Are you as appalled as I am?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Poor people feel the painful effects of a recession first. They are not millionaires who can shrug over losing a few hundred thousand here and there. They lose their jobs and their homes. Then it begins to trickle up.
Many people who aren't worried now will be directly effected as the economic situation worsens, and just about all the expects agree that it is going to continue to worsen before it starts to get better.

Buying a car 'better' than volunteering in a soup kitchen? I find that logic to be debatable, but yes both acts can help our world in their own ways. Unfortunately not all people can afford to buy new cars anymore...or even used cars for that matter.

[salsabike]

Unfortunately not all people can afford to buy new cars anymore...or even used cars for that matter.

That has ALWAYS been true, and there is a much larger set of poverty issues.

Still the last two posters have made some good points. I too find the car ads stupid but funny since I can't quite envision ever being able to buy someone a car as a gift. But neither do I feel that thinking ill of people who can is necessarily correct.

[KeepingUp]

not appalled and not shocked. what do you expect? they are trying to make money like the rest of us!

[Mr. Bloom]

Buying a car 'better' than volunteering in a soup kitchen? ... but yes both acts can help our world in their own ways. Unfortunately not all people can afford to buy new cars anymore...or even used cars for that matter.

Back to my original post on this very complex and emotional matter:

• People who can and do acquire goods (they don't have to be expensive) fuel the economy that employs people. Don't resent what people buy and don't assume that people who own expensive items are appalling (and to be frank, this is the emotionally charged word that triggered my original response...but I think I took it much more emotionally than it was intended)
• Selfishness is often not determined by what you own, but by your attitude, especially toward others. Many with resources are generous with their time and money and are INCONSPICUOUS in their giving (and IMHO inconspicuous giving and a willingness to get involved at street level is the antithesis of appalling behavior)
  
  I appreciate the lively debate. Frankly, it's challenged my perspective on some things in a good way. Thanks.

[Crankin]

Thank you, Mr. Silver. In my world, there are a lot of people who might buy a car as a present. If I look at the crowds in Concord center, I might wonder what all this stuff on the news is. People are tightening their belts, but I don't see empty restaurants or stores. Our housing market hasn't burst as much as in the Sunbelt. I recently read home prices have gone down 5% here, as opposed to 32% in AZ. I was literally shocked when I saw all of the foreclosure signs when I was out there in September.
Back to what Mr. Silver said... many of those people buying what some consider to be appalling cars are also giving "appalling" amounts of money to various causes.

[Pax]

I don't think it's the money, spending money (if you have it) is great for the economy...it's the ads that come across as crass and insensitive during these times.

[Ana]

I don't think it's the money, spending money (if you have it) is great for the economy...it's the ads that come across as crass and insensitive during these times.

It is possible that they could be targeting the demographic that will always have money to throw around...

[Aggie_Ama]

One of these ads came on last night and I engaged DH in discussion of it. He was raised like me albeit even slightly lower middle class and views them as dumb. Offensive or appalling? Not really but he can't imagine any can give a car. He got his Grandpas old 1985 GMC with no AC for his 16th birthday in 1996. I still remember the grandpa-esque bumper stickers like plumbing union and "If you don't like the way I drive get off the side walk!"

Funny thing is he has a relative that is a self made millionaire, literally she has that much in cash in the bank then real estate worth as much. The woman is extremely frugal her husband and her made that money through smart investments and living on a depression era mindset. She has two vehicles, both purchased with cash before her husband died in 1999. A suburban and a Z71 Farm Truck, neither with any more bells and whistles than power windows.

At Christmas she gives both her children $10k or maybe it is $20k. BUT she expects her daughter to take her to all her appointments and run errands plus her husband does some small handy work. Her son is expected to move cattle, repair fences, plumbing and take cattle to auction or slaughter. So my husband still doesn't get it since they work for her generosity. She could afford to buy every child and grandchild a Lexus and have money in the bank but she never would. She might if we earned it by hauling cattle and goats plus fixing things on her ranch.

[Biciclista]

I too have always found those diamond ads offensive. That's probably why I made it very clear to my DH that he was to never buy me one. I think they're ugly and the labor that produces them is pretty brutal and offensive too.

On the other hand, we DID go to the foodbank last saturday for our joint birthday party and we each bagged over 1/2 ton of frozen carrots. THAT was fun.

[Crankin]

The only thing I think about one of the new car ads is the one where the woman gets a used BMW and complains that her son "took a 29,000 mile joy ride." They make her look dumb enough to think that her car was a new car. I might write an email. The last time I did this, I wrote to Toyota because they had an ad that said something about a father enjoying seeing his son graduate from college and his daughter get married! I think it worked, because the ad disappeared shortly after I sent the email.
Or, I could go down to my BMW dealer and tell them I refuse to buy another one because I am too dumb to know the difference between new and used...
But I won't do it today, because my car is there for service.

[Aggie_Ama]

Well I love my diamonds, hate to think what might have gone into mining them but I like them. They sparkle, only flashy jewelry I really wear. Still HATE those ads. I am pretty sure men who cannot afford to buy diamonds (or chose not to) love their spouses just as strongly as those who do buy them. Make me want to get on the soapbox everytime I see one.

Crankin- I think that ad is funny but why does it have to be a woman that is so stupid? My mom has a hopelessly clueless man friend I could see wondering why his new car had 29k on it. The guy is just gullible and a little dim witted.

[Bluetree]

I think "appalled" is a very harsh word. I think the commercial is in poor taste, but I also know that some of the things I buy are considered extremely extravagant (i.e. spending $10k on bikes in the last calendar year). To each his own.

But I do think that particular commercial is bad/silly/misguided strictly from a marketing POV. Commercials are often made more for brandings sake than for selling individual product. In a time of deep recession, a (any) company would not be wise to shove images of extravagance into peoples faces, esp when the overall climate in the country is one of fear for their livelihoods. Many of those struggling may end up with a windfall later in life, and you don't want to leave negative feelings associated with your product. Plus, a Lexus owner is not necessarily the same tax bracket as a Bentley or RR owner – they are in the same middle class that is scared poopless about their economic future.

(Of course, it may just be that Lexus is recycling an ad made in better years and greenlighted it for distribution long before the stock market collapsed.)

It was not the most appropriate ad, but there are worse things to fret about than a TV commercial.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I too have always found those diamond ads offensive. That's probably why I made it very clear to my DH that he was to never buy me one. I think they're ugly and the labor that produces them is pretty brutal and offensive too.

On the other hand, we DID go to the foodbank last saturday for our joint birthday party and we each bagged over 1/2 ton of frozen carrots. THAT was fun.

So you wound up with a lot of "carats" on your birthday anyway!

[Flur]

Many people who aren't worried now will be directly effected as the economic situation worsens, and just about all the expects agree that it is going to continue to worsen before it starts to get better.

Buying a car 'better' than volunteering in a soup kitchen? I find that logic to be debatable, but yes both acts can help our world in their own ways. Unfortunately not all people can afford to buy new cars anymore...or even used cars for that matter.

What keeps the economy going is spending. For example, if a bunch of people shop at Target this year, Target will have a good year, won't have to lay anyone off. This keeps jobs. People who have jobs are more likely to spend and continue the cycle. So every time someone with the means to do so spends money, they are helping to ward off further economic downturn.

The "experts" are actually fueling the economic downturn, by telling people it's going to get worse. This causes people to hold their money, which means less spending and more layoffs.

So, yeah, spending money allows people to keep their jobs, which allows them to keep their homes, which keeps them from becoming homeless and needing to go to soup kitchens. Which would you rather have, a job or a bowl of soup?

[Eden]

OK, so to this point most of my comments have been more directed at over consumption..... I don't think just having money or even being wealthy is any kind of a sin. It does bother me that are the few people who have so much money that they don't even have clue about all of the stuff that they have and couldn't possibly even use/enjoy it all... (like not having two cars or even 3, but having a garage full of 30....Like not even knowing how many houses you own...) Personally I wouldn't ever want that much...

I am also bothered by exploiting other people for cheap goods, and that goes for everyone, not just the overly wealthy.

In any case back to the car commercials. I've just now seen two of them for the first time. The Acura commercial wasn't particularly offensive. The Lexus commercial was pretty disgusting... Acura just suggested that getting a car for Christmas would be fun. Lexus definitely suggested that you'd be better than your friends if you had one - blech! Sorry, I have a 10 year old Saturn, when I drive at all, and I feel no jealousy what so ever towards drivers of Lexi...