I love this list. You start out on one topic and the thread becomes a completely different topic within 20 to 30 emails.
Drafting a letter to the dealership right now. Thanks Jacob >-----Original Message----- >From: Erika L. Walker-Arnold [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 4:57 PM >To: CF-Community >Subject: RE: Wasteful Americans (was Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee) > >So Jacob, do you see how an innocent post about bad shocks can start the >snowball a-rolling??? Hope you get your Jeep problems straightened out! >:) > >I love this place!!! But it's now bed time. > >Cactch up to y'all in the morn! > >Erika >With a k >------------------------------------------------------------ > > >>| -----Original Message----- > >>| From: Jerry Johnson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > >>| Sent: 30 April 2002 22:44 > >>| To: CF-Community > >>| Subject: Re: Wasteful Americans (was Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee) > >>| > >>| > >>| I certainly didn't mean YOU the messenger, I meant that > >>| most Americans (and we are talking about the big-gulp > >>| warehouse store buying general public, here) have a deep, > >>| instant dislike to ANYONE telling them what they SHOULD do. > >>| > >>| Good or bad, it is this instant offense to authority that > >>| makes us who we are as a nation. > >>| > >>| Demands from people they have no history and respect for > >>| (people who have earned their authority) get met almost > >>| universally with exactly the opposite behavior. > >>| > >>| Not very mature. Not necessarily a good thing. But I think > >>| it is there in most Americans. > >>| > >>| So when people are told they should be ashamed of > >>| themselves for doing something, they are most likely going > >>| to do that thing again, with bells on top. > >>| > >>| So when people are wooed with marvelous ad campaigns > >>| showing the wonderful lifestyle they are missing, and then > >>| are told by someone they couldn't care less about "if you > >>| buy that you are bad, bad, bad.", what do you think they > >>| are going to do? They might buy it just out of spite. > >>| > >>| You say that people should be nice. That they should care > >>| about the environment. > >>| > >>| I agree. But most people don't. They don't care about the > >>| trees. Or the fish. Or about the person in the car in front > >>| of them. They just don't. > >>| > >>| Education can help. When people see how they are DIRECTLY > >>| and IMMEDIATELY effected by an environmental issue, they do > >>| move to fix it. But our government (and society) works > >>| mainly on a crisis management basis. This is true for the > >>| environment, but also for schools, the military, roads, > >>| corruption, you name it. > >>| > >>| People are not all that concerned about "future > >>| generations". Look at the national deficit if you don't > >>| believe me. It can't be good for our kids to be born in debt. > >>| > >>| If you want to change their behaviors, you need to use > >>| exactly the same tools the car manufacturers are using, and > >>| anti-sell the big, lumbering cars. > >>| > >>| For example, most SUV owners you ask will say they are > >>| safer. Statistics absolutely prove this is wrong. I don't > >>| even have an airbag. SUV owners will say they feel "cooler" > >>| in their car than in a mini-van. Then why don't I have a > >>| girlfriend? I bought the darn car... > >>| > >>| Saying that people "should" do anything isn't going to > >>| effect change (neither is this email, but I'm typing > >>| merrily along anyway). > >>| > >>| Overcoming human nature is a very unnatural thing to do. It > >>| isn't easy. And it won't be quick. But it is worth the effort. > >>| > >>| As for my mentioning of the "green tax", I mean that our > >>| consumer-based society (for the most part) has completely > >>| got this "environmentally friendly" thing exactly wrong. > >>| Most "green" products cost more than their non-green > >>| counterparts. In some cases this is due to increased > >>| production costs, but usually it is a "all the market will > >>| bear" attitude by manufacturers and retailers. This in > >>| turn has turned people off from buying green products > >>| (people who are more than willing to help, but aren't > >>| really willing to SACRIFICE for the cause) There is now the > >>| perception that green products will cost more and not > >>| perform as well. > >>| > >>| Instead, there should be a green "break". Green products > >>| should cost less. As an example, the electric company in my > >>| town offers free flourescent bulbs to replace regular bulbs > >>| in your house. Since they are less landfill friendly, they > >>| also have a collection program. It is cheaper for them than > >>| having to build another power plant, so they are actually > >>| saving money, and passing those savings along to consumers > >>| in the form of a greener product. (less power, lasts longer) > >>| > >>| We should be creating incentives to "do the right thing". > >>| Maybe even a carrot-and-stick approach. > >>| > >>| Too much talking. Sorry to ramble so. > >>| > >>| Jerry Johnson > >>| > >>| >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 04/30/02 05:11PM >>> > >>| > I own a Jeep, but I own a bike and a pair of shoes. > >>| > > >>| > I try to use all of them in their proper time and place. > >>| > >>| Note that I have no problem with SUVs - they are useful > >>| vehicles. My beef is with the Proud and Wasteful consumers. > >>| > >>| > As for the "typical American" attitude towards the environment, I > >>| > think > >>| that is almost as much due to the messenger as the message. > >>| > >>| LOL, Jerry, one of your fellow Americans (and mine) just > >>| said that More is the American Way, proudly, so its not > >>| just me that thinks so. > >>| > >>| > I think there is a knee-jerk response to most attempts to force > >>| environmental concerns down people's throats. > >>| > >>| The point is that folks should care without having them > >>| forced down their throats. > >>| > >>| > As soon as environmentally friendly products are as useful and as > >>| > cheap as > >>| their "dirty" counterparts, people will switch in droves. > >>| > >>| Not really - the vehicle trend now is towards ridiculously > >>| large. How many people need all the room a suburban has? > >>| > >>| > Asking people to give up their way of living for "the > >>| greater good" I > >>| > feel > >>| is not taking basic human nature into account. > >>| > >>| I think then, we need to overcome our basic human nature > >>| and teach our kids to care about each other and the planet. > >>| > >>| > And we need to start selling environmentally friendly products as > >>| PRODUCTS, and not tacking on a politically-correct "green" tax. > >>| > >>| What specifically are you speaking to here? > >>| > >>| > >>| ____________________________________________________________ > >>| __________ > >>| Your ad could be here. Monies from ads go to support these > >>| lists and provide more resources for the community. > >>| http://www.fusionauthority.com/ads.cfm > >>| > >>| Archives: > >>| http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > >>| Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists > >>| > > > ______________________________________________________________________ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
