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In the American retail marketplace, quality United States of American made durable goods have been replaced by cheap Asian copies or designs which frequently arrive defective and normally break when you look at them funny. My half a century of experience has led me to the conclusion that all my liberal, foreign goods buying, friends from the good old days have helped economically to usher in the new days of poor quality and bad workmanship. For a glimpse of this, all you have to do is turn on C-Span to watch the English language challenged Japanese owner of the Bridgestone ( Firestone ) tire company apologizing for the deaths which his company's possible cost saving ( face saving gone to total insanity? ) and corner cutting have caused all over the world. What I would give to see that guy do the right Bushido thing with a hari-kari knife!
It all started back in the 1960s and 70s, with unsuspecting Americans buying cheap Japanese goods over their better made domestic counterparts, especially the toys and ' toy ' automobiles.
American cars were characteristically large, poweful and heavy, being made out of large quantities of metal and steel. Then came the Arab nationalization of British and American oil company holdings in the Perisian Gulf and the accompanying rise of gasoline prices. This made the masses clamor ( and clamber ) for smaller cars which got better gas mileage; but they were the size of a roller skate and didn't contain much more metal. American politically correct, big business hating, liberals flocked to buy cheap plastic Asian and European cars in a frenzy, to keep up with their neighbors in misguided efforts to fuel their own psychological phobia that the United States couldn't build a terrific small car that was fuel efficient and would last.
The truth was the exact opposite, though the modern day U.S. Quislings making cash off the sellout of the people were throwing vast amounts of propaganda-like advertising at them left and right urging them to buy the foreign made econo-boxes. Two examples spring to mind, as quickly as that cheap plastic dashboard in your Honda warps, whether or not you kept it in the garage.The Nash Rambler ( 1950s ) and the Chevrolet Corvair ( 1960s ) are two fine examples of American automotive small design. The Nash was so far ahead of it's time that a popular song featured it, but it went the way of many things which are ahead of their time; the junk yard, because of lack of popularity. The Corvair was killed by bad publicity made more unpopular by a familiar name in the news these days, Ralph Nader. The truth about the Corvair was that in 1969 it was second in handling only to the LT-1 Corvette, with a .69 on the skidpad, as opposed to .71 for the small block powered Vette ( cars like Camaro and Mustang were all in the mid to low .60s in factory stock trim ). A high performance version of the Corvair, the Corsa, was actually available with a turbocharged engine! What Nader's motivations were for bad mouthing the revolutionary rear engined Corvair into oblivion, because of one weird design defect that was corrected almost immediately, was lost when he didn't have the YEN to pursue the late 60s Toyota Corona, which I remember had the bad tendency to have the wheels fold under when it went over a bump during hard corning ( a similar, yet I believe far worse example of a suspension problem than that of the Corvair ). I personally watched the Toyota do it over and over again right up to the point of causing a crash ( it was laughable ), but I couldn't get the Corvair to do what Nader claimed it did, no matter how long and hard I tried!
American automobile companies like Ford and General Motors ( Chevrolet ) had European partners which made small cars, the Escort and Opel respectively, for example. My memory is that these two cars had quite a bit more sheet metal ( though not a great deal ) and less plastic parts than the Datsun or Toyota at that time. My '62 Willys Jeep has more metal than a full size Nissan Pathfinder, I bet? For a supreme example; how many Japanese cars from the 60s and 70s do you still see on the road ( or in the junk yard not rusted so bad that you can't tell whether or not it is just a pile of discarded slag )? The answer is NONE! In a world where an entire Nissan or Toyota can be made from just the dashboard from a '56 Buick Super, there is nothing left but bad memories. I have a friend who lived on a South Sea island ( to remain nameless because it is so small and most people wouldn't recognize it anyhow ) for a while and the Subaru Brat they bought lasted six months before it rusted so bad that he put his foot completely through the floorboard when getting into it one day ( all while other folks were still driving around their World War II vintage Jeeps? )!
Okay, so this is where the bleeding heart, politically correct crowd are supposed to feel or feint a little bit of guilt and listen loud and clear to my I-TOLD-YOU-SO.
When you lemmings started buying Japanese cars by the container-ship load instead of Ford Falcons, Chevy Novas and Chrysler Imperials; I told you the Japanese would soon own your whole neighborhood. Well, boys and girls I WAS RIGHT and you were the ostrich with it's head stuck firmly in the sand ( or any other place equally as dark )! Take a good look at the entertainment industry and good old American real estate, my friends; it has all been gobbled up by the yellow peril ( and it's close cousin, the red peril from the People's Republic of China is not far behind ). Remember MGM pictures? It is now called Sony! Remember that local golf course where the greens fee was two dollars and the lines were long but moving? It is now owned by the Japanese, the greens fee is twenty bucks and those Asian businessmen just teed off in front of you without a reservation. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. They bought up Kentucky bluegrass and paved the area to build a Toyota factory, to save the extra trans-Pacific ocean shipping costs, but not the North American environment! The flip side of the coin is that Japan doesn't allow foreign land ownership and there is none in Red China!
To our latest generation, where HEAVY METAL is a musical category; they have all but forgotten what well made, quality American goods that last truely are! Would you rather have an American made ceiling fan which cost fifty dollars and lasted that many years, or a Red Chinese slave labor made version which cost only twenty dollars ( two cents for them to produce ) but barely lasted that many months ( if it really was that long, consider yourself lucky )? All those liberals screaming about planned obsolescence and shoddy American workmanship are now those who are quick to read the label on a product looking for MADE IN THE USA.
It started with cheap Japanese made toys, with other countries and products quickly joining the parade. Did you know there actually was a town in Japan named Usa? Many factories relocated or sprang up there, so that they could put MADE IN USA on their cheap goods in an effort to fool the American public. No BS man, that's a fact! I actually have a cup and saucer with MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN stamped on the bottom, though that bears no import to this discussion. The virus spread from appliances to autos and from electronics to sports equipment. I fear this malignant cancer will not stop until the communist Chinese have gotten their piece of our retail market action, and their foot in the door at Century 21.
Ask the families of the dead how much they like cheap Japanese Bridgestone tires masquerading under the name of one of America's oldest tire companies, Firestone? The current parent Japanese company, Bridgestone, which bought Firestone, may have begun implimenting cost cutting measures which have become so popular on their home island? The Japanese economy has not been in the best shape lately!
The invasion of America couldn't be done militarily, but they have done a great job on the ignorant, unsuspecting, American people economically!
- Bongo ( Nuke 'em some more? )
Updated ( 9-7-2000 )
(c)2000 Bongo.