|
I would hope they don't make a klansman, as a half African-American and son of a Russian born Vietnamese disabled midget, I'd find that really offensive, but I think Neil was really putting out an insult to conservative American mopar owners on the list Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone ----- Reply message ----- From: "Eastern Sierra Adjustment Svc" <esierraadj@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [FWDLK] Tasteless Remarks and the Dodge LaFemme. Date: Wed, Jun 26, 2013 4:51 pm And I was looking Forward to the creation of the Chrysler Klansman, which should be of great affinity to too many of our members. On 6/26/2013 1:34 PM, Jim Bennett wrote: > Please stay on topic. These comments could be offensive to some list > members. > > > In a message dated 6/26/2013 4:30:58 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > jrawa@xxxxxxx writes: > > I wasn't going to jump in, but Larry is on board... This sad society isn't > happy unless there's something to cry about. At the time, the LeFemme had > pink on it to appeal to women... Because pink is girlish and at that time > women were becoming, or were allowed to be more independent.. Cherokee, > pontiac, cheiftan.. they should be honored.. and I didn't know scottsmen were > cheap! I just learned a stereotype! > > What should really happen is the govt should start liberal motors, have > cars named tree hugger, that secretly put out 4times more emissions, or > electric cars called the men-on-men, that you connect together by phallic > looking plugs to charge at night! > > If only the minds of America could have individuality as they did when > fins were in...people need a good slap, but today you'll get sued! > > Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone > > ----- Reply message ----- > From: "Larry Ashbaugh" <ALIENVOICE@xxxxxxx> > To: <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Subject: [FWDLK] ... and the Dodge LaFemme. > Date: Wed, Jun 26, 2013 3:53 pm > > > > Welcome to the world of political conformity and correctness. Since the > name Cherokee has never denigrated the Cherokee Nation, nor American > Indians, I am surprised that anyone would have any concern with the > re-introduction of this honored nameplate. Maybe Chrysler's use of the name without > negative"stereotypes" will save it the righteous outrage of America's Liberal > elite, although I see some enterprising Lawyer somewhere approaching Native > Americans to help sooth their "offense" through a substantial lawsuit of > the Chrysler barbarians (is Barbarian an offensive term?). > > The Cherokee name is a good name, a strong name, and a name that Americans > associate with solid, quality transportation for the family and for > occasional (or not so occasional) forays into the boonies for the fun of driving. > > > That noise you hear is America clapping for the Chrysler execs who made > the correct name choice. > > Larry in Middle America (Akron, Ohio) > 57 (2), 58, 59 Coronets & 60 Saratoga ForwardLook and many more Mopars > > > In a message dated 6/26/2013 11:44:04 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > x779@xxxxxxxxx writes: > > When Cars Assume Ethnic Identities > > Making its debut for the 2014 model year is a new Jeep with a name from > the brand’s past: Cherokee. > > By GLENN COLLINS > > June 21, 2013 > > Coming to a showroom near you for 2014: the first sport utility vehicle in > its class equipped with a 9-speed automatic transmission. It’s also the > first to offer a parallel-parking feature. And, in 4-wheel-drive models, the > rear axle disconnects automatically, for fuel efficiency. > > Oh, yes: its name is the Jeep Cherokee. > > Hold on -- wasn’t that model name retired more than a decade ago? Wasn’t > it replaced by the Jeep Liberty for 2002? > > Yet now, in a time of heightened sensitivity over stereotypes, years after > ethnic, racial and gender labeling has been largely erased from sports > teams, products and services, Jeep is reviving an American Indian model name. > Why? > > “In the automobile business, you constantly have to reinvent yourself, and > sometimes it’s best to go back to the future,” said Allen Adamson, > managing director of the New York office of Landor Associates, a brand and > corporate identity consultancy. > > Jeep, a division of the Chrysler Group, explained that its market research > revealed a marked fondness for the name. The 2014 version, said Jim > Morrison, director of Jeep marketing, “is a new, very capable vehicle that has > the Cherokee name and Cherokee heritage. Our challenge was, as a brand, to > link the past image to the present.” > > The company says it respects changed attitudes toward stereotyping. “We > want to be politically correct, and we don’t want to offend anybody,” Mr. > Morrison said. Regarding the Cherokee name, he added: “We just haven’t > gotten any feedback that was disparaging.” > > Well, here’s some: “We are really opposed to stereotypes,” said Amanda > Clinton, a spokeswoman for the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. “It would have > been nice for them to have consulted us in the very least.” > > But, she added, the Cherokee name is not copyrighted, and the tribe has > been offered no royalties for the use of the name. “We have encouraged and > applauded schools and universities for dropping offensive mascots,” she said, > but stopped short of condemning the revived Jeep Cherokee because, “ > institutionally, the tribe does not have a stance on this.” > > So far, marketing materials for the 2014 Cherokee model have eschewed > references to, or portrayals of, American Indians and their symbols. That’s a > far cry from the excesses of past years, when marketers went beyond > embracing stereotyping to reveling in it. Indeed, Chrysler’s restraint seems an > indication of just how much things have changed. > > For decades, American Indian tribal names have helped to propel > automobiles out of showrooms. Return with us now to the era when Pontiac’s sales > brochures carried illustrations comparing its 6-cylinder engines to six > red-painted, feathered cartoon Indian braves rowing a canoe. > > Or review Pontiac’s marketing copy, which proclaimed that “among the > names of able Indian warriors known to the white race in America, that of > Pontiac, chief of the Ottawas and accepted leader of the Algonquin family of > tribes, stands pre-eminent.” Of course, the visage of the chief was > appropriated as a hood ornament. > > Many other tribes were adopted as marketing tools. Long gone is the Jeep > Comanche pickup truck, sold in the late 1980s, along with the Jeep Comanche > Eliminator. > > Certainly, American Indian names are still in the market: consider Indian > motorcycles, about to resurface under yet another new owner, Polaris > Industries. And Chrysler’s full-sized S.U.V., the Grand Cherokee, introduced in > 1992 as a larger version of the Cherokee and still a market leader. In fact, > its success was a reason for the revival of the Cherokee name for a > midsize S.U.V. > > American Indians have hardly been alone in the cavalcade of automobile > cultural stereotyping. In the 1950s, advertising for the Studebaker Scotsman > didn’t actually use the word cheapskate, but prospective buyers were > informed that “when you and your family sit in your thrifty Scotsman...this great > Studebaker body cradles you, your family and friends in safety.” It should > be noted, though, that the Scotsman featured cardboard door panels and its > hubcaps and trim weren’t chrome-plated: they were painted silver. > > While there is no indication that the General Motors Viking was > discontinued in the early 1930s because of protests by outraged Scandinavians, it’s a > certainty that no automaker’s copy writers would dare write today that “ > the development of the Viking car closely parallels the development of the > Viking youth in attaining manhood,” where “only those best fitted for > leadership survived to contribute to the strength and superiorities of the race.” > > > Moreover, in the Roaring Twenties there was no apparent feminist backlash > against the Little Jordan Tomboy. The cover of its 1927 advertising > brochure depicted a smart, stylish woman in jodphurs and knee-length boots, > clutching a riding crop. The purple marketing prose stated that “I am the Little > Jordan Tomboy,” with “a thousand miles of open road before my saucy nose.” > > > Also hard to fathom today is the Studebaker Dictator, “Champion of its > Class,” discontinued after 1937, when the rise of Hitler and Mussolini gave > the model name an unpleasant odor. > > In the late 1920s, the quest for association with high-profile leaders led > the Windsor Autoworks in St. Louis to shamelessly place a color portrait > of the Prince of Wales on its 1929 brochure for a new vehicle, The White > Prince. Buckingham Palace was not amused, and expressed its displeasure. > > American Indians have long opposed derogatory sports-team labels and > likened fans’ use of war paint to the derogation of African-Americans with > blackface. The N.C.A.A. has forbidden the use of nicknames, as well as mascots, > logos, signs and band uniforms that are “deemed hostile or abusive in terms > of race, ethnicity or national origin.” > > In 1994, St. John’s University in New York changed the name of its sports > teams from the Redmen to the Red Storm. Also gone are the Miami Redskins > and the Marquette University Warriors; the Southeastern Oklahoma State > University Savages are now the Savage Storm. > > The Washington Redskins have resisted; so have the Atlanta Braves, > opposing a name change or the discontinuation of its tomahawk chop. But the Braves’ > team mascots, Chief Noc-A-Homa and Princess Win-A-Lotta, have been > remaindered. > > Even aside from the use of an American Indian tribal name in the Jeep > Cherokee, the risks are high in the introduction of any vehicle. Automobile > experts estimate the cost of renewing a nameplate like Jeep Cherokee at more > than $50 million. > > Why, given these risks, return to a discontinued brand? “Coming up with > new names is very expensive these days,” said Mr. Adamson, the brand > consultant, explaining that trademark research, focus groups and legal due > diligence can be costly. The growing quest for viable names -- and the third-rail > of stereotypical labeling -- are possible explanations for the advent of > such hard-to-spell monikers as the Volkswagen Tiguan, and the growing adoption > of concocted names like Acura, Elantra, Infiniti and Lexus - as well as > the proliferation of alphanumeric designations. > > “New models have all of these three-letter-code designations that mean > nothing to me,” said Stephen W. Hayes, a Manhattan automotive historian and a > collector of printed auto memorabilia, of nameplates like MKX, RX 350, > F-150, 328i, QX56 and GL450 that populate the auto world. “Companies don’t > name their cars as colorfully anymore.” > > Nevertheless, “just the name of a brand itself is one of the most powerful > marketing tools you have,” Mr. Adamson said. “Automobile brands define > who you are, and Cherokee summons up rich associations.” > > The Jeep Cherokee was a winner from the start, introduced in 1974 as a > sport utility vehicle with the latest gadgets. Recent market research revealed > that “there was so much passion behind the Cherokee,” Mr. Morrison, the > Jeep marketing director, said. “What was really interesting was that people’ > s fondness for the Cherokee was greater than that for Liberty.” > > Giving the new Jeep its old tribal name may have seemed just another > acceptable risk. “Names can be polarizing, and can cause controversy, so you > have to be careful,” Mr. Adamson said, but opposition to brand names has > become something of a national pastime. “Anytime you introduce a name, someone > will be upset.” > > A name that has zero associations is even more likely to sabotage a new > model’s introduction. “If you have a name that offends nobody, then you end > up with a forgettable brand” that won’t cling to the memory, Mr. Adamson > said. > > “So,” he said, “it just won’t be sticky.” > > =Lou= > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~ **-=\/=-** ~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity. Robert > Anthony > > ************************************************************* > To unsubscribe or set your subscription options, please go to > http://lists.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=l-forwardlook&A=1 > _Help The Forward Look with every Amazon purchase by clicking here!_ > (http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&TAG=theforwardloo-20&LINKCODE=ur2&CAMP=1789 > &CREATIVE=9325) > _Help the Forward Look with every eBay purchase by starting your search > here!_ (http://www.forwardlook.net/ebay) > > ************************************************************* > To unsubscribe or set your subscription options, please go to > http://lists.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=l-forwardlook&A=1 > _Help The Forward Look with every Amazon purchase by clicking here!_ > (http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&TAG=theforwardloo-20&LINKCODE=ur2&CAMP=1789 > &CREATIVE=9325) > ************************************************************* > To unsubscribe or set your subscription options, please go to > http://lists.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=l-forwardlook&A=1 > _Help The Forward Look with every Amazon purchase by clicking here!_ > (http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&TAG=theforwardloo-20&LINKCODE=ur2&CAMP=1789 > &CREATIVE=9325) > _Help the Forward Look with every eBay purchase by starting your search > here!_ (http://www.forwardlook.net/ebay) > > ************************************************************* > > To unsubscribe or set your subscription options, please go to > http://lists.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=l-forwardlook&A=1 > > Help the Forward Look with every eBay purchase by starting your search here: > http://www.ForwardLook.net/eBay > > >>>> Error in line 20 of l-forwardlook.mailtpl: unknown formatting command <<< > -> ...and with every Amazon purchase by clicking here: <- > > ************************************************************* To unsubscribe or set your subscription options, please go to http://lists.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=l-forwardlook&A=1 Help the Forward Look with every eBay purchase by starting your search here: http://www.ForwardLook.net/eBay >>> Error in line 20 of l-forwardlook.mailtpl: unknown formatting command <<< -> ...and with every Amazon purchase by clicking here: <- ************************************************************* To unsubscribe or set your subscription options,
please go to Help The Forward Look with every Amazon purchase by clicking here!
|
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network