patrick.net

Very interesting! I've started it and am at 20:00 in the 1920's! It's as much about advertising as anything. It makes sense, why buy a dull, stripped down model when for very little more you can buy a car with all the conveniences and comforts? Who cares where the impulse comes from?

P N Dr Lo R says

Who cares where the impulse comes from?

No one has to care.
The impulse comes from propaganda.

HEY YOU says

The impulse

It's very much like advertising. It was GM's Semon (Bunky) Knudsen who in the mid-50's took over the Pontiac division when it was a dowdy old man's car with a straight eight and began its transformation by removing its chrome "suspenders" after 1956 and said "you can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man an old man's car"--and between '57 and '59 the Pontiac was transformed into a performance icon. An example of good propaganda.

HEY YOU says

P N Dr Lo R says

Who cares where the impulse comes from?

No one has to care.

The impulse comes from propaganda.

As per Freud, it comes from our primitive instincts. As we are animals, I see nothing wrong with that.

P N Dr Lo R says

An example of good propaganda.

The "good" is that business get one to part with their money in a consumer economy,they have an easy job.
The products they buy continue to lose value while the cash can be used to increase the propagandists
value.
Consumers are so overwhelmed that they lost the ability to think,critically.
"The Jones have got one,it's wonderful,we must have one."
One needs to look at all the stuff they have purchased & compare the value today to what they paid for the stuff ,new.
In the future we shall call these "economic geniuses".
How much stuff have people purchased,used a few times,set it aside & when that item comes up in conversation they are the first to say, "I've got one."
They seem to be impressed. I need to get to the"being impressed" state.
If one wants to see how the minds of consumers works,
go to yard sales,almost unused stuff for sale that has no value.
What's a real slap of reality is estate sales,one can find unopened boxes of things that the deceased had to have.
America is great! One can throw their money away on anything they choose.
'A sucker is born every minute.'

Stuff can make one important,smart,likeable in their own minds.
How many want to tell everyone,"Look what I bought." expecting a pat on the back & told what a great guy/gal they are?

HEY YOU says

America is great! One can throw their money away on anything they choose

Exactly right! I wouldn't want it any other way.

P N Dr Lo R says

Exactly right! I wouldn't want it any other way.

The sad part is that many have become victims of propaganda/advertisements & lost the ability to
respond in any other way than emotionally.