Did anybody else find that recent Cadillac ad repugnant?
I was wondering if anybody else would comment on this ad. I found it totally repugnant, and culturally tone-deaf too.
For the video-impaired:
Why do we work so hard? For what? For this? For stuff? Other countries, they work, they stroll home, they stop by the cafe, they take August off. Why aren't you like that? Why aren't we like that? Because we're crazy, driven, hard-working believers, that's why. Those other countries think we're nuts. Whatever. Were the Wright Brothers insane? Bill Gates? Les Paul? Ali? Were we nuts when we pointed to the moon? That's right. We went up there. You know what we got? Bored. So we left. Got a car up there, left the keys in it. You know why? Because we're the only ones going back up there, that's why.
But I digress. It's pretty simple. You work hard, you create your own luck, and you gotta believe anything is possible. As for all the stuff, that's the upside of only taking two weeks off in August.
There's so much wrong with this morally and factually it's hard to know where to begin.
Those four weeks vacation are paid vacation. Bill Gates isn't exactly an innovator, and Muhammad Ali opposed official United States policy on war, race and economics. We did get to the moon first, but we weren't the first in space, and China will be heading to the moon soon.
American economic mobility is lower than in most of the rest of the industrialized world. If you work hard and create your own luck, you're likelier to improve your station in France than in America. Heck, the American Dream is more alive in Pakistan than in America.
And no. A slightly better car isn't worth two fewer weeks of even unpaid vacation, much less paid vacation. I think most Americans would agree with that, too.
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/speaking-of-not-understanding-what-it.html
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Part of the recent Conservative melt-down, where they come out and say the stuff that they used to be smart enough to just imply.
It's doubly repugnant to me, because for the last few years I've been trying to find ways to take *unpaid* vacation, and failing. I'd fucking gladly give up a week or two of salary for an extra week or two of vacation.
And behold, here is this ad, trying to make a virtue out of all our most deeply unhealthy cultural neuroses.
More bagging on the 99% for being so obviously lazy if they don't live in a mansion. With a pool. And a caddy.
What are you, some kind of socialist from europe? Taking the summer off?
I said to my husband..... How obnoxious was that? 
and the people that are giving up paid vacations, secure retirement, medical care, and higher education are receiving NOTHING in return. 
I shall never buy a new or used cadillac ever... I heard they are the Edsel of high end cars any way!
with that add.
... that looks like more fun than crashing my TV. 
the pulling out of his electric plug at the end...cute.
"Wow Ah am soooo kewl..." (Cartman grows up and buys a hybrid...)
I work in one of the most liberal parts of the country, and in my office a Republican would feel about as welcome as an Al Qaeda member, but I work with a lot of people who think exactly the way that commercial portrayed.
America is the best simply because it's America.
Your work ethic is a reflection of your value.
Vacations are for wimps.
My company gives us 6 weeks of paid vacation a year. That sounds generous, but it's a rare employee who uses more than half of it. Doing so is generally regarded as career suicide (the "good" projects would quickly be routed to the "reliable" employees who are around more). The mindset is "To be good at your job you have to love it, and if you love it you shouldn't need a vacation from it. If you don't love your job, you really shouldn't be here anyway".
Welcome to the new world.
I took six weeks last year. Luckily I can code circles around the pompous little twenty-something shits who sneered at me for doing so. When one of the twits derisively asked me how I could spend that much time on vacation without "getting bored", I pointed out to him that while he was banging away on his keyboard, I was getting laid on the beach. If the battle is between his worldview and mine, I'm pretty sure I win 
It's more or less always been this way. Certainly as long as I've been old enough to notice. I remember interviewing with a small company right out of college, where their vacation policy was: first five years: 1 week. 2nd five years: 2 weeks. 15+ years, 3 weeks. They lost me right there. No software is cool enough to be worth that kind of miserable lifestyle.
I guess what continues to amuse me, in a sad way, is how desperately we cling to this nonsense. You might think that we'd look at Europe, and say "hey, that's working out pretty well for them." But no, instead we double down.
Did I miss something? 
I thought the ad was jaw-dropping stupid.
he can polish the fenders. 
The guy came off as greedy, arrogant, Republican asshole.
But I wouldn't want to seem like a purist. The guy could have been one of those new Democrats that we must embrace, you know.
Think of all the people slaving away for peanuts ... Yeah, they voluntarily forego any vacation because they want more major luxury items. Uh huh. That's it. 
because it summarizes the sort of uniquely American cocky can-do attitude that allowed us to accomplish the 20th century.
And I fully intend to go back for my moon rover. 
And for all you haters- 
