period. I have three family members to tote around (my son is about as tall as I am), and some of our favorite activities involve going to the beach or other places that may require driving off the pavement. The back is super handy for groceries, or beach and camping gear, and it drives wonderfully.
I am hopeful though that I will see electric, or other alternate energy cars take over the market in my lifetime... we have actually made a lot of progress in the last few years. I actually saw my first public parking spots with power cables a couple weeks ago, reserved for electric cars... and the Nissan Leaf seems to be a popular car around here.
The one thing I didn't like about my SUV was feeling things in the back were less secure than in a trunk.
On the SUV thing, they don't need to be big to do this but I have a reason the closest I will drive to a sedan is my subaru. I have lived in the mountains of Colorado, it is where I would make my first choice to live, and no one is gonna rescue me if it snows out of nowhere or I am stupid. So I get just as irritated at the large SUV's in the city without any dirt on them. Really, they may have the SUV but I will tell you one bad snow storm and they are personally as helpless as everyone else. It is one thing to get what you need and know you will take care of yourself in an emergency and another to fill the giant vehicle with TV screens instead of survival gear
(yes I have a first aid kit, jumper cables, bottled water and an emergency blanket in my subaru)